The Work and Industrial Injury Support Center

Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like suffering from a work or industrial accident injury, you are never alone.  Countless men and women have faced the exact same accident and have survived and thrived.  The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge.  

TSC has scoured the Internet and assembled links to the very best work or industrial injury: articles, blogs, forums and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional and other challenges that you face.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this Work & Industrial Injury Guide even more helpful to survivors like you.   

JUST FOUND OUT 

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Work & Industrial Injury

• United States Department of Labor: Work Place Injury, Illness and Fatality Statistics
• Spine Universe: Preventing Injuries at Work
  
• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Repetitive Stress & Work-Related Injuries 
  

The Big Picture

One of the most important contracts between an employer and his workers is to provide a safe working environment. Obviously some work places are low risk when it comes to the potential for injury but even a slippery floor in an office building can cause serious harm.

At industrial sites, the need to maintain a safe working environment is even greater. With more equipment and strenuous activity, the risk of injuries grows. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has been keeping a watchful eye on these types of incidents.

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Injuries, Illness, and Fatalities 

If you fall victim to a work or industrial related injury, you may be entitled to worker’s compensation. Starting a job at a high risk environment means you should educate yourself with regard to your company’s worker’s compensation policies.

Your Right to Workers' Comp Benefits FAQ

Your Work or Industrial Injury

Although each state handles their own work related injury claims there are general guidelines you should follow if you are injured at work.

Center for Human Resources Workers' Compensation

Just because you might have been injured at work doesn’t always mean you should end up losing your job. In fact, most work related injuries are minor and you should be able to return to your job.

The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Your World

If you are a federal employee then there are very specific guidelines to follow if you are injured at work. Following these procedures will matter when you file a claim to seek compensation.

Office of Workers' Compensation Program (OWCP)

Outside of working for the federal government you’ll find the same types of guidelines. The most important factor is to report the accident at once. Don’t hesitate no matter how minor you might consider your injury.

What to Do if You're Injured

Work and Industrial Injury Myths

• Workers must be able to do 100 percent of their job tasks before returning to work
• Health and safety is just common sense
  
• OSHA compliance generates safety

Information and Recommended Links for Survivors

• eHow: How to File a Workers' Compensation Claim
• About: Tech Careers - Workers' Compensation Insurance 
  
• U.S. Department of Commerce: Workers' Compensation - How to File a Claim   

Types of Injuries

Slip and Fall

As you can imagine, slip and fall injuries are extremely common in work environments. Ironically, part of this could be the result of instant clean up efforts. That is why caution is required and alerting co-workers of a spill is essential in preventing injuries.

Free Advice: What is a "slip and fall" injury? 

Electrocution

Electrocution accidents aren’t always limited to faulty wiring or the break down of equipment. Some workers come in direct contract with high voltage lines as part of their daily routines.

Preventing Electrocutions of Crane Operators and Crew Members Working Near Overhead Power Lines

Severe Bleeding

A paper cut is one thing but there are potentially many other more severe bleeding injuries that could occur in your workplace. Everything from broken glass to hazardous machinery could create a significant wound. If a deep cut or gash occurs to you or a co-worker, do you know how to treat it?

First Aid: Severe Bleeding, Wounds, and Injuries

Severed Limbs

One of the most severe accidents that could occur at a work or industrial site is a severed limb. This could be relatively minor incidents of lost finger tips up to more compound amputations of arms and legs.

Industrial Injury: Amputation/Severe Limbs

Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord is your body’s super highway of nerves. Damage to the spinal cord can become extremely debilitating and should be treated immediately.

Spinal Cord Injury Information Network

Possible Injury Side Effects

An injury at work could cause pain and suffering from a physical standpoint but there could also be lingering emotional issues to deal with as well. Depending on your specific injury, emotional trauma might prevent you from returning to the workforce. As you help your body heal, you should also help your mind heal.

Alternatives Consulting: Work Injury Rehabilitation Services

New Claims

One of the largest work populations on the planet can be found in China. However, workman’s compensation is a new concept to these workers.

Research Gate

Creating a support circle

• Set up your TSC Survivor Profile
• Join support groups of other survivors or set up your own
• Interact and provide updates on your profile or our forums
  

Insurance & Work Matters

Insurance Matters

Workman’s compensation can provide assistance with medical bills and salary if you are injured in the job. In extreme cases you may be permanently disabled from working because of your injury.

Workers' Compensation Benefits 

Many issues revolve around workman’s compensation.  As result the claims and benefits processes are always being reformed and improved upon.

National Workers' Compensations and Disability Conference & Expo

Work Matters

Filing a workman’s compensation claim may impact on your future social security benefits.

Social Security Online: How Workers' Compensation and Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefits  

Workplace injuries aren’t limited to the typical workforce. Workers under the age of 18 not only can be injured at work but may also file benefits claims.

Health and Human Services: Work-Related Injuries to Workers Under Age 18

Health-care Providers Who Can Help

If you are injured on the job and report the injury, you should seek out medical attention, but this doesn’t necessarily mean going to the doctor recommended by your employer. You should seek out the best care and this might mean going to your own doctor or a specialist.

