Every day, companies and employers in California are taking more measures to make their workplaces safer for customers, contractors, and employees. Even so – and also every day – workplace mishaps still happen and employees are still injured on the job. Work days are missed and wages are often lost. If you’re injured on the job in California, in most cases you are entitled to receive workers’ compensation for your lost wages.
While the number of workplace injuries is decreasing nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently reported that the severity of occupational injuries is increasing. Fewer accidents are happening, in other words, but they’re more serious. According to the BLS, work-related injuries that required missing work dropped 4.2 percent in 2012 from 2011, but the number of days missed due to those injuries increased by an average of a day (from eight days to nine).
A worker’s length of time on the job also seems to be a key factor in a number of workplace accidents. Workers who are on the job less than a year suffer about 30 percent of all work-related injuries. BLS even reported an 8 percent increase in injuries to workers on the job fewer than ninety days in 2012.
When employees miss work and lose wages because of on-the-job injuries, they need to receive appropriate compensation. If, despite your employer’s best safety efforts, you’ve been injured at your place of work, speak at once with an experienced California workers’ compensation attorney. A good workers’ comp lawyer can assess your personal situation, explain your options to you, and guide you through the complex bureaucratic landscape you’ll face as you pursue your workers’ compensation claim. Don’t hesitate; if you’ve suffered a workplace injury, protect yourself and contact an experienced California workers’ compensation attorney as quickly as possible.