Workers’ compensation is a system designed to protect victims of work-related injuries through their recovery. The benefits generally cover medical bills and part of their lost wages. In Missouri, most employers are required by law to carry workers’ comp insurance, but some of them (like companies with less than five employees or those who work with independent contractors) are not obligated to be covered.
Many injured workers ask us if they can sue their employer and file for workers’ compensation at the same time.
It’s important to understand that, filing a claim for workers’ compensation generally eliminates your right to…
In Missouri, most employers and organizations with five or more employees must have workers’ compensation insurance. Members of an LLC and even big corporations are generally included. However, members of a partnership or sole proprietors are not covered.
If your business is in the construction field, you will need to secure coverage if you have at least one individual employed in your industry. This workers ‘ compensation law, which the Missouri General Assembly created, is best discussed with a St. Louis workers compensation lawyer whose knowledge and experience can benefit your claim greatly.
Workers’ compensation in Missouri helps in providing…
Even if the law and the evidence are on your side, and you are working with a great work injury attorney, you may still go head to head with the insurance company and not reach a conclusion.
In workers’ comp claims, even if you are legally entitled to the benefits, it doesn’t mean you’ll have an easy time accessing them. The insurance company will often try to make sure of it. So what happens when neither party agrees to the terms on the table? You enter the mediation process.
What Is Workers’ Compensation Mediation?
Worker’s comp mediation is a process injured workers and the insurance…
Working from home is now a much more common thing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it may be difficult for some to keep themselves motivated and get into a work mindset from home, there is another issue that understandably worries some people.
If you get injured while working from home, can you still get compensated? How can you prove your injury is work-related?
Understanding Workers Comp Laws
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, which means that as long as you’re injured within the scope of employment, then it does not matter who is to blame. …
For a long time, people assumed they knew what dangerous jobs are: manufacturing, construction, first responders, police, or firefighters. These are the jobs where you can sit and imagine virtually most scenarios where the worker might get injured, so of course, you assume they are the riskiest.
That is why it’s so surprising to see the following data.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the retail industry is among one of the most dangerous job, accounting for 14% of all work-related injuries in the private industry in 2018, with 3.5 incidents per 100 full-time employees. By comparison, those…
When a person has a work accident, is exposed to harming factors on the long-term, or encounters any situation that results in work-related injuries, the state helps by regulating the workers’ compensation claims and other protective measures.
It’s obvious that an injured person is no longer able to provide for themselves or for the codependent members of their family as much as before. By suffering injuries while carrying work duties, at the workplace or not, because of negligence or endangerment from the employer, they are entitled to pursue a workers compensation claim against the business they work for.
Each state…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that around 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses take place in the private sector every year. Though it’s seen as a safer place of employment, there are many risks to working in an office environment.
The most common reason why these injuries occur is falling, according to the CDC. Office workers are 2–2.5 times more likely to sustain an injury from a fall than non-office workers. And this is not the only risk office workers may face.
Common Office Hazards
Office workers are routinely exposed to:
- Slips
- Lifting injuries
- Sprains and strains
- Electrical…
Workers compensation provides medical and wage loss benefits to workers who get injured at their place of work. Occupational diseases, or illnesses caused by exposure to certain substances at the workplace are also covered by workers compensation.
Each year in Missouri, around 1,000 workers compensation claims are filed for occupational diseases. This number is nearly half of what it was in 2004, primarily due to a change in the definition of occupational disease brought about in 2005. The Missouri Department of Labor defines an occupational illness as “an identifiable disease arising with or without human fault out of and in…
Thousands of construction workers suffer work related injuries each year.
Construction sites are dangerous places for workers. Almost every aspect of the job has a risk for injury or death. 700 construction workers lose their lives while on the job each year and even more are injured. If you are injured on a St. Louis construction work site, you may need the assistance of a qualified St. Louis workers’ compensation attorney.
The Fatal Four
There are four leading causes of construction site deaths and injury that you should always be aware of. These are:
- Falling, either from a ladder or from scaffolding.
- Electrocutions caused by wiring not being properly installed.
- Collisions with falling…
James M. Hoffmann
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