Overworked and Overheated: Workers' Comp and Heat Illnesses
If you are negatively affected by heated conditions on the job and become ill, your employers' workers' comp insurance is supposed to cover you. Read on to learn more about this type of aliment and how to ensure you are compensated for heat exposure issues at work.
Heat Can Kill
If you feel unwell, seek help immediately. Heat illnesses can escalate quickly the effects can extremely debilitating. You can expect to be covered in several ways from your employer's workers' comp insurer but you must follow the guidelines. Common workers' comp benefits include:
- Payment of medical expenses.
- Partial salary while in recuperation at home.
- A lump-sum settlement if you are unable to return to your job.
Steps to Take After a Heat Incident
1. Get medical help. Either call 911 or have someone take you to an emergency room, urgent care, or your doctor's office right away. Timely help could make the difference in life or death. Be sure to tell someone at the medical facility that your injury is job-related.
2. Let your direct supervisor know about the incident. As soon as you can, inform your boss about the heat-related injury and how it was related to your job.
3. File a workers' comp insurance claim. In some states, the responsibility for filing a claim lies with your employer and in some states, you must take the initiative. No matter who files, don't sign a claim form that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Coping With Denials
Unfortunately, heat-related injuries can be challenging. Some insurers will argue that the incident did not happen while at work or that the employer did what they could to mitigate the issue for workers. Don't be discouraged by a claim denial.
Coping With Adverse Rulings
Even if you begin to get benefits, you can run into problems with your claim. For example, you may be asked to return to work even when you are not ready. In other cases, workers are unable to ever return to a job that involves working around heated conditions. You don't have to quit your job or put up with those problems. You have rights and a process is in place to appeal any adverse rulings from the workers' comp insurer.
Speak to a workers' compensation lawyer about your claim. They can act to get your benefits restored, advocate for you in front of appeal hearings, communicate with the insurer, and negotiate a lump-sum settlement that covers your losses. Put your claim in the hands of a legal professional who works with insurers all the time so you can focus on your recovery.
