With over 5,000,000 employees in Los Angeles, there are countless kinds of jobs and work environments that employees face each day. The city has workers doing everything from general office tasks to operating heavy equipment or working in restaurants and factories. What that means is that there are tens of thousands of potential safety hazards faced by Los Angeles workers each day. And while they might all be doing their best to work in a safe manner and follow all the rules and safety protocols, there can be incidents or accidents that result in a workplace injury. After all, according to Oxford Languages, an accident is defined as “an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.”
What is vital to understand is that when these workplace accidents occur, workers in Los Angeles have the California Worker’s Comp Program to rely on for help in covering their medical expenses and other losses caused by an on the job injury. The program is well-known across the country as one of the most well-organized and operated, offering huge benefits to the workers of LA who have suffered harm on the clock and are facing medical needs and lost income. But many Los Angeles workers are not clear on how the system functions, what benefits they can receive, and the input of their employer in their worker’s comp coverage and benefits.
If you have suffered an injury while at work and need to learn more about how to use this crucial program, please know that California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is here to help by providing you with expert legal guidance and information from a seasoned Los Angeles Worker’s Comp lawyer. All you need to do is grab the phone and reach out to our dedicated office staff, who can be reached around the clock, to provide the information and guidance you need to overcome the hardships of your workplace injuries. In addition to answering your general questions, the California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group office team will assist you in booking your free consultation with a Los Angeles Worker’s Comp lawyer to fully evaluate your workplace injury incident and explain the help provided by worker’s comp as well as any other legal options you might have to secure compensation to help you overcome the financial hardships of the harm you suffered on the job.
Please also know that even after getting all of this free information and guidance, you are never obligated to open a worker’s comp claim, file a personal injury lawsuit against your employer, or take any other action that was explained by your California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group legal team. Our only motivation in offering workplace injury victims in LA this helpful information is to ensure they understand all the options open to them and that they get the help they need to overcome the expenses and losses created by an on the job injury incident in Los Angeles. All we ask is that you reach out to our staff swiftly, as there are time limits to take action to get the help you need and deserve.
Common Los Angeles Workplace Injury Incidents
When you think about all the jobs that are essential to the function of life in LA each day, there are almost too many to count. There are medical professionals, school teachers, cooks, crossing guards, hotel staff, and first responders all working together to make life in the city and far beyond it keep functioning. Dock workers, warehouse employees, and call center staff can be working to fulfill the needs of consumers across the country or around the world from right here in Los Angeles. With all these varied jobs and forms of employment, there are exponentially more safety concerns that could be encountered by any of these dedicated members of the workforce in LA. Some of the most common Los Angeles workplace injuries stem from a few select kinds of injury incidents that are common in many workplaces. They include:
Injuries from the impact of falling objects like a box falling from a shelf in a warehouse or the stock room of a store, tree branches falling on a landscaper, or a technology component falling from the ceiling or wall in an office building and striking a worker.
Trip and fall injuries can happen just about anywhere and could be the result of damaged or uneven flooring surfaces, debris left on a sidewalk, litter falling from a trashcan onto the floor, or items like hoses, vacuum lines, or electrical cords left in walkways.
Slip-and-fall incidents are also common because any workplace can become the site of a liquid spill that makes the floor hazardous and slippery. The culprit could be a glass of water in an office, or ice dropped on the floor in a kitchen or restaurant. It could also be that there was a machine leaking oil in a factory or a piece of heavy equipment was oozing hydraulic fluid as it hoisted a heavy load in an LA warehouse.
Many jobs also expose workers to harmful chemicals that are often caustic when inhaled or in enclosed spaces. You might first think of employees of a factory or chemical plant when you consider who might face exposure to caustic or toxic substances, but keep in mind that many jobs require workers to handle potentially hazardous material from cleaning agents and solvents used in every workplace for cleaning to the pool service tech who is handling chlorine tablets or the painter who is using a solvent to clean tools and sprayers, many Los Angeles workers can be exposed to substances that they assume to be relatively harmless until there is a spill or accidental contact.
