Work-related injuries typically become workers compensation cases, but what’s considered a work-related injury? When an employer hires an employee, they hire them with the expectation for their health to maintain how it was when they hired them. If the employee’s medical status changes while carrying out a task for the employer, the employer is responsible. This can include new medical conditions or medical conditions that are made worse because of the employment conditions. A common misconception is that work for something to be considered a work-related injury the worker must occur on the employer’s property, but workers compensation states otherwise.
In workers compensation terms, an injury can include any of the following:
- An incident in the workplace causing injury (fall, cut, etc.)
- Repetitive actions on the job that cause medical conditions (carpal tunnel, tendonitis, etc.)
- A pre-existing condition made worse by the work environment
- A work injury that causes continued disability
Many career fields are prone to causing certain medical conditions to arise or get worse. If you’ve worked in that specific field for a specific number of years and the problem arises, it’s likely covered under a worker’s compensation case. If a disease arises that isn’t a well-known disease to that field of craft; it may still be covered under worker’s compensation if it meets the following criteria:
- The employee was exposed to the disease at work
- The disease is related to the workers industry
- The disease has a higher rate of occurrence for employees in that industry than the general public
If your employee is suffering from a work-related injury or illness, it’s vital to determine all pre-existing conditions before treating that condition. Our staff is trained to rule out chronic pain and other symptoms that the employee had prior to employment, not made worse by the work environment, before beginning treatment. This process will speed up the recovery time, lower cost, and get your employee back to work as soon as possible. Once our staff locates the work injury or illness, a personalized treatment plan will be made based on goals set by the employee and employer. At the end of the treatment period, our staff will perform a functional capacity evaluation to determine if the employee is capable of returning to their job. If they can’t return to their normal position, it may be recommended that they go back on light or modified duty.