Electric Exposure Injury at Work
An electric exposure injury is a rare injury caused when some electric current, or voltage, passes through the body. The most common type of electric exposure injury is an electrical shock.
Electric shock and electricity-related injuries are very hazardous to your health. They can cause severe damage to internal organs and sometimes even death. Still, they can also be encountered by anyone who comes in contact with high voltage systems or in domestic settings.
What to do in case of Electric Exposure at work?
While the number of electric exposure injuries is relatively low, their severity makes them dangerous and debilitating. In most cases, faulty wiring, frayed cords, or poor insulation causes electric shock injuries. In others, it could be due to contact with live wires or a defective appliance or tool.
However, the number of electric exposure injury claims at work has been growing. The majority of these are compensation claims due to burns or electric shocks.
Electricity is one of the most dangerous forms of energy in the workplace. Workers need to be aware that being injured by electricity can happen even if they’re not working near electrical equipment. For example, they could be injured while working on lighting or cleaning up a spill involving an electrical component.
In many cases, employers are unaware of the dangers that simple equipment like extension cords can cause; leaving them liable for injuries and deaths that could have been preventable.
The recent surge in electric exposure injury claims at work has caused businesses to re-consider the importance of creating a safer working environment for their employees.
How to file claim to get proper compensation?
- Getting Proper Medical Care:
If you have suffered from an electric shock at work, your first step should be getting medical assistance like every other injury. If you know what to do, the symptoms of electric shock injury are treatable.
Electric exposure injuries can cause traumatic brain injuries; respiratory failure burns to your skin and body tissues. However, serious complications can arise if you don’t seek treatment immediately. The best way to treat an electric shock injury is to file a claim against the liable party and obtain compensation for your medical bills and other losses.
- Filing your Claim on time :
First, an injured worker generally must notify the employer of the injury or illness in writing within 30 days of its occurrence or onset.
If you are injured in an accident at work, you must notify your employer in writing within 30 days of the accident, or you risk losing your right to workers’ compensation. Suppose your employer does not know about your injury within 30 days, which prevents your employer from thoroughly investigating the damage and how you were injured. Missing this time-line can make you ineligible for your compensation.
- What to do if your claim is denied? :
Injured workers typically appeal denials within one year from the date of the accident or the date the worker last received medical care.
Medical Reports must generally be made within a year of the accident date that caused the injury. Form (LWC-WC1009) must be filed within 15 days of the date the employer or its workers’ compensation insurance company denied or received the denial.
- Getting professional legal help :
Claiming your compensation benefits is a complicated process. Failure to present the necessary evidence to support your claim can result in delayed benefits, sometimes even an outright denial of your claim.
While many claims are approved immediately, claim approval may be delayed if the insurer deems it necessary to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding how the injury or illness occurred. The method of applying for help on your own can be complicated, especially if you are not feeling well.
Further, many people don’t realize what they may be entitled to in an electric exposure injury claim. If you were hurt or killed by a defective product or any electricity source, then you must seek legal help immediately.
The experienced attorneys at Pistiolas Law Firm can help you with your case today and make sure the responsible party pays for the damages they caused.
