Am I Covered For Injuries Caused by Workplace Violence?
August 12, 2022
In many states, workers’ compensation covers medical costs and provides your benefit when you are hurt on the job. However, you might have questions about what if this injury is caused by workplace violence, and our employees who are injured in that way are still able to receive workers’ compensation benefits? This is a common question to ask, especially if you’ve never dealt with workplace violence or Worker’s Comp before; And the workers compensation lawyers NY residents rely on are available to you at Hurwitz, Whitcher & Molloy, LLP understand your concerns and are here to help.
What Is Workplace Violence?
Workplace violence is usually believed to be a physical attack on someone’s person and in the same vein as sexual assault, physical attack, or homicide. However, workplace violence may begin as acts of intimidation, somebody verbally threatening you, or harassing you and the escalating leader into an act of violence. Incidents can involve coworkers or other non-employee third parties such as customers, visitors to the property or other clientele. And sometimes you may find yourself dealing with workplace violence from your employer.
Under OSHA, there has been a lot of notice regarding workplace violence and the fact that it is trending up and increasing in reports. Employers are required by law to protect their employees and this includes taking reasonable steps to create a secure and safe work environment, and while many employers are proactive in trying to keep their workers safe, others may also fail to take reasonable measures to create a safer environment or ignore problems when they are presented to them.
You can reach out to a workers’ compensation lawyer today to learn if workplace violence is covered by your workers’ compensation. And when the question of his workers’ compensation covered injuries caused by workplace violence, the answer is very similar to the same answer here, see when talking about workers’ compensation and other manners. It is determined on a case-by-case basis, and would work alongside a Worker’s Compensation lawyer such as the ones available at Hurwitz, Whitcher & Molloy, LLP to determine if your case qualifies for Worker’s Compensation claim.
There are many steps that you can take when you are filing for workers compensation, and a Worker’s Compensation lawyer is going to be able to ensure that you are filing and doing everything you can to file correctly and in a timely manner following your state statute and guidelines. A Worker’s Compensation lawyer is also going to be able to tell you about any state laws or local laws regarding workplace violence and Worker’s Compensation.
Workers Most at Risk for Workplace Violence
It is sad but true that some specific work environments have research backing up data that shows that there are factors that increase the risk of workplace violence towards people in these professions. It is not just people who work alone or during late-night shift scenarios where there is a high crime rate, but also people in specific professions.
- People working in healthcare can find themselves at risk for workplace violence.
- People who drive taxis or work for rideshare services.
- People who are delivery drivers.
- People who work in public service or are utility workers.
- People who work for law enforcement.
- People who work in customer service.
- People who work at gas stations.
- And does to handle money.
To learn more, please call Hurwitz, Whitcher & Molloy, LLP today!
