Orlando, FL – Workers’ Compensation claims in Florida on the rise? Not surprising. It has been shown by reports filed by the US Commerce Department that US factories have been receiving increased orders for the past several months. This is good news for manufacturers and of course the US economy, but it has certainly become an area of concern for the factory workers in Florida. This concern revolves particularly around the notion of overuse injuries.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Factory Work Injuries
Factory work often tends to become a monotonous routine, following the same repetitive motions day in and day out. This can cause RSI, or repetitive stress injury, which is otherwise known as MSD, or muscoloskeletal disorder as well as OOS, or occupational overuse syndrome. Whatever name you choose to call it by, it is caused by suffering from repeated trauma in a particular region of the body. The trauma is often caused by forceful, awkward, or repetitive movements which ultimately results in damage to the nerves, tendons, and muscles of the related and connected areas. The most common body parts affected by RSI include the hands, back, shoulders, neck, and forearms.
RSI presents itself with a myriad of symptoms including swelling, numbness, tingling, stiffness, sensitivity to hot and cold, and weakness.
What puts you at risk for developing RSI
– Poor body posture, especially in the workplace
– Having poor technique while performing your task/job
– Prolonged sitting in front of a computer
– Not taking frequent breaks
– Working in a “vigorous” or high-pressured environment
– Suffering from a pre-existing medical condition or being predisposed to injury
Repetitive motion injuries are actually more common than employers would like to believe. These usually include injuries to the joints, such as tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, and rotator cuff tendonopathy. Back and neck injuries are also extremely common, especially for employees who have 9-5 desk jobs.
Workers’ Compensation for Repetitive Motion or Overuse Injuries
Most people assume that workers’ compensation refers to employers compensating their employees for major accidents that lead to severe disabilities and sends them off to be bed-ridden. However, this is definitely not the case. Workers’ compensation is provided to individuals who suffer from work related injuries that may appear to be minor, but actually aren’t. The reason for this is that repetitive motion or overuse, although resulting in something that may seem minor (perhaps wrist pain) can turn into a progressive disorder that affects the body significantly, especially if unattended to and untreated.
Workers’ compensation not only pays the injured worker for his lost wages, but also for his medical bills. It is also used to cover medical expenses after the employee resumes working, as well as partial wages which the employee cannot work to earn because of his injury or disability.
Workers’ compensation rules in Florida require the worker to immediately report a work-related injury to his employer as soon as it happens. This tends to be complicated when it comes to repetitive motion injury for the reason that there is not really one specific moment that can be identified when the injury took place. Still, this protocol should be followed as soon as it’s realized by the employee that the pain, injury, or discomfort is being caused by the task or job.
Orlando Workers Compensation Contact Information
Contact Vaughan Law Group’s Orlando Workers Compensation Attorneys today for your free initial consultation. You can contact Vaughan Law Group at (407) 434-0074.
