Category Archives:work injury georgia
Georgia Uses Technology to Catch Workers’ Comp Violators
The state of Georgia requires most employers with three or more full time, part time or seasonal employees to have workers’ compensation insurance. Georgia is making it easier for its citizens and workers to check an employer’s workers’ compensation coverage and catch workers’ comp violators. You can visit the Georgia State Board of Workers Compensation website and verify employers workers’ compensation coverage online. They can also be reached at 1-(800) 743-5436. If you check the record of a business you believe is required to have Workers’ Compensation insurance and are unable to locate record of proof you are encouraged to contact the Enforcement Division Monday – Friday from 8:00 -4:30 at the phone number listed above. You may also follow the instructions on their website and report a violation online. Any business found in non-compliance with required coverage requirements faces civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation and a year in prison.
With the help of technology, the State Board of Workers’ Compensation Georgia is cracking down on companies that fall short on obligations to their workers. According to the Newman Times-Herald, Georgia has already ousted 538 businesses that did not have a policy, resulting in $480,000 worth of fines and $1.2 million in premiums to cover the 2,700 previously uncovered employees.
The state used to rely on complaints and random inspections that required employers to show proof of coverage. Restaurants, stores and small construction-trades companies are the most frequent violators. Now, with the help of the national database, inspectors can instantly check to see if a business is paying premiums for coverage. They can check out a dozen businesses in the time it would take for a physical inspection. At the end of the year, inspectors check former violators in the database to ensure they are still in compliance with the laws and are still providing coverage.
Atlanta Burn Work Injuries in the Workplace
Thousands of burn injuries occur each year in Atlanta from hazards in the workplace. They cause serious, often long-lasting effects. A burn causes painful tissue damage and sometimes scarring or disfigurement. About 5% of workplace burns lead to death.
Burns are classified in categories according to their severity; first-degree, second-degree and third-degree. They are also sometimes called superficial, partial thickness, and full thickness burns, respectively. When the burn involves injury to deeper tissues such as muscle or bone they are referred to as fourth-degree burns.
First-degree or superficial burns involve only the epidermis or outer layer of skin. They are painful but rarely produce long-term tissue damage. Second-degree or partial thickness burns affect the dense bottom portion of the epidermis called the dermis. They result in blistering and sometimes scarring. Third-degree or full thickness burns destroy the epidermis and cause damage all the way down to the hypodermis. The burn site will appear white or charred. Surgeries and skin grafts are likely in these cases.
Burn injuries are caused by either heat, electricity, chemicals, friction or radiation. Most frequently the causes of workplace burns are heat, electricity and chemicals. Heat burns are caused by flames, hot surfaces, scalding liquids or steam. Electrical burns occur as a result of electricity passing through the body. Most often tissues deeper underneath the skin are damaged but cannot be seen which causes electrical burns to be difficult to accurately diagnose. Chemical burns occur when living tissue is exposed to a corrosive product. Chemical burns need no source of heat and can be extremely painful.
Employers are required to provide a safe working environment. If you suffer a burn injury while at work you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. If you want to know if your injury is covered under Workers’ Compensation insurance it is a good idea to contact an attorney who can answer your questions about how to proceed.
The First Four Crucial Steps To Take After a Work Injury Georgia
1. Tell your supervisor immediately and ask for medical attention if you have had a work injury Georgia
One of the biggest mistakes an injured worker makes is to wait before telling the supervisor of the accident or work injury Georgia. Many people wait hoping that the injury is minor and that it will heal in a few days. While this may be true the accident and work injury Georgia should still be reported immediately! It creates suspicion by the employer if a week or two after your accident you then tell the supervisor of the incident. In fact most employer manuals or introductory material that is issued upon hire says that all accidents should be reported immediately. I know that many workers fear for their job and therefore wait before reporting a work injury Georgia. Waiting does not protect you. It protects your employer’s pocket. So, report your work injury shortly after it happens and if you need medical attention, ask for it.
SuperThoughts - Things Can and Will Change
We are in the heat of the summer. The temperatures in July crested to 100 degrees, record heat. After several months of extreme heat, we really feel the dread of the next day, the next hot day, and we wonder when it will actually end. The heat affects our mood, energy, outlook, and our interactions with people. We feel fussy and impatient. My clients have the added frustration of being in pain and feeling trapped, not only by the heat but by the workers’ compensation system. It is hard to maintain a positive outlook.
Then one day in September we wake up and step outside to the first bit of coolness in the air. The sky starts to look different and we know that everything is about to change. The heat is moving on as we pass from the summer to the fall. Our spirit changes as we sense the change, the tinge of coolness. In these moments of extreme heat our misery would be eased if we would just remember…
that the heat will pass, the temperature will change. The same is true for the unhappiness my clients feel, trapped in the workers’ compensation system, living with the pain of physical injury. Just like the seasons will change, their circumstances will change also. Change is one of the most powerful truths in this world. It is inevitable.
Remembering this truth, that change is inevitable, can help us recreate our experience in this blistering weather, in this injury, in this workers’ compensation claim or whatever the situation. The heat will change. Your injury will heal. You will not always be stuck in the workers’ compensation system. Just as the blistering summer, the leaves that are dry and scolded on the trees will be freed to fall weather. Spring will bring new weather, new leaves, new life and a new beginning. What is true in nature is true in your life. When your current circumstance is just too much, seek refuge in this truth that this too will pass.
Celia
– Another Super Thought from a Superhero Lawyer, Celia Sunne, Sunne Law
photos from: sashaw and superfantastic