Workplace injuries have an impact on the entire family. Suffering from an injury at work or outside of work will lead to both emotional and financial distress. Personal injuries can include scrapes or bruises, and for some workers, this is a one-time incident with no long-term impact on a person’s well-being.
But for others, personal injury can lead to a major life change, and the one-time incident can have a lasting impact on the individual.
Career-wise, there are a lot of considerations when an injury occurs:
1. Loss of Income
A loss of income can financially destroy a person’s home. The loss of income will have an immediate effect on a person’s lifestyle. Workers will suffer from a loss of income in the following ways:
- Loss of direct money earned in the workplace
- Loss of opportunity that may have otherwise existed
The amount of the loss will be dependent on how long the injury lasts. An injury that keeps a person in the hospital or out of work for months can lead to substantial losses in both opportunity and income.
One remedy is to file a workers’ compensation claim if the injury occurred in the workplace.
But there’s a problem. “In theory, the workers’ compensation system is designed to help injured workers. Unfortunately, in practice employers and their insurance companies often stall, pay too little or deny a meritorious claim,” explains Bogdan Martinovich.
2. Loss in Overall Career Growth
A loss in overall career growth is a financial loss that can last the entirety of a person’s career. An employee cannot get the time back that they lost when trying to recover from injuries. It’s a major problem for many workers because they’ll be prevented from:
- Developing their careers
- Advancement of skills
Injuries can also lead to a person losing the ability to deliver a skill. For example, an employee that can no longer lift their shoulder may lose the ability to load and unload a truck for UPS. This loss can be detrimental and even stall a person’s career growth entirely.
If the person injured is a business owner, the injury can also jeopardize the business’ operations and future.
3. Loss in Financial Costs and Expenses
Injuries are expensive, and this may also mean losing money, too. Costs for initial treatment and recovery can be substantial. You may need to buy equipment, braces, medication and other items that are costly.
Overall costs are compounded depending on the extent of the injury.
Negligence or poor judgment of a third-party may be grounds to contact a legal professional. You may have legal options available to you, and this would allow you to seek compensation for your injuries.
But cases are often not quick to resolve, so there will still be a period of financial strain that occurs during a person’s recovery period.
There’s also losses incurred if a person suffers from a physical deformity or a loss of mobility as a direct result of the injury. Emotional and psychological distress can lead to a longer recovery time, too.
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