Can Workmans Comp Claims threaten your job?

Question

If someone has had about 5 small workmans comp claims over a 2 1/2 year period in a dangerous job that were absolutely not controllable by the employee,such as dog bite,faulty straps,etc.Can the boss threaten your job because of them?Or state that there is too many and someone will start asking questions, to make you feel threatened?

Hey there sway_26 havent you ever heard of rabies.Dog bites can be serious.

Answer 1

That is definitely taking a threatening stance, on the part of the employer. The employer has no right to say such remarks...in fact, it should make it clear to the employer that they need to take a good hard look at their issues and policies of safety. USPS has clear guidelines that your employer can adopt into their policies for handling situations with dogs. Dogs do bite...and sometimes they are nasty..and you have no clue if they're rabid. The dog then would have to be reported by the employer. Straps are suppose to be a safety measure...if they are not doing the job...or maintained, then it is either the employer's fault, or the manufacture of the straps. The straps should do their job! The employer should not be looking at having the straps because "the government requires it." They should be there because he doesn't want you to get hurt!

They are probably getting pressure from their insurance company...and it is expensive.

The threat should be ignored...if a person if fired, it had better be on the grounds of something CLEAR. I would highly suggest that if your employer is making such threatening remarks...to place it into a journal--as well as, all other incidents that could potentially prove that the employer was trying to remove you through other means. (such as making things more difficult for you--giving you unfair evaluation feedback, screaming at you, discriminating you in an unfair manner...that would push you out of your job.....you have something to hand to a lawyer and judge.

If you are given commentary, such as you have written above, you need to immediately respond...in a calm manner...that maybe the employers issue of safety need to be addressed so that his insurance costs will go down. People should be asking questions!! Dang, thats all he needs is to have someone end up dead because of a problem that could have been addressed and resolved earlier.

If the employer is under federal contract, you also have the US government (OSHA) on your side. It doesn't matter what state your in.

Answer 2

They can't threaten your job because of workman's comp claims legally. With such small claims (were you out of work more than two days for any of them? were the dr. bills normal, or did you have to keep going back?) I don't think the company would care--they have insurance and should expect some injuries. If they do care, do beware of them inspecting other areas of your work--if they don't like the claims, they may start looking harder at attendance, performance, or other factors to see if they can fire you.

If you get hurt on the job, those are the company's doctor bills and not yours--most employers understand that, are insured for it, and won't have a problem unless they think you are taking unfair advantage of them.

Answer 3

It should not unless you live in a Right To Work State..Right to Work States are generally "work at your own risk!" Nevada does not pay Workmen's Comp and Good luck finding an attorney to take up the cause for you!

Answer 4

Absolutely not. If this is happening to you, you may need to seek the advice of an attorney. If you have a clean rap sheet and have had no company violations, then you should have nothing to worry about.

Answer 5

Who files workmans comp for a dog bite? If you are filing for workmans comp for every little ding you get then I woudl fire your azz too.