The Potential Harm Sustained By Los Angeles Workplace Injury Victims
Most people accept that they could get hurt at work, but they imagine only a scrape or bruise that will soon disappear. However, it is vital that all Los Angeles workers know that they could suffer severe harm from a trip and fall, a slip and fall, being struck by a falling object, or exposure to a caustic or toxic substance. When these incidents occur, they could result in these common yet often life-altering injuries for the worker:
- Contact, electrical, or chemical burns on the surface of the body
- Damage to the respiratory system from inhalation of chemical fumes
- Broken or shattered bones
- Compound fractures
- Partial or complete amputations
- Complete joint dislocations and destruction of the soft connective tissue of the joints
- Severe lacerations and puncture wounds
- Damage to internal organs and internal bleeding
- Compression or crushing injuries
- Damage to soft tissue and the destruction of the nerves in the soft tissue
- Facial injuries involving damage to the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or delicate skin on the face
- Back, neck, and spinal cord damage
- Head injuries can range from a skull fracture or severe concussion to a brain bleed or other traumatic brain injuries
How Can California Worker’s Comp Help Los Angeles Injured Workers?
After getting hurt at work, it can be difficult to think about how you will recover from your injuries, cover medical care costs, and afford your daily living expenses when you are not able to work. The California Worker’s Compensation Program was created to assist workers who are facing this obstacle in life, and also to protect employers from personal injury lawsuits filed by a worker who gets hurt on the job. The first vital fact to know is that all employers in the state are legally required to participate in the program and cover all the costs of covering workers with the insurance that will provide for them in the event of a workplace injury. So even though you never signed up pr paid for the coverage, your employer has enrolled you and is covering the cost.
When you suffer harm while working at your regular job, you will have the right to seek the benefits provided by worker’s comp on an as-needed basis. All on the job injuries are covered as long as the victim was not under the influence of a mind-altering substance, and they were not involved in horseplay at the time of the injury. When you open your worker’s comp claim, you will be eligible for:
- Up to $1M in medical expenses coverage for the injuries related to the workplace incident
- Payment from the program of up to 66% of your regular weekly income to help cover living expenses
- If your injuries cause you partial or temporary limitations that decrease your earning potential, you could receive partial disability payments to offset that decreased income
- If you are severely injured and will not be capable of returning to your previous job after reaching what is considered the maximum recovery you will make, the program will provide free vocational training to help you secure a new career when you are prepared to rejoin the workforce
When Can I Sue My Employer For My On The Job Injuries?
As a worker who suffered injuries while on the clock, you might want to know if you can seek added compensation from your employer for the harm you sustained. This is a common question asked of the Los Angeles Worker’s Comp lawyers at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group. The simple answer is that in most cases, you are not permitted to file a personal injury lawsuit for workplace injuries. Instead, you must only receive the benefits provided by the Worker’s Comp Program. However, there is one exception.
When an injury at the workplace is caused in whole or in part by the employer’s gross negligence, the victim can seek compensation for their losses and expenses through a personal injury lawsuit. Gross negligence in these cases is defined as a complete disregard for the safety and well-being of a worker. If your employer failed to repair a tool that was damaged and dangerous, ignored your request for vital safety gear, or acted in a way that clearly showed no concern for your safety, and the result was your injury incident, then you could have grounds for a lawsuit to seek compensation for the losses and harm caused by that gross negligence. In addition to seeking any lost wages not covered by the Worker’s Comp Program, you can seek added funds to cover damage to personal property as well as all legal fees for the preparation, filing, and litigation of your personal injury lawsuit.
How Long Do I Have To Take Action?
When you are opening a Worker’s Comp claim, please be sure to contact the program within 30 days of the injury incident. If you wait longer than 30 days from the injury date to open the claim, it will be immediately denied, and you will get no benefits from the program. If you have grounds to pursue a personal injury case, you have two years from the date of the injury incident to file the case with the court. This time limit is also strictly enforced, and once it has passed, there are few exceptions that would allow you to take legal action to secure any compensation owed to you for this incident. Please contact California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group immediately to discuss your case and the time remaining for you to seek the assistance and compensation you need to overcome the challenges caused by a workplace injury incident.
No Out Of Pocket Fees Or Added Stress At California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group
When you work with California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group, there is never any pressure to take legal action or open a claim with Worker’s Comp. Our only goal is your well-being and ability to return to your life before the injury incident at work that caused you harm. Please know that our firm will never require any upfront legal fees or expenses from you to provide information and begin work on your case. Our payment policy is to only get paid after our client’s needs have been met and they have the compensation that includes funds to cover their legal costs and other expenses. Finally, if your Los Angeles Worker’s Comp lawyer at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group fails to win your case and get you the funds you need and deserve, you owe the firm nothing. Please get in touch with our dedicated and caring office staff today to learn more about this potential resolution and the assistance the legal team at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group offers all workplace injury victims.
