When workers get hurt on the job, it creates a stressful situation. You know that OH workers’ compensation is supposed to cover their medical bills, but the laws are complicated and make it difficult to answer employee questions during the process of filing a claim.
Knowing the truth regarding the following five myths about workers’ compensation is the first step in managing worker injuries more effectively.
1. Insurance Only Covers Employees Injured While Doing Their Jobs
Some workers may be reluctant to report their injuries if they received them while doing something other than their specific job duties. For example, an employee who gets hurt in the break room during lunch is still eligible for compensation. It is best to be upfront with employees about this fact. Trying to dissuade them from filing a claim can end up causing you bigger legal problems later.
2. Workers’ Compensation Only Covers Employees at the Jobsite
Workers’ compensation extends to any location an employee may be while on the clock. Thus, auto accidents that occur while workers run errands, make deliveries, or drive between job sites are all considered workplace injuries, even though they technically occur somewhere else. However, accidents that occur while commuting to and from work do not count.
3. Covered Employees Will Not Sue for Personal Injuries
As long you have an active OH workers’ compensation policy, workers technically cannot sue you for workplace accidents. However, there are exceptions to this rule that many personal injury lawyers are willing to exploit. In general, the only winnable lawsuits are ones that prove you either do not carry sufficient insurance or that you deliberately harmed an employee. Your liability insurance should cover legal fees involved in these types of frivolous lawsuits.
4. You Can Fire the Employee To Avoid Paying
Some workers may delay reporting an injury out of fear of losing their jobs. While the law does not require you to protect their jobs any more than you would those of non-injured workers, it is actually illegal for you to fire or intimidate them because of their claims. Being as open and honest as possible with employees about their rights is the best way to maintain a positive work environment and prevent lawsuits.
5. You Will Directly Manage the Claim
Employees are accustomed to looking to you for guidance about their jobs; but in this case, you will mostly be deferring to your insurance company. When employees ask about the timing of payments, let them know that the money does not come out of their paychecks and that it does not even come from you. Because your company pays the premium for workers’ compensation, the insurance company will be the one writing any checks to the injured worker.
About Haughn & Associates
Founded by Michael Haughn in 1986, Haughn & Associates is a full-service, family-owned, independent insurance agency based out of Dublin, Ohio. H&A strives to provide the best possible price and unique insurance solutions across a myriad of industries, including construction, IT, Habitation & Commercial Property, Agriculture, and Engineering. Devoted to providing the best of business insurance, life and disability insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and bonds, H&A is proof that success lies in long-standing client relations and satisfaction. To learn more about how H&A can be of service to you, contact us at (877) 802-2278.
