What are Workers Compensation Laws?

Workers compensation lawyers deal with a series of regulations written to protect employees who are injured on the job so that they receive the proper medical care and rehab services to be able to return to work. Congress passed the laws and State Legislatures have added to them to insure people who are hurt at work are taken care of.

The history of workers compensation dates back to the 19th century in Prussia. The chancellor who was trying to quiet a socialist movement adopted a number of items that the backers of the movement had proposed. The Employers Liability Act of 1871 gave workers in the factories of Prussia new rights and lead to the development of the Workers Accident Insurance plan a few years later. The series of rights afforded to workers in Prussia became the model for other worker compensation plans around the world including the United States.

The first workers compensation laws in the United States were approved by Congress in the early 1900's. Author Upton Sinclair exposed horrible working conditions in his book The Jungle which was about the slaughterhouses in Chicago and that gave momentum to the effort to achieve new rights for workers. Wisconsin was the first state to pass workers comp laws in 1911.

While each state system of workers compensation is a little different there are basic components that are shared by all. Workers are guaranteed to be compensated for medical care that is necessary because of an accident on the job. The workers are to be compensated for any pay that they lose for time off of work because of the injury and some type of board is established to decide if the claims are merited.

Funding for workers compensation claims comes from private insurance that companies purchase or from a self insurance fund that businesses set up. Typically, someone who is awarded benefits will be paid two thirds of their regular salary while they are off the job. Other benefits can be paid for injuries that cause permanent disabilities and survivor benefits may also be awarded to relatives of a person who is killed on the job.

If you think you have grounds to bring a product liability suit and want to learn more about defective products, you should consult with our Brooklyn, New York product liability attorneys.