What to do After Being Injured at a Restaurant
Throughout history, there have been numerous work-related injuries to employees in the restaurant industry. This is mainly due to inadequate protections being offered, such as proper personal protective equipment. The National Safety Council estimates that nearly 7 million work-related injuries occur per year. Knowing this statistic, it is vital that people become educated on what to do after an incident has occurred so they can protect themselves. Following these five steps below will come in handy when experiencing these unfortunate situations.
Working in a restaurant can come with many dangers including:
- slips and falls
- knife injuries
- oven, stove, and fryer burns
- neck or back injuries from lifting heavy boxes
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from repeated motions such as chopping or slicing foods
- muscle sprains and strains
If an injury like this was directly related to working in a restaurant, financial compensation such as worker’s compensation or a personal injury settlement may be available to help cover the costs of these injuries.
Get to Safety
First and foremost, make sure the environment is safe and that the injuries are not in need of any immediate medical attention. If medical attention is needed, contact local emergency responders by dialing 911. If not, check to make sure nobody else was injured. After you receive your diagnosis and bills from your provider, be sure to record those for future purposes and possible reimbursement.
Secure the Scene
Next, make sure that this event will not occur to someone else by alerting the management to the situation and making sure no one enters the area. Also, make sure that any possible evidence of negligence does not get disturbed before photographic evidence is documented.
File a Report
Filing a report protects any legal rights to receive compensation benefits. This way, if the injury worsens, a claim can still be filed for worker’s compensation. Even if the injuries are not extensive, be sure to file a report with your supervisor. By law, employers are required to have worker’s compensation insurance; if they do not, immediately contact a compensation attorney. The benefits of worker’s compensation insurance should include payment of medical expenses for treatment, lost wages while receiving treatment, and in extreme cases, permanent disability benefits may be available.
Contact a Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Consider filing a workers’ compensation claim by contacting a worker’s compensation attorney. In some cases, the person who was injured may even qualify for both worker’s compensation and a personal injury settlement. Even if the worker’s compensation benefits have already been paid, still consider contacting a worker’s compensation attorney.
While injuries in the workplace will never completely be prevented, it is crucial to know that workers are not helpless in these situations, and can be trained on how to react in these circumstances. When a workplace accident occurs, it can be overwhelming for everyone involved. With the help of a good attorney, there is no reason why anyone should not receive workers’ compensation benefits.
Alex Bonilla has plenty of experience in getting injured restaurant workers the benefits they need to outweigh the costs of their treatments. His experience as an insurance defense attorney gives him an understanding of how worker’s compensation claims are handled by insurance companies. He currently represents injured workers throughout San Francisco. For more information on their legal services regarding worker’s compensation in California, contact The Law Offices of Alex Bonilla, P.C. at (415)-761-3171.
