Injuries at Work: What Are Your Rights?
No one wants to get hurt as they try to do their jobs. It can lead to chaos for many people. As well as the pain associated with the physical injuries, it can also have financial consequences too. If you do get hurt at work, it’s vital to know what your rights are. If you don’t know them, then your employer can get away with something that they shouldn’t have done. Here are some of your most important rights that relate to this issue.
You Have a Right to a Safe Working Environment
When you enter into an employment agreement with an employer, they have to follow some rules. They have to respect your statutory rights, and they have to provide a work environment that is safe for you and your fellow employees. This is not something that’s optional; it’s something that simply has to be done. So, before an accident even happens, you should bring up any concerns you have regarding the safety of the workplace. And when something does go wrong, you can point towards the business’s poor health and safety record in the workplace.
You Have the Right to Pursue Compensation After an Accident
If you are injured at work, you have the right to pursue a compensation case. Worker’s compensation is something that you have to go through the courts to fight for. However, the business can pay out early if they think that they have no chance of winning a court battle. So, wait to see if they offer you a settlement. If they do, review it and ask yourself whether it’s enough. If you are not happy with it or they don’t offer you anything at all, you will have to go through the courts. Elliot Heidelberger Law Office might be able to help you out with this task.
There Are Time Limits in Place
You should also be aware that there are time limits in place when it comes to pursuing this kind of compensation. Although you have a right to fight for compensation, that right doesn’t last forever. There are different rules depending on where you live. So, one of the first things you should do after an accident is find out how long you’ve got before the deadline expires. And then you should get to work pushing through the necessary paperwork to get it done as soon as possible. You don’t want to leave it too long and then find out that you have missed the deadline.
You Have the Right to Appeal if Worker’s Compensation is Rejected in Court
If the result of the worker’s compensation case doesn’t go your way, you don’t have to drop the case. Many people are rejected at the first time of asking, but they may be more successful upon appeal. Anyone who has their case rejected has the right to appeal the verdict if they think that it was incorrect. Of course, this means dragging out the process for even longer. But that might be worth it if you think that you are owed that money.