Every job that you can think of has its safety hazards. For instance, machine operators are at risk of accidents like crushed hands or severe burns, and media professionals are at risk of repetitive stress injuries or falls. But one of the occupations with numerous safety hazards is the truck driver job. Some of the problems a truck driver might have to face include road accidents, fire accidents, explosions, poisoning, excessive noise, toxic elements, violence, and psychological stress. Workers’ compensation insurance extends various benefits to truck drivers when they get injured or develop an illness while on the job. If you got injured in a truck accident, and your case is complicated, you can seek the help of a reliable truck accident lawyer in Orlando.
Table of Contents
Things That Workers Compensation Covers
As a truck driver, the following are some of the ways that workers compensation may come to your aid:
1. Compensating Occupational Injuries
Being on the road for long periods under bad weather can cause you to develop certain illnesses like bronchitis, and these illnesses might bring emotional and physical pain. But workers’ compensation could help you manage these conditions without drawing funds from your own pockets.
2. Compensating Lost Wages
Some injuries and illnesses can be minor, but some other injuries and illnesses can be quite debilitating. For instance, if you experience an accident, and your back develops fractures, it might take a while to recover, but during that time, you’ll not be able to work. But, the workers’ compensation reimburses you for the lost income. This ensures that your life is not turned upside down especially if you’re the sole breadwinner.
3. Covering Vocational Rehabilitation Costs
A truck driver might get hurt in such a way that they are unable to continue driving trucks, and may need to be allocated new duties within the trucking business. The workers’ compensation could be used to cover the costs of training the truck driver to take up work in a different department within the company. Additionally, it may also cover the cost of training the driver a new skill that they may use to look for employment elsewhere.
4. Covering Funeral Costs
Truck drivers might sustain terrible injuries or illnesses that can ultimately cause their demise. In such situations, the workers’ compensation helps with covering funeral costs and also awards death benefits to the dependents of the deceased truck driver.
Tips For Speeding Up Workers Compensation Claim
When you experience a work-related injury or illness, there are certain things you should do to ensure that the workers’ compensation is applied quickly and effectively.
- Report the injury: when you get an injury or develop an illness while driving a truck, acting tough can have a regrettable outcome. As soon as the injury or illness occurs, you need to inform your superiors, so that the next step may be carefully considered.
- Proper filing: ensure that you complete all the necessary paperwork. You should create a file containing important details, as it can be an excellent reference point if a lawsuit arises.
- Seek medical help: check yourself into a health facility for medical attention.
Why Businesses Invest in Workers Compensation Insurance
The benefits of workers’ compensation are not tied to just the workers; they extend to the business itself, as well as the economy.
1. Regulatory Compliance
Nearly every state requires businesses to have workers’ compensation. If a company doesn’t comply, it attracts the risk of catching criminal charges, penalties, and civil litigation from scattered workers. And so, business owners are obligated to sign up for workers’ compensation insurance to avoid disruption of their businesses.
2. Protection From Lawsuits
Before the workers’ compensation program came into being, if employees were injured at the workplace, the medical expenses were shifted to the employer, and civil litigations were typically used. But workers’ compensation safeguards businesses from lawsuits, which is an economic boost to businesses.
3. Improved Levels of Productivity
Injuries and illnesses caused at the workplace usually lead to work absenteeism and reduced productivity, and this typically costs the economy a great deal. However, workers’ compensation facilitates quick treatment, and the employees recover faster and go back to work, thus maintaining high productivity levels.
4. Safeguards Employee Health
Nothing is more valuable than life itself. Some workplace injuries can be manageable at first, but without proper medical attention, they may escalate into life-threatening problems. Also, there are workplace injuries that are pretty serious and threaten to end the worker’s life unless there’s quick medical attention. Workers’ compensation enables workers to receive medical assistance so they recover and continue being productive.
