Teacher Injuries In Florida Schools

When most of us think about workplace injuries and risks of harm at a workplace, we do not immediately think of the injury risks that educators face. However, it is important to know that teachers at K-12 schools in South Florida can sustain many different kinds of injuries on the job, and they may be eligible to seek workers’ compensation coverage for those injuries. To discuss the types of injuries that are common among teachers at Florida schools, our Fort Lauderdale workers’ compensation lawyers want to provide you with more information about what teachers should do when they get hurt, and details about common teacher duties and frequent injuries they suffer on the job.

What Should a Teacher Do After a Workplace Injury?

Teachers, like other workers, will need to know what Florida law requires them to do in order to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. If you got hurt while working as a teacher in South Florida, it is essential to report the injury to an administrator at your school as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days from the date of the injury.

If your injury is not an emergency, you should see a health care provider as soon as possible who has been approved by your employer or the workers’ compensation insurance company. When teachers suffer serious injuries at work, they do not need to see an approved provider at first. Rather, initial medical treatment can be at any nearby emergency department or health care facility.

How Do Teachers Get Hurt at Work?

 Teachers in elementary, middle, and high school in South Florida have a range of job tasks. Typically, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) explains, teachers must plan lessons, provide instruction, assess student work, communicate with students and parents, manage classrooms, enforce rules in the classroom, supervise students at lunchtime and at other times outside the classroom, and provide one-on-one work with students on certain occasions. In performing these duties, teachers often walk through classrooms and through the school, transporting classroom materials and interacting on a regular basis with students and other school workers. Through this range of job duties, teachers suffer many different injuries, such as:

• Slips, trips, and falls;
• Repetitive motion injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome and back or neck injuries;
• Injuries resulting from acts of violence at the school and in the classroom, including lacerations or cuts, bruises, and gunshot wounds;
• Exposure to hazardous substances, such as bloodborne pathogens, chemicals in the school, mold, or asbestos in older school buildings;
• Chronic headaches caused by extended computer use for reading and grading; and
• Hearing loss.

Many other types of injuries can also result from job-related stress, including high blood pressure and gastrointestinal problems.

Contact a Fort Lauderdale Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Any teacher who has been injured at work should get in touch with a workers’ compensation lawyer to find out more about filing a workers’ compensation claim and obtaining coverage for medical care and lost wages. One of the experienced Fort Lauderdale workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. can talk with you today to learn more about your workplace injury and to advise you of your options for seeking compensation.

Sources:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0440/0440ContentsIndex.html

bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm#tab-2