New Jersey workers’ compensation
Top Tips for Documenting Your NJ Injury in the Workplace
Following an NJ injury in the workplace, the injured employee is required to follow certain processes and procedures. For example, NJ law mandates that every workplace injury is reported to the management or the human resources department at your employer within 14 days of the accident or discovery of the injury. Informing your employer doesn’t need to be writing and a verbal report suffices under the law, but it is in your best interest to document this exchange.
In addition to reporting your injury, what other information and events should be documented during your NJ workers’ compensation case?
The Events Leading to an NJ Injury in the Workplace
Eventually, your employer, the insurance company, an NJ workers’ compensation lawyer, and possibly the NJ Division of Workers’ Compensation will want to hear how the workplace accident occurred. You’ll want your recollection of the events to be clear and fresh in your mind when you relay them to these different parties, but these conversations and a hearing will not occur immediately.
Rather, you should document the exact events leading to an NJ injury in the workplace soon after it occurs. This documentation not only serves as your reminder when speaking with an employer or insurance company but can also be incredibly helpful to an NJ workers’ compensation lawyer that may take your case.
Documenting Medical Attention and Appointments
Most workplace injuries in NJ require some form of medical attention to treatment. A medical practitioner should even assess the cuts, bruises, and …
Read MoreWhat Role Does Employee Fatigue Play in New Jersey Workplace Injuries?
New Jersey workplace injuries occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes an employee isn’t properly trained on equipment and in other instances the machinery or equipment malfunctions. There are accidents and the accidental spreading of illness. Chemicals, electrical issues, and improperly placed or stored inventory can all lead to New Jersey workplace injuries. However, even among the plethora of reasons for employee injuries, fatigue causes an unusually high number of these accidents.
Why Is America So Tired?
More than ever people in the United States are working two or more jobs to make ends meet and pay their bills. Over the past 15 years, there’s been a steady rise in the number of Americans reporting a second part-time job or even an additional full-time position. As of late 2017, an estimated 7.6 million Americans were working two or more jobs, which was an increase of .2% over the previous reporting year.
This increase in U.S. employees with multiple jobs is having a cooling impact on the U.S. economy, but there’s more. Many of these workers are finding their extra hours in positions with a high risk of workplace injuries, and it is suspected that working two jobs is only making these numbers climb higher.
Of the individuals working multiple jobs in New Jersey, a substantial percentage are exhausted and burnout – leading to a higher overall number of New Jersey workplace injuries due to fatigue.
How Frequent Are New Jersey Workplace Injuries from Fatigue?
All reports tell us that …
Read MoreReceiving Medical Bills, But Entitled to NJ Workers Compensation? What Should You Pay?
Filing and receiving NJ workers compensation benefits is a process. You have to inform your employer of the injury, seek medical attention, and then you file a claim. This claim process could be incredibly straightforward and smooth, with the support of your employer. On the other hand, receiving the NJ workers compensation you deserve might be a frustrating legal battle.
Under the second scenario, it is very common for the medical attention you received to become medical bills that are due and payable. Your doctor, the hospital, or emergency services likely provide somewhere between 30 and 90 days for you to pay your bills. This timeframe isn’t always sufficient to cover the expenses with workers compensation benefits if there is a dispute or disagreement over the claim.
What should you do about seeking medical treatment and paying medical bills as you await approval of NJ workers compensation benefits?
Should You Seek Medical Assistance Immediately?
Many employees wonder if they should seek medical assistance immediately after an NJ workplace injury, or wait until they have confirmation of their NJ workers compensation claim. In all instances, you should obtain the medical treatment you need. This includes accepting emergency services, such as an ambulance or on-site treatment, and seeking out physical therapy or rehabilitation treatment, when recommended by a doctor.
Your choice of medical treatment could be important for approval of your NJ workers compensation claim, but this should never impede on your need for immediate care. If you are seriously injured in …
Read MoreWhat Workplace Injuries Are Common Among Manufacturing Employees?
Over the past few months, our team at the Law Offices of Albert J. Talone has explored the most common workplace injuries in the most injury prone professions. We’ve covered the top injuries on construction sites, in restaurants, and even in healthcare professions. Now, we turn to workplace injuries that are frequent in manufacturing and product development.
