Repetitive Stress Injury: Knee, Back or Joint Damage?

Heavy lifting, awkward postures and repetitive stresses on your bones and joints at work can cause serious damage that makes it impossible to continue in the same line of employment. These career-ending injuries require medical treatment and care, the cost of which should be covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Yet if weeks pass before the injury is properly diagnosed or if an employer declines to take responsibility for the injury, you could be left to cover the cost of injuries on your own.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has made significant strides in improving the safety of job sites by requiring employers to supply the proper safety and security equipment, when available. OSHA takes a four-point approach to resolving problems associated with workplace safety:

• Education: OSHA publishes a technical feasibility manual to inform private-sector business leaders of best practices for reducing the incidence of repetitive stress injuries.
• Research: Scientific research on repetitive stress injuries is consolidated in OSHA databases, and OSHA grants help to fund additional research.
• Enforcement: Inspections and investigations of job sites may lead to lawsuits against employers who are failing to take the proper precautions.
• Rule-making: Administrative efforts to control health and safety standards on work sites begin with administrative rule-making.

Obtaining compensation for your injury may require professional legal advice. As time lapses from the date of your injury, your claim is at a higher risk of being declined by your employer’s insurance company. Interceding events may reduce employer liability.

In such cases, you need an experienced workers’ comp attorney in Florida, who can advise you and help you obtain compensation for your injuries.