Whether you live in Florida year ’round or seasonally, if you work outside the home on a part-time or full-time basis, you might be at risk for injury. This is especially true if you happen to work in a dangerous industry. Sadly, there are many fatalities each year as a result of workplace accidents. In fact, there were more than 320 deaths in job-related incidents throughout the state in 2018, which is a number that comes as a surprise to many people.
If you work in the construction, agriculture or fishing industries, you may be at great risk for severe injuries if a workplace accident occurs. That’s why it is important to learn as much as you can ahead of time about the workers’ compensation program. If you suffer injuries on the job, you might be in need of the benefits the program provides during recovery.
Is your Florida job high on lists for danger?
Besides working in construction, fishing or farming industries, there are numerous other jobs throughout the state that consistently rank high on lists regarding danger in the workplace. The following list tells more:
- Groundskeeping
- Maintenance and repair
- Transportation and cargo
- Protective service operations
While no job is 100% risk-free, the industries listed here are known to present high risks for injuries in the workforce.
Navigating recovery after a workplace accident
Your employer likely purchases workers’ compensation insurance, which is designed to provide benefits to you and your coworkers if you suffer injuries in connection with your workplace duties. Whether a single incident results in your injuries or you developed a condition over time, such as repetitive strain injury, it’s important to seek medical attention and to obtain the care and treatment you need to recover as fully as possible.
It might be several days before you can return to work, or even weeks or months. If your injuries have resulted in a permanent disability, you may no longer be able to work at all, which could have a disastrous effect on your household finances. Filing a workers’ comp claim may lead to benefits that can help ease your financial strain. If you are permanently unable to return to work, you may also learn more about how to file a Social Security Disability claim.
What if an employer or insurance agency denies your claim?
Submitting the required paperwork is sometimes not enough to get you the benefits you need to make ends meet after a workplace accident. You might be disappointed to learn that many claims face denial in their initial filings. If this happens to you, you may choose to file an appeal. You’ll be glad to know that many denied claims receive approval at the appellate level.