How Does a Workers Comp Claim Affect the Employer?

4. Higher Overtime Costs

Since the business is now one worker less, the remaining employees usually have to do overtime to keep up with deadlines. This, obviously, leads to higher overtime costs.

5. Additional Wages Cost

In certain instances, an injured worker cannot claim lost wages benefit for the whole time they are on leave from work. Some days are not covered by workers comp. Lost wages during those days will have to be shouldered by the employer.

6. Retraining New Staff

Most of the time, employers have no choice but to hire temporary staff in lieu of their injured workers. Naturally, they’ll have to retrain them. But retraining new staff can be costly, not to mention very time-consuming. It also takes days for them to do the job right and for the operation to return back to normal.

Plus, when the injured worker finally goes back to work, they often have work restrictions. Sometimes, they can’t go back to the job that they’ve been doing from before the injury. Under the law, the employer will have to pay for the cost of training so they can do their new job effectively.

7. Increased Administrative Expenses

For complicated workers comp claims, the employer may need to hire a team of lawyers, especially if the injured worker also has a competent workers compensation lawyer working on their case. This, of course, creates an unexpected expense for your employer and increases administrative costs.

8. Decrease in Productivity

With one worker less, there will obviously be a decrease in productivity. If your employer is on a tight schedule or has a deadline to meet, this can be a real struggle.

9. Cost for Repairs and Damages

Aside from injuring workers, a workplace accident can also likely result in damaged machinery. Your employer will, of course, cover the costs of repairing these damaged machinery. Besides, serious workplace accidents usually prompt an extensive OSHA investigation. If they found that the tools and equipment in the workplace are defective and pose a threat to employee safety and health, the employer will not only pay fines. They’ll also have to fix any defects on the equipment to make it at par with OSHA standards.

10. Loss of Goodwill

When word gets out that a worker got injured due to the employer’s negligence, it can damage the business’ reputation. Depending on the severity of the injury and the initial response of the employer, the public backlash can be severe. This loss of goodwill often results in grave consequences for the business.

What Can You Do as an Injured Employee?

If you got sick or injured due to work-related accidents or conditions, you are entitled to workers compensation benefits. But, for the reasons mentioned above, expect your employer to fight so hard to prevent you from making a workers compensation claim.

That’s why the first thing you should do is to gather evidence to support your claim then report your injury as soon as possible. In most states, there is a time limit on when you should report work-related injuries. In Florida, for instance, you only have 30 days to report your injury to your employer. Failing to do so may give your employer a valid reason to deny your claim.

Your employer is, in turn, required to report their employee’s injury to the insurance provider. In Florida, they only have 7 days to do this. Otherwise, your workers compensation claim can get denied.

Unfortunately, some employers “forget” or even outright refuse to report a workers comp claim. When this happens, you can report the injury to the insurance provider yourself. Or in states where you’re not allowed to directly report your injury to the insurance company, you can report your employer to your state’s labor department or any agency handling workers compensation cases.

But the best thing you can do at this point is to hire a workers compensation attorney. If your employer is uncooperative or refuses to give you the benefits you’re entitled to, you can expect a lengthy legal battle. They won’t just give in easily, especially if they know that you’re fighting on your own. An experienced workers compensation lawyer like Victor Malca can help you fight for your rights. He has already helped hundreds of injured workers in Florida. He can help you get the benefits you rightfully deserve too. Contact us now for a free consultation.