Workers’ compensation is accident insurance that a company pays to protect them from financial liability when one of their employees gets hurt on the job. This insurance ensures that Arizona employees injured on the job won’t have to pay their medical fees or lose out on pay while they’re recovering.

What injuries are considered job-related?

Injuries that happen while an employee is on the clock are usually covered by workers’ compensation. This can include accidents on company property, or while a person is working off-site on behalf of the company.

For example, if you work as a truck driver and get injured in a car accident while on the clock, you can reasonably file for workers’ compensation. However, an accident doesn’t have to happen in order to file for workers’ compensation.

What are some common injuries?

Injuries can also happen as a result of the work a person does, especially over a long period of time. A common example of such injuries is repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis, which happen as a result of doing the same motions over and over.

An employee might also be at risk of injuries or diseases from occupational exposure. For example, someone working in the medical field is at risk of contracting a disease from a spare needle poke and someone working in a consistently loud environment might experience hearing loss over time.

Are there exceptions?

The employee is generally not expected to go to court or determine fault to claim workers’ compensation. However, if it becomes clear that a person was breaking company policy, under the influence, or purposefully injured themselves, they may be denied – and have to pay back any benefits they received.