Choosing a Doctor For a Work-Related Injury

Resources to Find Doctors

If you do not currently have a doctor and are injured, you should find a physician who can help and that is located close to you.

WebMD: Physician Directory

The Emotional Roller-coaster

Surviving a work injury proves to be a challenge to everyone who suffers from such an accident. Some people find that dealing with rehabilitation emotionally is more of a hardship than the actual medical aspects of the injury. Many survivors panic and break down under the stress. To avoid this, it's important to continue living your life normally, participating in the same daily activities you've always done. Support groups are also important to maintaining a healthy emotional state. Other than that, educating yourself on the reality of work and industrial injuries and exposing yourself to books and stories written by those who have dealt with these kinds of injuries their past can help give you and your loved ones hope while dealing with this crisis.

Books Survivors Recommend

• Preventing and Managing Disabling Injury at Work
• Held Captive: Employers’ Indifference to Work Related Injuries
• How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim
• Work Injury 101   
  

What Survivors Wish They’d Known


Communicating with Your Health-care providers

• Bring a friend or family member with you to your appointments not only to provide support but to lend an extra ear to understand everything your health-care provider has to say and to think up any more questions you may not realize are important at the time.
• Don't be afraid to ask any questions you feel you need the answer to, even if you may be scared of the answer. Ignorance won't help you fight this disease - emotionally or physically.
• Write down any questions you may have ahead of time and the answers to those questions as your health-care provider walks you through them.  Don't be afraid to ask for clarification on anything.
  

Dealing with Work & Industrial Injury: Information and Recommended Links for Co-Survivors

How you can help

• Assist your friend or family member with their day-to-day duties or chores, but be sure to find a good balance so as not to throw off their pattern of living, which may increase their stress as they may feel they are becoming a burden.
• Preserve your friend or family member's daily activities. It's normal to feel protective but excluding patients from activities or decisions you don't see them as fit enough to do or make contributes to feelings of helplessness.
• Involve your friend or family member with others. Don't focus exclusively on their injury and treatment plan when interacting with them. Talk to them about yourself or make plans to visit friends and loved ones. A survivor involved with others has a better chance of avoiding feelings of abandonment.
  

What to say   

• "No need to rush your recovery."
• "I can help you make sense of all the claim forms."
• Tell them how much you care about them

What not to say

• "This was all your fault."
• "You’ll never be able to work again."
• "You’re going to lose everything."
  

Things you can do for a survivor every day

Offering day-to-day support is a great gift to give a family member recovering from an injury or a friend/neighbor that has suffered an accident at work. If the survivor isn't a family member, help out the patient's family when they are away at hospitals or hotels by picking up the mail or newspaper, making meals, going grocery shopping, etc. If the survivor is a family member, help out with chores or other duties they may have fallen behind on.

How to build a support network

• Set up your TSC Co-Survivor Profile
• Create a support group for your friend or family member.
• Interact and provide updates
  

How to help a survivor deal with day-to-day challenges

Tips on Returning to Work After Injury:

Medical Issues and Workplace Injuries 

After recovery, assess and share with others how you feel emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Recovering from an injury like this is almost as shocking being in the accident in the first place. By telling your story, you can not only put into perspective your thoughts and feelings but you can provide hope to others who are going through a similar journey themselves, whether it be with a workplace injury or a completely different accident that requires recovery.

Recovery

Keeping our workforce safe and healthy should be a primary concern.  As a result of that attention, there are a lot of resources available not only to help with filing an accident claim but also making sure you get all the benefits entitled to you.

Law Guru: Worker's Compensation Law Questions and Answers for All Locations

If your accident was serious and your employer was negligent then you may be allowed to sue for benefits. Naturally, you’ll need the services of a lawyer but most qualified lawyers work on a compensation basis which means if you don’t win your case, they don’t get paid.

• For Work Injuries and Workers' Compensation Benefits
  
• Free Personal Injury & Workers Compensation Legal Help
  

Check out this site for tips on filing claims.

Disability Secrets

Give back


What helped you while you were dealing with the diagnosis, undergoing treatment and realized you had recovered? Take a look back at your journey and share with other what helped you and what you wished you would have known/done during your injury recovery experience. You can create a profile, reach out to other survivors, join support circles or share your story by following the links at TheSurvivorsClub.org.

If your work related accident is serious enough, you could be faced with going on permanent disability. Although you may receive a limited amount of benefits through a workman’s comp claim, this could also restrict your future earning potential at any other job.

Answers to Your Questions About Permanent Disability Benefits [PDF]

Because benefits can be expensive for a company, they will want to make sure you aren’t faking it. If so, it could lead to criminal prosecution.

Disability - Is it Faked or Real?

It is a sad state of reality that the second largest cause to work-related deaths is murder. There are safety measures you should be aware of to prevent this type of tragedy.

Second Leading Cause of Work-Related Deaths