Your wife and young children count on you being able to work to make ends meet. As a construction worker, you go to work each day knowing that you are at an increased risk for being injured because of an accident. Have you ever thought of what would happen to your family if you were injured? Would you be able to keep a roof over your head, your utilities on and food on the table? In many cases, filing a workers’ compensation claim can help you to make ends meet. Here are three points that you should know about injuries at construction sites and compensation afterward.
Many construction injuries are preventable
Proper safety equipment and protocols can prevent a good number of construction site accidents. For example, falls could be minimized if the employer provides harnesses and ensures that scaffolds are properly erected. Head injuries might be prevented with hard hats. Electrocutions could be prevented with proper lock-out-tag-out methods. When a construction worker is injured in an accident, it is imperative that he lets the employer or supervisor know about the injury in accordance with the established procedures. In some cases, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be called in to do an investigation, which could lead to action against the employer.
Workers’ compensation provides partial wage replacement
Wage replacement is possible if you are unable to work because of the injury. You won’t get the full wage that you were earning at the time of your injury. Instead, the average weekly wage will be determined by averaging out the previous 52 weeks’ worth of wages. You would then get two-thirds of that amount if you are completely unable to work. Several things, including your ability to earn at least some income, can affect the total amount that you receive.
Medical care must follow certain guidelines
There is some freedom of choice when it comes to medical care providers. Employees who have a workers’ compensation claim have a limited number of providers from which they can seek treatment. The providers that are covered might be limited to those that are included in a Preferred Provider Plan. You should make sure that you fully understand how the choice of care providers applies to your case so that you aren’t held responsible for the cost of receiving medical care for the injury you suffered on the job.
