Working as an electrician in California is a good paying job and one that offers room for advancement and many interesting opportunities. But it is also vital you know and respect the safety concerns related to this job and have the training and hands-on experience to work safely for your own well-being and that of those working around you. All it takes is a fraction of a second of lost focus and concentration, and your entire life could be forever altered. In some cases, the incident could become life-threatening for you and those working with you. As harsh a reality as it might be, there are nearly 1,000 deaths each year that are blamed on electrical injury incidents, and many thousands more lives are touched by significant electrical injuries.
As a California electrician, you know better than anyone the safety risks that can be posed by electricity and electrical work. And you are sure to do your best to remain focused and safe at all times. But this is not a perfect world, and there can be issues beyond your control that result in a workplace electrical accident. Knowing that an accident is defined as an unfortunate and unexpected incident that was not the result of intentional actions but did cause damage or harm, in the end, you could still be facing medical expenses, lost income, and other financial hardships because of an accident that was caused by another person or that was caused when you did something that caused it to occur. The most important part of all of this is that you and any other injured electricians get the help and medical care you need to make a full recovery.
If you or a loved one who is an electrician suffered an injury while at work and has concerns about how to handle the issues it has created, please know that the California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is ready to assist you by helping you fully understand how the worker’s comp program can provide you with services to meet your needs and ensure you get the care you deserve. All you need to do is reach out to our caring and helpful office staff to learn more about the general services of the California Worker’s Compensation Program and what you need to do to claim your benefits. The team can be reached 24/7 to assist you and ensure you get all the benefits you deserve.
Please reach out to the office staff at your earliest opportunity because there is a time limit for you to begin working with the worker’s comp program to ensure you receive the help and care provided by the program.
Who Is Covered Under The Worker’s Comp Program In California?
As an employee in California, you are covered by the Worker’s Compensation Program that was designed to help workers who get hurt while on the job. The program is funded by payments made by your employer, and you never need to sign up for the coverage or pay any part of the cost of the coverage or any deductibles for care provided under the program. You should also know that all employers in the state are legally obligated to participate in the program and cover all costs associated with covering their employees. The business is not permitted to charge employees for this coverage, nor are the employers allowed to stop a worker from opening a claim with worker’s compensation. Finally, if you do open a worker’s comp claim, your employer cannot punish you, demote you, or threaten to fire you for opening a legitimate workers compensation claim.
The Common Safety Hazards Faced By Electricians
Working with electricity can be very dangerous if you do not have the training and skills needed to handle the power safely and without fear. Those who are not electricians are better off leaving these jobs to the pros to ensure they do not suffer harm because even the most skilled and well educated electrical can get hurt while on the clock. Some of the incidents might be considered unforeseeable and even an act of God or unpredictable, like a huge wind blowing down a power line or pole, while others are the result of an innocent accident by the injury victim or a coworker who is nearby. Even those with years of training and on the job experience can face harm when they encounter these occurrences that can happen when electricity is involved:
- Contact with bare wires that were not known to be hot, overhead power lines, or wires that are exposed in a junction box or other conduit
- Electrical shocks, burns, or electrocution due to unexpected and unintentional contact with hot wires, such as a wire falling to the ground or touching one concealed in a wall, floor, or ceiling
- Fires caused by electricity
- An arc flash
- Shorted or faulty electrical equipment
- A lack of ground on a wire or a damaged ground wire
While these are typically injuries that are specific to an electrician and dealing with electric current, there are also many common workplace injuries that could happen to anyone and at almost any time. These are the most common incidents that happen on a construction site or when an electrician is called to a location for a repair or service work:
- Trip and fall
- Slip and fall
- Harm from the impact of a falling object
- Crushing or compression injuries that occur when a wall, floor, or ceiling collapses, or other large items fall on a worker
The Common Injuries Sustained By An Electrician While On The Job
Construction sites and buildings that are under construction or renovation are well-known to be in a constant state of chaos or disarray. There could be tools, equipment, and components all over the floor, and the lighting might not be the best. In addition, with many trades working in an area, there can be added challenges of staying out of each other’s way, keeping tools and gear organized, and sharing the space with many others who are working at equally hazardous tasks. In these hectic spaces, workers often sustain harm that can include one or more of these serious injuries when workspaces collide:
- Compound fractures
- Fractured, broken, or shattered bones
- Dislocated joints and the destruction of the soft connective tissue of the joints
- Harm to the back, neck, or spinal cord
- Partial or complete amputations
- Severe burns from contact with an open flame, hot equipment, or electrical current
- Facial injuries to the eyes, ears, nose, mouth or delicate skin on the face
- Severe electrical shocks
- Severe lacerations or puncture wounds that involve damage to internal organs and internal bleeding
- Chemical burns to the skin due to physical contact
- Burns to the mouth, nose, throat, or lungs from chemical vapors
- Compression or crushing injuries
- Head injuries that can involve a skull fracture, severe concussion, brain bleed, or other traumatic brain injuries
What Does California Worker’s Compensation Cover?
