Actually no, all injuries that occur in the workplace are not considered “compensable.” Compensable means that you have sustained an injury on the job that would entitle you to medical and wage loss benefits. To be eligible for these benefits, your workplace injury must be the result of an accident or a sudden traumatic incident (STI). There are other ways that an injury can be held compensable, but accidents and STI’s are the most common.
An accident means any variance from the normal work routine. Obviously, incidents like falling off of a scaffold, having a car wreck while driving the company vehicle, or a box falling on you, are all traditional and common sense accidents. However, accidents also encompass not so obvious scenarios.
For instance, you normally complete a task with two other co-workers. However, on a given occasion you are forced to do the work by yourself. This extra load leads to an injury. This scenario could be viewed as a variance from the normal work routine and may entitle you to certain benefits, even though you didn’t have an accident in the traditional sense of the word.
An STI only applies to back injuries. If you are simply doing your job, nothing unusual occurs, but at a certain point in time you feel pain in your back while completing a certain task, this would potentially count as a sudden traumatic incident. Again, what is important to remember about this particular claim, is that it only applies to backs, and it must be the result of specific incident.
There are other types of workplace injuries and illnesses that may entitle you to benefits. However, accidents and STI’s are by far the most common.
If you have questions about filing a Workers’ Compensation claim, call Henson Fuerst at 919-781-1107. When you call, you will speak with an experienced North Carolina Workers’ Compensation attorney absolutely FREE. We will investigate every detail of your situation and help provide the answers you seek.
Call Henson Fuerst, Because Your Case Matters
