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One of the oldest insurance program in the United States is worker compensation insurance. With the passage of time, workplace injuries are increasing in number and dangers with heavy machinery are more apparent. Workers’ compensation works for all those workers who suffered from such injuries.
What Actually Is Workers’ Compensation Insurance?
Workers’ compensation insurance is a program that compensates the employees for the injuries or illness that arise at the workplace. The criteria of the program vary from state to state and have different rules for the employers.
If, unfortunately, an employee is sickened on the job or pass through some accident then the workers’ compensation will pay for the medical expenses of the employee. Other than paying for the medical, at times they also compensate for the rehabilitation costs. If the employee wasn’t able to come on the work because of the severe injury, then workers’ comp also provide them lost wages (that may be two third of his wage).
Workers’ compensation insurance also provides death benefits to the workers, if due to some accident he is killed while doing his job-related duty. The main aim of our insurance is to ensure that we provide a healthy and safe environment for our workers.
It helps to protect your business as it compensates for:
Medical expenses that will treat ill employee.
Missed wages if employee is off from the work till recovery.
Vocational rehabilitation, to give the sick employees ongoing care.
Death benefits, if employee passes away in workplace.
Workplace injuries
Although, workers’ compensation covers a lot of thing, but it surely doesn’t cover everything. You need to aware of the common and less common workplace injuries that can happen on the duty. Workers need to be conscious about such incidents.
Common Workplace Injuries
Falling objects.
Slip, and falls.
Repetitive motion.
Walking into something.
Cuts and lacerations.
Motor vehicle accidents.
Fire and explosion.
Inhaling toxic fumes.
Less Common Workplace Injuries
When a team building event gets destroyed.
A runaway crashes into your office.
An employer forgets his gloves for opening the grill.
Some animals or insect suddenly comes and bites an employee.
Injury in case of some firing.
What Workers’ Compensation Insurance doesn’t cover?
Some of the issues workers’ compensation doesn’t cover. An injury that is :
Intentionally caused by the employee.
Happens to the intoxicated employee.
Take place due to a fight.
Happens due to physical trauma.
Occur during employee’s commute.
How it works?
Workers’ compensation works through a complete process. As the employee gets injured or get sick, he will report the employer about his sickness within a limited time. The employer will then inform about the injury of the worker to the insurance company. Insurance company will give all the benefits to the worker then.
If a worker will not inform about his injury within a particular time then, unfortunately, he won’t be able to take benefit from the workers’ comp. To understand more about workers’ compensation, read everything here and get a fair understanding of your rights.
How workers’ compensation protect the business?
The workers’ compensation struggles to provide benefits to his employees. This insurance protects your business by helping injured employees get back to work in their role, provide benefits to employees that have work-related injuries, and limit your business’ liability in lawsuits.
However, the number of benefits, how benefits are provided, and other details vary from state to state. Notice that insurance is only implemented on the employees that belong to the same state that is providing benefits.
You may also like: What All You Should Know About Non-Medical Life Insurance
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