Protections Provided by Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Workers’ compensation protections can be vital for injured workers and their families following a workplace accident or construction accident. A workplace accident can leave an injured worker feeling like they are in free fall facing mounting medical bills and lost earnings as they are forced to spend time away from work recovering from their injuries.

Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance paid for by the employer to help workers when they have suffered a workplace injury or illness. Though workers’ compensation benefits preclude the injured worker from also pursuing a claim in court for the harm they have suffered, it is a no-fault system that only looks at if the worker suffered their injury or illness at work.

Workers’ compensation benefits can include a range of benefits such as benefits for medical care and expenses; replacement income for income that is lost while the injured worker recovers from their injury or illness; occupational rehabilitation costs for retraining; compensation for any permanent injuries; and survivor’s benefits for surviving family members of workers killed on the job.

Though these benefits are not large, and do not include pain and suffering like a personal injury claim for damages would, they are important benefits for injured workers and their families to be familiar with. Injured workers deserve to be protected at work and to also be protected if they are harmed at work in a workplace accident or if they suffer a workplace illness which is why workers’ compensation benefits are available to them.