Orlando, FL – Workers’ compensation benefits and entertainers you ask? Well, according to the statistics of US department of Labor, Florida employs the highest number of individuals as performers and entertainers. This category includes a variety of jobs, ranging from actors to technicians and park attendants. With the highest rate of performers and entertainers, it is inevitable that Florida will consequently have a higher rate of injured employees onsite when compared to other states within the same industry. Recent news and research have shown that performers have suffered from severe injuries and handicaps due to falling off high platforms (up to 95 feet above the ground). Performers often suffer from critical injuries which can include broken bones, concussions, blunt force trauma, and internal injuries. These injuries often lead to fatalities rather than disabilities.
Worker’s Comp & Entertainer and Live Performer Work Injuries
Live performers and entertainers often suffer from injuries which are relatively similar to the injuries which other workers experience in different industries. The injuries which are most common include:
– Falling from a height
– Falling on a flat surface on the same level
– Getting hit or struck by something
– Car or other motor vehicle accidents
– Musculoskeletal injuries
Live performers and entertainers are much more prone to facing injuries because their work situations often require that they be dressed in costume or work in conditions where lighting is dim. This can cause their view to be obstructed and therefore make it increasingly difficult for them to identify the potential hazards that await them.
Florida Workers’ Compensation for Entertainers and Live Performers
Florida Workers’ compensation law requires that employers carry Workers Compensation insurance to provide coverage for employees against injuries that take place at work or are otherwise work related. However, when it comes to entertainers and live performers, employees often overlook workers compensation all together, as the debate remains whether the individual is to be considered an independent contractor or an employee. Employees often choose the former in order to avoid have to provide benefits to their employee. They do this by misclassifying their work description which goes into official record, which decides if Workers Compensation is to be provided or not. However, employee status is actually determined by Florida statutes.
Because a written contract is often not undertaken between employer and entertainers/live performers, the circumstances which surround the work relationship are taken into consideration in order to decide if the individual meets the employee status set out by Florida statutes.
These factors are:
– How much control the worker has in terms of performing the work or service
– Whether or not the worker generates revenue from the work he’s performing
– If the worker is paid based on per-hour wage or a salary
– Whether or not the worker experiences potential obligations/liabilities or losses/profits as a part of the work he is performing
If you are a live performer or entertainer, make sure you have your facts straight about what you’re entitled to and under what circumstances. Also make sure that even if you’re not signing a formal written contract, your work description in official record states that you are not an independent contractor; rather, you are employed by an organization or company to ensure that you attain workers compensation when needed.
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.
