When a worker accepts a job, he or she should also understand any occupational hazards that come with that profession. For an office worker, that may mean carpal tunnel syndrome, but for a construction worker, the consequences can be more serious. Regardless of a person’s occupation, most employers in Colorado are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance for their employees. This type of insurance prevents employers from being held liable in the instance of a workplace accident, but it also provides benefits to any injured employees. 

What Benefits Are Included With Workers’ Compensation?

Workers’ compensation is a government program, and any eligible employee has the right to file for benefits. If a person is hurt and cannot return to work temporarily or permanently, he or she can file a workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ compensation will replace lost wages for the time an employee is away and cover the costs of medical care for work-related injury or illness. 

Back pain is one of the most common injuries which a person can suffer. It is estimated that 80 percent of the population in the United States experiences back pain at least once in their lives. There are infinite ways to sustain a back or neck injury, such as falling on ice to getting hurt on the job. Minor pain is inconvenient, and may be caused by a strained muscle, but what happens when back or neck pain severely affects your quality of life? Thanks to workers’ compensation laws in Colorado, if work-related pain or an injury to the neck or back affects an employee's ability to continue working, they are protected financially. 

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

The Industrial Revolution led to a higher rate of employee injuries. The first no-fault workers’ compensation law was put in place in Colorado in 1915. Although laws change, the fundamentals of workers’ compensation remain the same today. If a person is injured because of work conditions or a work accident, he or she is entitled to benefits. This type of relief includes no-cost medical care and financial coverage for lost wages. How injured a person is, and whether or not he or she can return to the workforce, will determine the benefits given. Workers’ compensation protects employees' rights, but it also protects employers from lawsuits relating to an injured worker. 

When an accident happens at home, most people know what to do right away if they suffer an injury. When a person is injured at work, however, there are more variables, and a person may not know where to begin. Although most employees are eligible for workers’ compensation in the event of a work injury, there are certain steps and timelines to follow. In Colorado, it is important to obtain professional legal counsel to make sure you follow the proper procedures for filing a claim when seeking benefits. 

Steps to Take After a Work-Related Injury

When an injury is life-threatening, or there is a risk of losing a limb, an employee is allowed to seek immediate medical attention. Otherwise, medical care will need to be administered from a provider chosen by the employer. This doctor will then become the authorized treating physician for that employee’s work-related injury. 

Even when safety precautions are put in place, accidents can and do happen in many industries. Although no workers’ compensation case is alike, there are certain things a person can expect when filing for benefits regardless of the type of accident. If an individual is hurt and cannot work due to a workplace-related incident, most employees have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim. Employment laws exist to protect employees, and if a claim is approved, an injured worker will be compensated for lost wages and medical bills.  

Colorado Employment Law

Almost all public and private employers in Colorado are required to have and maintain workers’ compensation insurance, with few exceptions. Keeping with regulations, a “Notice to Employer of Injury” poster should be visible to employees at all times. Employees should not feel threatened to report an injury if it ever happens. It is illegal to fire an employee who reports an injury and files a workers’ comp claim. 

Workers in industries that require manual labor, such as construction, are at most risk for a spinal cord injury while on the job. The spinal cord is one of the most important organs in the human body. Housed by vertebrae, the spinal cord is the information highway of the nervous system that transmits signals to and from the brain. Humans have 33 individual vertebrae, which are the bones that make up the spine. These bones can be damaged as easily as a femur or humerus bone, except that instead of a broken leg or arm, the result can be damage to the spinal cord, resulting in paralysis in some cases. When this happens, and an employee is unable to return to work, he or she may be eligible for workers’ compensation. 

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

Every Colorado business with employees, no matter the size, is required to provide workers’ compensation insurance. This is a protection for employees in the unfortunate event they are hurt on the job. Workers’ compensation also protects employers from lawsuits solely based on an accident or an injury an employee may sustain. Eligible employees have the right to file for workers’ compensation if the injury is suffered at the workplace. Whether an employee is permanently or temporarily disabled, workers’ compensation benefits provide financial security by compensating an employee for lost wages and medical bills. Even if an accident on the job is the employee’s fault, he or she is still eligible for workers’ comp benefits. 

When it comes to workers’ compensation, truck drivers who are injured are in a unique situation in Colorado, depending on their employment status with a company. Many trucking companies hire drivers as independent contractors as opposed to regular full-time employees in an effort to save costs. There are many liabilities with having truck drivers as employees, so technically, an independent contractor would not qualify for workers’ compensation. Instead, under 2018 legislation, independent contractor truck drivers in Colorado qualify under occupational accident coverage for vehicles weighing more than 16,001 pounds. This coverage must be comparable to the employer’s workers’ compensation benefits. 

Types of Truck Accidents

Every type of job has the potential for a person to get injured while performing their occupational duties. Truck drivers are different than office workers due to the amount of time they spend on the road for their jobs. While truck drivers are subject to common workers’ compensation claims, such as slips and falls, they can also be involved in accidents specific to trucking. The following are accidents that a truck driver may face while on the job: 

Workers’ compensation claims involve many types of workplace injuries, including falls and motor vehicle collisions. Some of the most traumatizing work injuries come in the form of severe burns. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 486,000 Americans were hospitalized due to serious burns in 2016, and here in the state of Colorado, burn injuries are not uncommon for workers in the construction and oil and gas industries. If you or a loved one suffered a burn injury while at work, it is time to seek experienced legal representation to ensure your rights are protected.

According to the National Safety Council, an American worker is injured on the job every seven seconds. From carpal tunnel syndrome to severe falls, no workplace injury should be taken lightly. 

While all fields of work pose some on-the-job injury hazard, construction workers face the largest risk of injury. Fortunately, issues that result from workplace injuries can be paid for with workers’ compensation. Through workers’ comp benefits, you can cover expensive medical bills, make up for lost work, and give yourself the time you need to heal both emotionally and physically. If you suffer an injury while working, it is important to contact a workers’ comp attorney as soon as possible.