3 things you need to know about workers compensation law

If you have been injured while at work, as part of your commute or in another way which is linked to your job (for example if you have contracted a disease whilst at work), it is easy to feel angry, scared and upset. What is much harder is how you an go about doing something to get your life back together. The emotional toll and the impact on your friends, family and loved ones can be very high. This is made even more difficult if you have to go up against your colleagues or managers, who may consider as close friends, and ultimately against a big corporate machine with entire legal teams dedicated to fighting your case. This is where a workers compensation lawyer is invaluable, they can help you to get your life back on track, put together your case, and feel confident about your odds of getting the result you deserve.

However, before you walk into a lawyer's office, there are three things you should know which can help arm you and prepare you to get the outcome. 

What is workers compensation law?

Workers compensation law is part of the wider law which governs how employers must treat their employees when things go wrong. No one particular person will be found to be at fault, so you should still investigate whether you have a claim even if it was your action which caused the injury. Sometimes an accident will be immediately accepted by a company, and they will tend to sort the process out quickly, however sometimes your employer will want to dispute the case. Employers have to pay for insurance whilst they are employing people, which is specifically designed to cover the costs in cases like this.

What can it cover, and what do you get?

Workplace compensation covers injuries suffered at work on when travelling for work, for example if you hurt your back in the process of lifting boxes or if something unsecured were to fall on you and diseases which you either contract at work or which are exacerbated by your environment (for example asthma). It is simple to think about it as things at work which cause your health to take a different path to what would otherwise have been expected. 

If your case is found to be valid, your medical expenses, costs of returning to work, and other expenses associated with your treatment.

How do different states treat the law?

Like many other laws, there are variances between each state and territory in Australia about what the law entails and what authority governs its application. It is useful that you research these details before launching your case, though a workers compensation lawyer at firms like Hoffmans Injury Lawyers will be able to advise you more fully.

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