How to Handle a Burn Injury at Work Legally: A Guide

Have you suffered a workplace burn injury? Do you work in an industry where burn injuries are most common?

While you can be compensated for any workplace injury, it is important to make sure you know your rights and have legal protection.

Even if you work in an industry where the prevalence of burn injuries is low, you should have a grasp on workplace injury procedures – you never know what could happen.

There are certain steps you must take to protect yourself and your family’s financial security should you suffer a severe, debilitating injury.

Read on to learn the key facts you must know if you suffer a burn injury at work.

High Prevalence Occupations

Occupational hazards come with any job, and workplace accidents can happen anywhere and anytime. Some jobs carry higher injury rates than others.

The foodservice industry rates are high in categories like lacerations, sprains, and cuts. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, thermal burn injuries rate significantly higher in the foodservice than any other private industry.

This makes sense. Working in a high-stress, fast-paced environment surrounded by blaring fryers and ovens increases your odds of a burn injury. Many of those working in the foodservice industry are consistently burned on the job.

Steps to Take

Should you get burned at work, there are certain steps you must take to maximize a possible burn injury settlement.

To protect yourself, you must first seek medical treatment. The impulse to continue working and ride out an injury can be damaging. You may not be fully aware of your injury’s severity at the time.

You must also be sure to document your injury. Be sure to report the burn injury to management and complete an OSHA Workplace Injury Form. Every workplace is required to make these forms available.

If burned at work and you are unable to continue working, make sure to photograph the injury and document the healing process.

Often, workplace injury cases take months to go to trial. You want to make sure you have proper evidence once a jury deliberates your case.

You will need to consult a workplace injury and accident lawyer. There are many who specialize in burn injuries and work pro bono. This means they do not charge a fee until you receive your settlement.

Burn Injury at Work?

In any job, but especially one like the foodservice industry where the prevalence of these injuries is high, you must know how to protect yourself.

A burn can range in severity from a minor first-degree oil splatter to a third or fourth-degree life-altering injury, so knowing how to report an accident is especially important.

Keep these workplace burn injury procedures in mind the next time you clock in.

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