Chest injury

Well, there are a number of reasons why someone would have suffered from an injury. Most traumatic injuries are the result of a road accident, during a high impact collision the chest is first to hit the steering wheel or even be hit by an airbag. That said chest injuries can only be compensated by an employer if the accident happened during working hours and while working. Also, chest injuries can be caused by industrial spills like spilling of chemicals, and it can also happen at a construction site like being hit by a block of wood or a brick.

Chest injuries, for the most part, can be serious. They can lead to damage of not just the muscles and bones but also internal organs like the heart and lungs. Some chest injuries may not become immediately apparent. Though those who are injured may start seeing various signs like blood in their mouth, difficulty breathing, pain in the rib cage, etc. If any of these symptoms become visible, it is essential to consult a doctor and inform your employer formally in writing. That’s one of the best ways to be assured of compensation if the doctor determines that in fact, your symptoms are the result of a chest injury.

What compensation is available for Chest Injuries at work?

Chest injuries can, for the most part, be serious. Many chest injuries can have long-term effects on a person’s health. It isn’t unheard of for such injury victims to not be able to work for a long time. Not to mention the fact that they can end up with other issues like internal bleeding, fractured ribs, muscle and tissue damage, etc. All of which takes months to recover from at the very least. So, there is compensation available for victims of chest injuries.

Chest injury compensation is like most other workers’ compensation. The amount received depends primarily on the extent of the injury. Generally, by law a victim will be entitled to the following compensation:

• Paid leave from work. The pay will usually be 2/3rd of their regular weekly wage.
• Their medical bills will be duly compensated for mainly by the company’s insurer.
• If the injury leads to long-term effects like problems breathing a lump sum compensation amount will be awarded.
• Employers may also be obligated to change the worker’s nature of work when they return if they are unable to do the job they used to before the injury.

How Should Workers Claim Chest Injury Compensation?

To claim such injury compensation the first step as mentioned above is to inform the person in charge. That person can be your supervisor or the owner of the company. You may also want to report to them in writing so that there is a paper trail. That said it isn’t mandatory to notify them in writing. Plus, you should inform them as soon as possible, any delay can lead to problems claiming your compensation.

Generally, employees who have suffered from chest injuries at work will need to go through the following procedure:

• Notify the company of the accident that leads to the injury. Or notify them as soon as symptoms of an injury become apparent.
• You will then need to fill out a workers’ compensation form or an incident report or both. If the injuries make it difficult to fill out the form you can hire an attorney to do it for you.
• You will also be required to provide your employer or its insurance company with all relevant medical documents.

At times owing to the amount of compensation often associated with chest injuries an employer may try to not pay it by making various excuses. It could be especially difficult if it was the employee’s mistake that leads to the accident. Though either way the employee is entitled to compensation under the law and so they should get legal representation onboard ASAP.