Working in California as an electrician, you are very fortunate to be covered by one of the most robust worker’s comp programs in the country. This program covers virtually all workplace injuries that occur while you are performing the tasks required by your regular job and that do not involve horseplay, intoxication, or being under the influence of any mind-altering substances. The benefits that you receive will be administered by the Worker’s Comp staff as needed, as long as they fall within these categories and qualifications:
- Full coverage of all medical expenses related to the injuries suffered on the job, with a total per workplace injury incident of $1,000,000
- If the harm you sustain due to a workplace injury incident prevents you from working at your regular job as an electrician, the program will provide you with up to 66% of your regular weekly income to help you offset your living expenses until you are healed and can return to work.
- If you face partial or temporary limitations in your capability and earning potential due to the workplace injuries, the program can provide disability payments until you are healed and fully capable of earning a living
- If your injuries are so serious that you will never be capable of returning to work as an electrician, the worker’s comp program will provide you with free vocational training to help you prepare for a new career path once you have recovered as much as possible and are ready to return to the workforce
Can I Sue My Employer For More Compensation For My Workplace Injuries?
In most instances, an electrician who gets hurt on the job is not permitted to file a personal injury lawsuit against their employer. Instead, they are required to use only the benefits of the California Worker’s Compensation program to help cover their losses and expenses. This is a courtesy to the employer who is paying all of the costs of the worker’s cop coverage for the employees.
The only exception to this rule is when there is gross negligence involved on the part of the employer. Gross negligence is defined as a basic disregard for the safety of employees that results in an injury. For example, if you report that a tool or piece of equipment you use each day in your job as an electrician is damaged or not working correctly, your boss or the owner of the company should address the issue in a swift manner to ensure your safety. If they ignore your request for a repair or inspection of the item and you then suffer harm because the item failed or was faulty, the employer or boss was grossly negligent in their actions. They disregarded your safety, and as a result, you got hurt. In these cases, you could have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit against your employer. Please reach out to the legal team at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group to discuss your injury incident and how you feel gross negligence on the part of your employer could have been a factor.
How Long Do I Have To Start My Worker’s Comp Claim?
It is critical to understand that, as the victim of a workplace injury, you are ultimately responsible for contacting the worker’s comp program to ensure they have all the necessary information and your claim is opened. If the claim is not opened within 30 days of the injury, in most cases, it will be denied, and you will not receive any benefits from the program. If there was gross negligence involved in the injury incident and you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit, please know that you have two years from the date of the injury incident to file your lawsuit with the court. If the case is not filed within that time, you will no longer have the right to pursue legal action related to this matter. In addition, once the two years have passed, there are very minimal exceptions that would provide you with added time to file your lawsuit to seek added compensation for your workplace injuries.
No Added Hardships When You Work With California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group
At California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group, we understand the challenges a hurt electrician faces when they are unable to work and face mounting medical costs. Our goal is to help each workplace injury victim get the full compensation and benefits they deserve for any harm they suffered while on the job. In addition, we never demand any upfront payments to provide help and our services to you. Instead, we only get paid after the case is resolved, and you have the compensation that should include funds to cover your legal costs. Finally, if your California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group electrician’s worker’s comp attorney in California fails to win your case, you owe our firm nothing for the time and investment made by our staff. Please contact our caring team today to learn more.
