Sarasota Professional Worker Injury Lawyer
Workers’ compensation benefits are designed to provide no-fault compensation to employees who suffer injuries or occupational illnesses on the job. Generally speaking, under Florida workers’ compensation law, most employers must have workers’ compensation insurance, an employee must be eligible to apply for benefits when they sustain a work-related injury. There are exceptions, which can include, for example, certain types of maritime workers and small businesses with few employees. In terms of professional worker injuries, it is important to understand that workplace injuries can occur in nearly any type of job. While some industries have worksites with more obvious dangers than others, you should know that nearly any work environment can have hazards that can result in a professional worker injury.
If you need assistance with your workers’ compensation claim, an experienced Sarasota professional worker injury lawyer can speak with you today about the options that may be available to you.
Common Professional Worker Injuries in Sarasota, Florida
When many people think about professional workers, they think about white-collar employees in office settings. Even professional workers in an office doing jobs that do not require physical labor or travel can sustain serious and debilitating injuries on the job. Examples of common injuries that affect professional workers in white-collar jobs include but are not limited to the following:
- Slip, trip, and fall accidents;
- Repetitive motion or repetitive stress injuries;
- Musculoskeletal injuries; and
- Eye strain and injury.
Even professional and administrative employees suffer injuries at work, and they can be eligible to seek workers’ compensation benefits in Sarasota, Florida.
Professional Employer Organizations and Sarasota Workers’ Compensation Claims
Beyond professional employees in office jobs or other professional, administrative, and managerial positions, questions about professional worker injuries can also arise with regard to professional employer organizations, or “PEOs.” What is a PEO and how are PEO worker injury claims more complicated than others in the state? Questions about PEOs and worker injuries often are connected to construction jobs.
When a construction company uses a PEO, the PEO becomes responsible for providing workers’ compensation coverage to certain employees. To be clear, if an employer uses a PEO, then the PEO holds the workers’ compensation policy rather than the employer, and the employer is not insured by the PEO’s insurer. As a result of this practice, a PEO coverage gap may occur. This can happen if a subcontractor were to hire a worker, and that worker suffered an injury prior to the PEO being notified of the worker’s hire, or if the worker is not specifically identified as an employee on the contract between the PEO and the subcontractor. This same PEO coverage gap can arise if a subcontractor hires a worker who is not classified as an employee.
The PEO coverage gap is a problem in Florida, and it is important for anyone in Sarasota who got hurt on the job and who has questions about coverage to seek advice from a workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible.
Contact a Professional Worker Injury Lawyer in Sarasota
Were you injured on the job as a professional worker? Do you have concerns about the PEO coverage gap? One of the Sarasota workers’ compensation attorneys at our firm can begin working on your case. Contact Barbas Nuñez Sanders Butler & Hovsepian today.