As a whole, the United States, including New Jersey, is moving away from labor-intensive manufacturing environments. It is not only more cost-efficient to use machines for much of the work, but also safer. Truly, these trends in manufacturing plants and facilities have significantly decreased the overall number of workplace injuries in manufacturing, and more specifically cut the number of serious injuries and fatalities.
Yet, employees in manufacturing facilities, product development site, and test facilities are injured on a regular basis in New Jersey. We explore what type of manufacturing presents the greatest likelihood of injury and what workplace injuries a manufacturing employee should be cognizant to avoid.
Different Manufacturing, Different Number of Injuries
Not all manufacturing facilities present the same type or degree of risk for a workplace injury. The U.S. Department of Labor tracks each and every injury that is filed as a workers’ compensation claim in New Jersey and throughout the U.S. As part of this process, a division of the Department of Labor, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), collects and catalogs information about the severity of the injury, how it occurred, and what work …
Read MoreNicer Weather, More New Jersey Workplace Injuries: How Are Employees Injured Working Outdoors?
We are quickly approaching summertime in the Garden State. It’s the season of trips to the Shore, backyard BBQ, family vacations, and simply, being outdoors. It’s also the season with the highest number of workplace injuries in New Jersey and throughout the United States.
The United State Bureau of Labor Statistics performed a detailed survey on the seasonality of workplace injuries and events. The nationwide data confirms that at the start of the summer, the overall number of New Jersey workplace injuries rises. In September, the number of New Jersey workplace injuries starts to fall, with a bigger drop in the rate of injury in November. Throughout the winter, specifically in January, there is the fewest number of workplace injuries in the United States.
What can explain this increase in New Jersey workplace injuries occurring from June through September? While we can’t directly blame the warmer, nicer weather of the summer months, the rise in temperatures and seasonal work does have a lot to do with these trends.
An Increase in Construction Work
From June to September there is a noticeable increase in the number of construction projects in New Jersey. Whether it’s roadwork, new homes, or renovations of an old building you’ll soon be hearing hammers and seeing construction boots in or around your neighborhood. This increase in construction work has a corresponding impact on the number of New Jersey workplace injuries.
Construction sites are a leading location for employee and worker injuries. Per population, more construction workers …
Read MoreMost Common Injuries for New Jersey Employees in Education
We often overlook the physicality required of teachers and educators but leading a classroom certainly isn’t a desk job. Teachers spend long hours standing as they lecture and more time on their feet as they detail concepts on a chalk or whiteboard. There is a lot of reaching to point out earlier information or write new concepts, and an equal amount of bending to become level with students in their desks. By the end of the day, teachers have spent significant time moving, walking, and standing.
The physical demands of teaching can keep people fit and healthy. It also prevents certain injuries and illnesses associated with long periods of sitting or typing, but New Jersey employees at schools and universities are still prone to workplace injury.
In this post, the Law Offices of Albert J. Talone takes a look at the most common injuries to befall teachers and educators in New Jersey.
Impact on the Back
The workplace injuries to New Jersey employees working as teachers are more dispersed and varied than some other professions. A study on teachers in Australia found that educators were just as likely to suffer injury or pain in their hands and fingers as their ankles. However, one type of injury stood out in this study and those performed in the United States – injuries to the back were far more common than any other part of the body.
Teachers are constantly lifting books, straining to reach the corner of a whiteboard, and pointing …
Read MoreTop Tips for a Remote Employee After a New Jersey Work Injury
The New Jersey law on workers’ compensation is purposefully broad. The state legislature wanted to be certain that employers and insurance companies covered the workplace injuries of each and every employee without loopholes or technicalities disqualifying an eligible worker. However, these laws were also designed for traditional places of work, and today’s employment landscape is far from traditional.
The digital age is changing how we connect, interact, and work. More people are requesting and accepting remote employment. This includes people that work from home, set up shop in a co-working or shared space, telecommute, and even live as digital nomads. In fact, the number of Americans working in a remote or telecommuting position now tops 40%.
We addressed how and when the workers’ compensation laws applied to a New Jersey work injury that occurred in these work setups in an earlier blog post. Now, we want to address the top tips a remote employee should take to ensure he or she receives workers’ compensation.
