When you become an employer, you take on all sorts of responsibility over the people working for you. While they may make you a significant profit, they can cost you a whole lot of money if you do not provide them with the right working conditions, work spaces, or safety training.
You’ve probably seen all sorts of workers compensation and personal injury advertisements on the television, heard them on the radio, and read about cases in local newspapers. At the end of the day, if any employee becomes injured or develops an illness as a direct result of working for you, you’re going to have to cough up a huge amount of cash to cover their medical bills, to cover their lost earnings while they take time off for recovery, and perhaps a little extra on top for the sheer sake of compensation.
So, to save yourself a whole lot of money in the long run, it’s a good idea to get to grips with the basics of workers compensation and to implement measures to avoid any harm coming to anyone associated with your business!
What to Do When Faced With a Claim
If you are already facing a claim, you’re going to have to seek out legal help. This will help you to determine whether the employee making a claim is making a fair and true claim, and will also help you to determine whether you are truly at fault in regards to their accident or illness. You should see the Hughey Law Firm for more information about this.
Reducing Risks of Claims
If you haven’t yet been faced with a claim or court case, good job! There are plenty of measures and procedures that you can implement to ensure everyone’s safety at work and in the workplace. Here are just a couple to consider.
1. Implement Warning Signs
Wherever there’s a permanent hazard, there should be a sign in place. These can include “mind your head” or “low ceiling” signs, and “mind the step” signs. You should also have warning signs in place for temporary hazards, such as “wet floor” signs.
2. Thoroughly Train Your Staff
A little training can go a long way. Make sure that you train your staff in regards to every aspect of their role. This can include training them to do tasks as seemingly simple and basic as lifting and moving heavy objects. Training proper technique can prevent accidents and injuries in the long run.
Hopefully, this has helped you to understand worker’s compensation and will give you a good kick-start to start implementing thorough safety procedure into your business’ protocol. Remember that this isn’t just for the sake of avoiding legal action. Protecting your staff needs to be a priority at all times regardless!