Jobs including landscaping, roofing, highway construction and construction are still the deadliest jobs according to federal data. In Colorado, from January 2017 to September 2018, there were a total of 19 worker deaths. Nine of the workplace deaths were due to falls. Employers were issued a little over $301,000 in fines related to the deaths.
It is important for employers to remember not to cut safety when cutting costs. It is actually significantly less costly to take appropriate safety measures rather to pay workers’ compensation benefits. Whereas a workers’ compensation claim, for instance, can cost an employer $80,000, it might cost them $1,000 to ensure all workers on their job site have the necessary safety equipment needed to have a safe workplace and to perform their work safely.
Workers’ compensation disability benefits are a category of benefits that protect and shield injured workers and their families from the costs associated with a workplace injury or death. Injured workers can receive help with medical expenses and lost wages and family members may be able to receive death benefits depending on the circumstances. Because of the toll a workplace accident can take on victims and their loved ones, it is necessary to be familiar with the ways workers’ compensation benefits can help.
As a result of the importance of these benefits, all workers and their families in Colorado should be familiar with their workers’ compensation options and rights if they have been injured or otherwise harmed on the job. Workers’ compensation benefits are a valuable resource when the safety and security a worker should feel at work has been violated and tragedy has resulted.