Working from home has become the norm for many of us since the world got struck by the pandemic a couple of years back. For many remote workers, the new working environment seems fair, but it makes most remote workers worry about losing some benefits as a result.
For instance, if you get injured while working from home, who will cover the cost of the damages? Will you be entitled to worker’s compensation even while working from home? Well, if you’ve suffered an injury while working remotely from home, you might have a claim. But it’s important to understand your rights and know what steps to take if you find yourself in this situation. You can start by contacting a reputable lawyer like those at aronfeld.com to help you analyze the situation surrounding your injury as well as first for your claim.
Read on as we explore what constitutes a work-related injury while working from home and how to go about filing a claim.
What Constitutes A Work-related Injury While Working From Home
Remote work-related injuries can be categorized into; slip falls, and trips accidents, repetitive stress injuries, and accidents while commuting
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are a common form of workplace accidents and can happen anywhere. For example, if you trip on your stairs while rushing to get a work-related phone call or while hurrying to pick up a document relevant to your video conference meeting, you could be eligible for workplace injury compensation. This is because you sustained the injuries while performing work duties, and oftentimes, slip and fall accidents cause serious injuries that require medical care. Some common types of injuries caused by slip and fall accidents include;
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs),
- Sprains and strains
- Fractured bones
- Lacerations
- Dislocated joints
- Torn ligaments or muscles
- Back and neck injuries
- Hip fractures
- Head injuries.
Getting medical care for any of these injuries can cause financial discomfort for the worker; hence, workers need to file for compensation to cushion the effects of the expenses.
Repetitive Stress Injuries
Repetitive stress injuries are a type of injury that occurs from performing the same motion repeatedly over an extended period. For instance, if you’re a typist working from home, you could develop carpal tunnel syndrome. This type of syndrome is caused by repeated motions, such as typing on a computer keyboard or using a mouse, leading to the compression of the median nerve in the wrist.
Other examples of repetitive stress injuries include;
- Eyes problems caused by overusing the computer screen while working,
- Neck injuries are caused by neck strain and hunchback due to bad posture as a result of sitting too much in front of the computer.
These injuries can significantly affect the worker’s health; hence, it’s important to get compensated for your workplace injuries.
Accident while Commuting
Typically, working from home does not require workers to go out for work-related duties, but there might be an important reason to run work-related errands. For instance, if you had to pick up some materials for work at a coworker’s place, or you had to drop some documents for a client, and you got into a road accident while at it, you could be eligible for workplace injury compensation.
However, filing for car accident injuries while working from home can be somewhat complicated as the employer might claim that the errand wasn’t part of your duties. For this reason, it’s important to have clearly stated rules governing your remote work job description.
How Remote Workers Can File For Workplace Injuries Claims
If you’ve established the fact that you’ve got a strong claim for the injuries sustained while working from home, here are the steps to follow to file a workplace injury claim:
Report the injury
Report the injury to your employer as soon as possible. This should be done in writing and include details about when and how the injury occurred. Make sure you notify your employer immediately to prevent your case from becoming invalid due to failure to comply with the statute of limitations
Seek medical attention
Your health is important, so have yourself checked by medical experts. You’ll also need to treat the injuries to avoid deterioration of the injuries—also, endeavor to keep all medical bills and records related to the injury.
Complete necessary forms
Work with your employer and your lawyer to complete any necessary forms, such as a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form.
File the claim
Submit the completed forms to your employer and the appropriate government agency, such as the state Workers’ Compensation Board.
After you’ve filed your claim, then you’ll wait for the outcome of the case. Keep in mind that it could be denied or approved. However, you can increase the chance of approval by hiring a lawyer to handle your case.
