It is prudent for all businesses, particularly those that hire manual labourers, to have workers' compensation. These benefits act as a safety net for employees who may acquire injuries while at work that would make them unable to earn a living as they recuperate. Nevertheless, being offered workers' compensation does not automatically translate into receiving them in the event that you are involved in an accident. Knowing the reason why your claim may not be fulfilled would enable you to know what to do in case you do become injured at work. So why would your workers' compensation claim be denied?
You did not report your injury to the appropriate authorities
When you become injured at work, it is essential to report the incident immediately to your employer. This reporting ensures that workers do not falsify injuries then try to reap benefits from their employers. If you fail to report your injury within the stipulated time, it is at your employer's discretion to deny your claim to workers' compensation.
There were no witnesses to your injury
In some cases, there may not be any key witnesses present to your injury, but there would be a record of its occurrence in the company's surveillance system. However, if there is no CCTV and you do not have any coworkers that would be able to back up your story, you could be at risk of having your workers' compensation claim denied. It would be your responsibility to prove that you were indeed injured on office premises and while you were carrying out your job.
You neglected seeking medical assistance
When some people are injured at work, they may brush it off as a minor incident and choose not to receive any medical attention. Nonetheless, over time, you may find that you could have developed a complication from your injury, which would impede your ability to carry out your work. At this point, it would be hard to receive workers' compensation as seeking immediate medical attention may have prevented the complications in the first place. When you become injured at work, no matter how minor you assume it is, it would be in your best interests to seek medical attention so that you can have a record of the incident. It should also be noted that some businesses might have their authorised medical providers that you would be directed to seek medical attention from. Thus, seeking medical assistance from an unauthorised provider could also compromise the validity of your claim.
Share14 June 2017
I love watching legal dramas from all different countries. I often call up my friend who is a lawyer to ask her about whether the cases I have seen on the latest drama are realistic or if they wouldn't happen that way in Australia. It's so interesting to me to see the changes that they make to make the stories flow more convincingly as well as the differences between the law in Australian compared to other countries. This blog is for other fans of legal dramas like me and has some tips on the best places to get real legal advice (hint, it's not on the TV!).