If you’ve taken a promotion or been hired at a new company, you may be excited about the new prospects of your career. However, the first few days and weeks at a new job also tend to be the most dangerous. If you are injured at your new job, the company may try to push you away from compensation in hopes of limiting their liability and expenses. It’s imperative that you have someone in your corner that will fight for your rights and protections, and that’s where we come in. Below, we explain why injuries are so common when starting a new position and the legal options you should consider after an injury.
I Was Injured At My New Job
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, roughly 40 percent of all workplace accidents involve employees who have been at their job for less than a year. Moreover, 1 in 8 workplace injuries occur to employees on the first day of their job, and new hires are five times more likely to suffer a workplace injury than an experienced worker. So what are some of the most common reasons why new hires are so much more likely to suffer an on-the-job injury? They may be:
- Less familiar with equipment
- Less able to spot clear signs of danger
- Improperly trained
- Less aware of their surroundings
- Ill-fitted with the right safety equipment for the task
- Tired or fatigued from new hours or the physical demands of the job
- Assigned more dangerous tasks that experienced employees do not want
If you are injured at your new job, one of the first things you should do after seeking medical care is to consult with an attorney. Management may be suspicious of injuries involving new hires and try to convince them that it is not in their best interest to pursue compensation. This can be illegal, and if you feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, you need to have someone to turn to for direction. That’s where an experienced lawyer comes in.
We’ll be able to analyze all the factors that led to your injury and prove that it occurred as a result of your work duties. Even if the injuries were your fault, as long as you didn’t intentionally hurt yourself, you will be eligible to pursue compensation. Don’t let embarrassment or confusion or your rights prevent you from collecting the compensation you deserve.
Also, if there are more underlying factors at play, we can highlight those in our argument to help maximize your award amount. For example, if you were improperly trained for the task, you weren’t outfitted with the correct personal protective gear or there was a lack of proper safety standards in place, your award amount could skyrocket. We explore all the potential avenues for negligence in an injury case, and we’ll work to prove that your injuries could have been prevented had your company taken the proper steps. We can also file a claim in the event your employment or your hours have been threatened if you were to pursue an injury claim.
So if you were injured on your first day on the job or soon after you took a new position, know that this is not uncommon. Also know that you have the same rights as workers who have been at the company for decades, and you are entitled to compensation for your injuries. To start a conversation about your options, reach out to the experienced team of lawyers at Hey Workers today.