Tip #1: Make the Cause of Your New Jersey Work Injury Clear
Remote employees enjoy a lot of freedom. For some people, this is the freedom to work anywhere, while others appreciate the freedom of flexible work hours. This flexibility and decreased structure can present some problems if a remote employee suffers a New Jersey work injury while on a break or engaged in a non-work activity.
Just because you are hurt between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm doesn’t make you …
Read MoreWhy the High Number of Workplace Injuries in Hospitality?
It may surprise you to learn that hospitality is one of the most injury-prone professions in the United States (a list of other industries with an unexpected number of workplace injuries can be found here). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that for every 100 full-time workers in hospitality 3.4 are injured or fall ill each year because of a workplace accident. Of those injured or ill, over half require time off work to recover.
The total number of workplaces injuries in hospitality is higher than in manufacturing, warehouses, and other industrial work.
Given there are several million people working in the hospitality industry, at hotels, restaurants, bars, and in tourism, the days off from a workplace injury amount to a lot of missed hours and uncovered shifts. What are the risks and hazards in the hospitality industry? Why does this industry experience a high number of workplace injuries each year?
Manual Handling or Pushing, Pulling, and Lifting
Throughout the hospitality industry employees are required to lift, push, and pull heavy inventory and objects. The result is that nearly 50% of all workplace injuries in the hotel industry, and similar numbers in bar and restaurant work come from manual handling.
When busing tables, you need to lift heavy bins of plates, cups, and silverware. Likewise, wait staff carries heavy trays from the kitchen to table many times a day. If you are working in housekeeping, you constantly life mattresses, push heavy cleaning carts and move furniture. Think bartenders have …
Read MoreThe Biggest Mistakes Employees Make After a New Jersey Work Injury
The workers’ compensation cases and settlements that result from a New Jersey work injury typically take place in administrative proceedings before the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, not courtrooms. Despite the different venue, NJ workers’ compensation cases must follow certain processes to be successful. Often, these processes cause problems for New Jersey employees that are unaware of the rules.
In this post, we’ll cover some of the biggest mistakes employees make after a New Jersey work injury, and provide information on what you can do differently.
#1: Failing to Report the Injury in a Timely Manner
Many workers wait weeks or months to tell an employer about a New Jersey work injury. This delay can cause complications for a resulting workers’ compensation claim.
To follow best practices and advice from a workers’ compensation lawyer, a New Jersey employee should report a workplace accident and resulting injuries immediately after the incident occurs. However, this isn’t always practical or possible. A manager may not be available, the injury could require immediate medical attention, or onset of the injury is delayed. In such circumstances, an employee should report a New Jersey work injury as soon as possible.
#2: Not Reporting the Extent or Severity of Injuries
After an injury, many NJ employees are worried they will lose their job, be demoted at work, or even lose the respect of co-workers and managers. In an effort to protect their employment and pride, employees conceal the extent or severity of their injuries. When …
Read More5 Careers with a Surprising Number of Workplace Injuries
It comes as no surprise that certain professions have a high number of workplace injuries. For example, construction sites, nursing, and warehouse work all require a great deal of manual labor and manipulation of heavy objects. It follows that back, neck, and shoulder injuries happen on a regular basis in these jobs.
Other jobs involve the use of heavy equipment. Likewise, these careers are prone to a high number of injuries on the job. For example, working on an assembly line or in factory production is more likely to result in an injury than accounting in an office.
Lastly, there is an entire subset of professions and workplaces that people are always surprised to hear have a high number of employee injuries. We will cover five careers with a surprising number of workplace injuries, and discuss why these jobs are prone to accident.
#1: Hairdressers and Beauticians
Working as a beautician or hairdresser is surprisingly dangerous. Last year working as a beautician was named one of the most accident-prone jobs in the entire United Kingdom, and here in New Jersey, a shocking number of hairdressers are hurt each year. What is more surprising than the number of hairdressers hurt every year? Injuries to hairdressers and beauticians happen for a wide variety of reasons.
Of course, the most common workplace injury for a hairdresser is a cut or snip from scissors or a razor. These tools are used daily in the profession, and while handled with skill, sudden movements by …
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