Five Things to Know: Workers’ Compensation Claims for Construction Injuries

Construction sites can be extremely dangerous places to work, and construction workers frequently sustain serious and debilitating injuries. When accidents do occur, construction workers need to have information about seeking workers’ compensation coverage. You should know that an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in Pompano Beach can help you with your claim and any appeals that may be necessary in your case. In the meantime, the following are five things you should know about workers’ compensation claims for construction injuries.

1. All Construction Employers Must Have Workers’ Compensation Coverage 

Unlike employers in other industries, all construction employers are required to have workers’ compensation coverage. Indeed, according to the Florida workers’ compensation system, in the construction industry, “employers with one or more employees, including the owner of the business . . . must have workers’ compensation coverage.” Accordingly, if you are injured while doing construction work, you do not need to determine whether your employer was required to have coverage (and our firm can help if your employer violated the law in failing to have coverage).

2. Construction Accidents Can Result in Severe and Fatal Injuries 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) cites the construction industry as one of the most dangerous industries in the country, and construction workers frequently suffer severe and deadly injuries as a result of falls, struck-by and caught-between accidents, and electrocutions.

3. You Must Report Your Injury to Your Employer Within 30 Days 

Florida law requires construction workers (and all other injured workers) to report workplace injuries to the employer within 30 days from the date of the injury or diagnosis.

4. You Will Need to Seek Medical Care from an Approved Provider 

Like any other type of workplace accident, construction accident injuries must be followed up with care from an approved medical provider. You can see any doctor for immediate, emergency care, but follow-up treatment will need to be with a doctor approved by the insurance company.

5. It May Be Possible to File a Third-Party Claim 

Depending on the cause of your construction injury, it may be possible to file a third-party claim in addition to seeking workers’ compensation benefits. While it is not usually possible to file a personal injury claim in order to seek compensation for a workplace accident, injuries resulting from the negligence of a third party represent an exception. Common types of cases in which third parties are sued for construction accident injuries include car accident cases (where a third party motorist crashes into a construction site) and product liability cases (where a designer, manufacturer, or retailer of a tool or machine is liable for a construction injury).

Contact Our Pompano Beach Workers’ Compensation Attorneys 

If you were injured while doing construction work, or if you lost a loved one in a construction accident, you should get in touch with an experienced Pompano Beach workers’ compensation lawyer at the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. as soon as you can. One of the attorneys at our firm can learn more about your situation and help you to seek the benefits you need.

Sources:

myfloridacfo.com/division/wc/employer/coverage-requirements#:~:text=Construction%20Industry,must%20have%20workers’%20compensation%20coverage

osha.gov/data/commonstats