Arizona residents who work in machine shops know their job is dangerous. Between the heat and the heavy equipment, you run a high risk of becoming injured. In these cases, you may need workers’ compensation.
Workers’ compensation is required in Arizona
Arizona law requires employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance for both full and part-time workers. Workers’ compensation covers employees when they become sick or injured due to their job. Specifically, compensation covers:
- Medical expenses
- Temporary loss of wages
- Permanent wage loss or job training for new employment
Workers’ compensation covers these common machine shop injuries
Machine shop workers are exposed to hazards daily. These hazards may result in a variety of injuries or long-term diseases that include:
- Amputations
- Eye injuries
- Chemical inhalation
- Electrocution
- Back injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Hand-tool misuse or malfunction
- Disease caused by poor ventilation
Arizona is a “no-fault” workers’ compensation state
As long as your disease or injury occurred on the job, you are entitled to receive workers’ compensation in Arizona. The state operates under “no-fault” system. This means that the employee is still entitled to receive workers’ compensation even if the injury was their fault.
These exceptions exist for the “no-fault” system and will prevent a workers’ compensation claim from being approved:
- Purposefully inflicted injury
- Injuries that occur due to an “act of God”
- One-time conditions, such as flu or headaches
- Pre-existing conditions
- Diseases that occur naturally
Receiving compensation can be a complex process
Although a lawyer is not required to obtain workers’ compensation, people often choose to use them due to the complex process involved. Your employer and their insurance company will often have lawyers trying to argue that the injury or disease does not apply. But if you sustained your condition as a result of working for the company, you may be entitled to compensation.
