Warehouse workers are responsible for a number of different tasks, including loading and unloading trucks, packaging goods, and managing inventory. Most of these job duties are physical in nature, which is why so many warehouse injuries occur every year.
If you are a warehouse employee who has suffered a work-related injury, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Hegwer Law, workers’ compensation attorneys in San Francisco, have helped countless warehousing employees win benefits for their work-related injuries. Here’s what you need to know to obtain the benefits you deserve:
- Who is Entitled to Workers’ Compensation Benefits After A Warehouse Injury?
- What Warehousing Injuries Qualify For Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
- How Much Is Your Warehouse Workers’ Compensation Claim Worth?
- When Should Injured Warehouse Employees Call A Workers’ Compensation Attorney in San Francisco?
Who is Entitled to Workers’ Compensation Benefits After A Warehouse Injury?
The law in California requires all employers to provide workers’ compensation benefits to employees. This is required regardless of the employer’s industry or size of the company. However, the law does not require employers to provide benefits to independent contractors or volunteers. By law, these benefits are only available to workers who are legally classified as employees.
If you have been injured at work, it’s important to determine whether or not you are classified as an employee. If you are an employee, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for your warehouse injuries.
What Warehousing Injuries Qualify For Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
Warehousing employees can suffer two different types of injuries: specific and cumulative injuries. Specific injuries are caused by random accidents or incidents such as forklift accidents, slip and falls, and falling merchandise. Some of the most common specific injuries sustained by warehouse employees include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken or fractured bones
- Burns
- Lacerations
- Back injuries
Employees in the warehousing industry can also suffer cumulative injuries. These injuries occur as a result of repetitive motions or activities such as frequently lifting heaving boxes, reaching overhead, using the same hand tools, or handling the same materials. Over time, these repetitive motions and activities can lead to various work-related injuries, including:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cubital tunnel syndrome
- De Quervain’s syndrome
- Thumb injuries
- Soft tissue strains or sprains in the neck, shoulder, and back
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
Both specific and cumulative work-related injuries are covered by the workers’ compensation system.
How Much Is Your Warehouse Workers’ Compensation Claim Worth?
Many different factors can affect the value of a workers’ compensation claim for warehouse injuries. For this reason, the value of a claim varies on a case-by-case basis. But in general, injured warehouse employees may obtain several types of workers’ compensation benefits, including:
- Medical care benefits
- Temporary disability benefits
- Permanent disability benefits
- Supplemental job displacement benefits
These benefits are awarded to injured warehousing employees to help them cover the costs of medical care, lost wages, lost earning capacity, retraining, and job placement. To learn more about the value of your claim, contact the attorneys at Hegwer Law.
When Should Injured Warehouse Employees Call A Workers’ Compensation Attorney in San Francisco?
It’s best to contact a workers’ compensation attorney in San Francisco as soon as possible after suffering a work-related injury. Why? There are certain deadlines that must be met in the workers’ compensation claim process. Failing to meet these deadlines could affect your ability to obtain benefits. If you hire an attorney right away, you can rest easy knowing that your attorney will stay on top of these deadlines to ensure you don’t lose the right to obtain benefits.
Hiring an attorney early on will also ensure that the workers’ compensation claim process is as smooth as possible. Your attorney can help you avoid unnecessary delays and setbacks so you can quickly obtain your benefits. The sooner you contact an attorney, the sooner you can resolve your workers’ compensation claim.
If you have sustained a warehouse injury, take the first step towards securing workers’ compensation benefits by calling Hegwer Law today.
Set Up A Free Case Evaluation With Our San Francisco Warehousing Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
Have you been injured while working in a warehouse? If so, contact the workers’ compensation attorneys at Hegwer Law to discuss your legal options as soon as possible. Hegwer Law will use their extensive legal experience and resources to secure the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve. Schedule a free consultation with the team at our dedicated warehousing workers’ compensation law firm by calling (415) 448-5107 or submitting your information via the form on this website.
