Does Workers’ Comp Cover Workplace Violence?
- Posted on: Oct 26 2020
There are many different types of injuries that can occur at work. You can hurt yourself due to someone’s negligence. You can make a mistake that leads to hurting yourself. You can even get hurt from an accident that wasn’t really anyone’s fault. Most of these situations are covered under workers’ comp if they occurred in the workplace or while doing work for your company. But what if you were injured by a customer or even another employee in a malicious act? Fortunately, workplace violence is listed under workers’ comp.
The Same Rules Typically Apply
When you’re injured by another person while on the job, you need to follow the same rules as you would if you were injured in any other way. This means that you need to report the injury as soon as possible to your supervisor. You should also gather as much evidence as possible, including getting photos of the other party (if it’s safe to do so), have your co-workers write down what they saw, and gather reports from the police, doctors, and anyone else who was involved.
Just as with other types of workers’ comp cases, meeting the deadlines and filing the correct paperwork is absolutely vital. If you miss a deadline or don’t file the paperwork necessary, you may find your case is dismissed.
There Are Some Exceptions
There are a few extra rules that govern workers’ comp and how it relates to workplace violence. The most important factor to keep in mind is that you typically cannot get workers’ comp in cases that involve personal attacks. This means if an ex comes into your office and attacks you, you likely will be denied workers’ comp because the attack was not connected to your work. It could have occurred anywhere due to the personal relationship between the two of you. On the other hand, if a customer attacks you over a lack of product, those injuries would be covered because the customer would not have harmed you in any other setting. Injuries caused by other employees are often in a grey area and may or may not be covered depending on the nature of the relationship between them.
Dealing with workers’ comp cases can be very time-consuming, and that’s why you need an expert on your side. Dr. Jeff Mollins has helped injured employees for years, and he can help you, too. If you’ve been injured on the job, whether it was by another person or not, contact his office today to begin your case.
Posted in: Blog, Uncategorized, Work Injuries, Workers Compensation
