Common Injuries for Temporary Employees
Temporary Employee Injuries in North Carolina
For many reasons, a worker might accept a position as a temporary employee. While such an employee may not qualify for some benefits a private employer offers permanent employees, the temporary employee does qualify, in most cases, for North Carolina workers’ compensation benefits.
Temporary employees can become injured or ill on the job just like any other employee, and they deserve to receive assistance with medical bills and lost wages – just like any other employee.
At Hardison & Cochran, we help temporary employees to seek benefits they are entitled by law to receive. If you are a temp worker who was injured or became ill at work, contact us right away at (800) 434-8399 or through our online form to set up a free meeting and consultation.
Workers’ Compensation for Temporary Employees
Temporary workers are as likely as any other employee to be hurt by one of the most common causes of workplace injuries, including:
- Falls
- Overexertion or other adverse reaction to bending, reaching, climbing, standing, sitting, slipping and tripping without falling
- Injury from repeated stress or strain, or repetitive motion
- Being struck by an object such as something falling from above
- Being struck against an object such as being pushed into a wall or door
- Being caught in or compressed by machinery
- Car, truck or work vehicle (forklift or scissor lift) accidents
- Fires and explosions
- Electrical burns
- Assaults.
In December 2012, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled in a case called Gregory v. Pearson that a temporary employee assigned by his employer to do a job for another organization qualifies for workers’ compensation from his employer and may seek compensation from the other organization as well.
In this case, the employee of a staffing agency was assigned to a county landfill, where he was killed in an accident. The court said the worker’s estate could collect a workers’ compensation death benefit through the staffing agency, which employed the worker, and pursue a third-party claim against the county that owned the landfill, which expressly said in its agreement with the staffing agency that it did not employ the temporary worker.
Clearly, North Carolina law and its courts do not mean to deprive temporary workers of protections against occupational injury and death that other workers enjoy.
Our Lawyers Help Injured Temporary Employees in North Carolina
The N.C. Workers’ Compensation Act establishes a state insurance program to compensate workers who suffer job-related injuries and illnesses. It provides benefits to reimburse a worker for all of their medical costs and a portion of their lost income. In cases of a work-related death, it pays a benefit to a deceased worker’s surviving immediate family members.
A provision of workers’ compensation – the deal, if you will – is that because an employer provides this insurance, an injured employee or the estate of a fatally injured employee cannot sue the employer. But, this does not prevent an injured worker or their family from pursuing a “third-party” claim against another organization or individual that may have contributed to their injury.
If you or someone you love has suffered a workplace injury or illness on a temporary work assignment, call the experienced lawyers at Hardison & Cochran at (800) 434-8399 or contact us online.
We take every workers’ compensation claim seriously, regardless of whether you were a temporary employee. We can help you to seek the compensation you need and deserve.
