Claiming workplace injuries in a comprehensive, timely fashion
Workers in Australia are no strangers to job-related injuries – in fact, they happen all the time. According to survey data from SafeWork Australia, there are 13.1 serious injury claims per 1,000 employees per year nationwide. This means that every year, there are well over 100,000 people being sidelined from their jobs with injuries.
If you’ve become one of them, it’s important to be thorough about filling out all the paperwork and documenting what’s happened to you. You may well be entitled to compensation for your injuries, as well as special treatment at work to help you recover faster. The only way to know is to jump into the formal claim process with both feet.
Understanding the injury claim process
Once a workplace injury happens, there’s a complicated process that gets underway. According to WorkSafe Victoria, there’s a series of steps that need to take place, most of them involving paperwork. You’ve got to submit a claim form to your employer, provide a statement describing your injury and possibly complete an examination to prove your injuries.
Only once you’re past all of these steps should you move on to the stage of planning a return to work. Coming back to the job after an injury is a risky step, and you shouldn’t rush it if it doesn’t feel right.
The importance of acting quickly
When it comes to filing workplace injury reports, the timing is important. This is especially true because, as FindLaw Australia notes, there are statutes of limitations dictating that claims become invalid after a certain period of time. The length of this period depends on the nature of the injury and what state you’re in, but the window tends to be narrow.
With this in mind, it’s good to consult with a lawyer early and often during this process. A well-trained professional will understand the timeline and make sure all your key deadlines are hit along the way.
Evaluate your case and learn what you can claim
If you’ve been seriously injured at work, you may well be entitled to a handsome sum of money as compensation for your pain and suffering. There’s a wide range of different benefits you could win, including payment for your time off work and reimbursement for certain medical expenses.
To learn more about how much you could win, please contact us at Marshall & Gibson Compensation Lawyers and ask for a free case evaluation. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.