According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of deaths resulting from on-the-job injuries and illness declined in 2010. However, work-related injuries still caused workers to miss an average of eight days of work in 2010, the same average as in 2009.
In Alabama, employees injured on the job may be able to obtain compensation for their lost wages and medical treatment through workers' compensation. Although it is possible to make a claim for workers' compensation benefits without legal representation, the assistance of an Alabama workers' compensation attorney can help injured workers get the full benefits they deserve.
Common Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
The BLS reports that sprains, strains and tears were the most common work-related injuries requiring days away from work in 2010, accounting for 40 percent of missed days of work because of injury or illness. In the same year, ergonomic injuries, known to the BLS as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), accounted for 29 percent of all workplace injuries requiring days away from work.
BLS statistics rank the most common work-related injuries as follows, from most common to less common:
- Sprains and strains
- Other injuries, including MSDs
- Bruises and contusions
- Cuts and lacerations
- Fractures and broken bones
- Heat burns
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Amputations
- Chemical burns
- Tendonitis
-
Multiple traumatic injuries
Alabama Workers' Compensation
If an employee suffers a work-related injury in Alabama, he or she may be eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits. In general, to qualify for benefits, the injury or illness must have resulted from an accident that occurred in the worker's course of employment. According to the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, this means that the accident must have occurred:
- During the employee's period of employment
- While the employee was fulfilling his or her job duties
- At a place where the employee may reasonably be
Wage-Loss Benefits
If these requirements are met, the injured worker may receive wage-loss benefits equal to two-thirds of his or her average weekly earnings before the injury. If the employee's injury is permanent or causes total disability (even temporarily), he or she may receive benefits for an unlimited duration. Otherwise, the employee may receive workers' compensation wage-loss benefits for up to 300 weeks.
Medical-Expense Benefits
In addition to wage-loss benefits, workers' compensation also may pay for an injured workers' reasonably necessary medical treatment, including surgery and chiropractic services, medicine and medical supplies. However, injured workers are required to first obtain medical treatment from a doctor of their employers' choosing. If the employee is unhappy with the first doctor and needs additional treatment, the employee may select a new doctor from a list of four doctors provided by the employer. Refusal to accept treatment from a doctor on the employer's panel may disqualify an employee from receiving workers' compensation benefits.
If you have been injured on the job, contact an experienced workers' compensation lawyer to help you get the workers' compensation benefits you deserve.
