Repetitive Stress Injuries at Work | Workers’ Compensation Lawyer PG County
When initially hiring a workers’ compensation lawyer PG County residents often ask the same question: When a workplace injury occurs over a long period of time, rather than occurring in a single incident, can this count under workers’ compensation coverage?
At Cohen & Cohen, we know that workers’ compensation laws can be very complex. If you’ve developed an injury or illness that affects your ability to work, and if your job directly caused or exacerbated your condition, you may be entitled to financial compensation under workers’ compensation insurance. Injuries caused by repeated motions, sometimes referred to as repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) or repetitive motion injuries (RMIs), can be covered under workers’ compensation coverage in certain cases.
Listed below are some essential points about filing a workers’ compensation claim when citing a repetitive stress injury. It is important to remember, however, that each injury claim has its own unique factors that may influence the outcome of a claim. If an injured employee is unsure about his or her eligibility for workers’ compensation, it may be beneficial to contact a workers’ compensation lawyer PG County trusts in order to discuss the case in detail.
What Types of Injuries Could Be Considered Repetitive Stress Injuries?
There are several different types of injuries that could fall under the category of a repetitive stress injury — although as any workers’ compensation lawyer PG County can depend on will confirm, workers’ compensation claims for these injuries may not always be accepted.
In general, a repetitive stress injury is one that forms over a long period of time and is caused by a specific repeated motion. The motion itself may not be exceptionally stressful but could lead to a painful injury when the movement is repeated consistently.
Computer-related injuries are a good example of repetitive stress injuries. Many Americans have jobs that require working on a computer for long periods of time. The repetitive motion of typing and moving a mouse can cause a great deal of pain in the fingers, hands, and wrists. One of the most common computer-related injuries is called carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition occurs when tissues in the wrist are subject to repeated movements, thereby causing stress and becoming inflamed.
Repetitive stress injuries are by no means restricted to people who work on computers all day. These types of injuries are also common among assembly line workers, musicians, mechanics, culinary workers, and many others.
There is no single definition of what a repetitive stress injury can be, making it difficult for some individuals to successfully file a workers’ compensation claim. In these cases, it could be beneficial to work with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in PG County.
How Common Are Repetitive Stress Injuries in the Workplace?
Upon talking with a workers’ compensation lawyer PG County workers recommend, individuals may be surprised to find out that these types of work-related injuries are fairly common in the U.S. today.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from 2014 shows that injuries resulting from repetitive motions were the most common workplace injuries; they also took the longest average time to heal. Fractures and carpal tunnel syndrome were found to be the most severe and took the longest time to heal (according to the data, the median time taken off work for both of these injuries was 32 days).
Injuries classified under “sprains, strains, and tears” were not found to be as severe — the median time taken off work for an injury in this category to heal was 10 days. However, these types of injuries far outnumbered other types of workplace injuries in the U.S. in 2014. The BLS found that sprains, strains, and tears accounted for 36.4% of all nonfatal workplace injuries that required time off work, while injuries falling under the category of “soreness and pain” accounted for 17.1%.
These statistics do not measure the number of workers’ compensation claims, but they do provide valuable insight into the prevalence of repetitive stress injuries.
How Does Workers’ Compensation Provide Assistance?
Workers’ compensation can provide financial assistance in a variety of ways; for example, when an employee needs to take time off work for recovery.
With repetitive stress injuries, it may be tricky for employees to know when is the “right time” to file a workers’ compensation claim: these injuries often take months to develop and it’s not always possible to pinpoint an exact “date of injury.” File a claim too soon, and it may be denied because the condition is still very minor; file a claim too late, and it may be denied because too much time has passed after the injury started to appear.
Workers’ compensation benefits can provide different types of financial coverage depending on the individual’s injury. Someone searching for a workers’ compensation lawyer PG County trusts may be experiencing a repetitive stress injury that has permanent effects; although luckily, many repetitive stress injuries are only temporary. During the time that the individual must take to recover from the injury, he or she may be able to receive workers’ compensation coverage to account for lost wages.
Workers’ compensation programs are state-mandated insurance plans that many businesses have, although smaller businesses may not be required by state laws to have a workers’ compensation package.
On one hand, this setup can be beneficial for employees; an injured employee may be able to receive coverage regardless of who was technically responsible for the injury. On the other hand, workers’ compensation can be very frustrating for employees; these plans are provided by insurance companies, and because insurance companies are focused on making a profit, many workers’ comp claims are denied. In the event of a denied claim, individuals may wish to seek legal counsel from a workers’ compensation lawyer PG County can provide.
How Can a PG County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Help?
As a top workers’ compensation lawyer PG County has to offer, we know very well that the process of filing a claim can be incredibly daunting. Not knowing whether your claim will be approved only adds to the stress. Each person’s injury and workers’ compensation claim is unique; there is no guarantee that a claim will be accepted.
If you believe you have developed a repetitive stress injury because of your job, contact Cohen & Cohen today to set up a free case evaluation. We are proud to offer a workers’ compensation lawyer PG County employees can rely on.
