If you have been injured or become sick while at work and your injury or sickness is work related, then the chances are that you can obtain financial compensation in the form of a workers’ compensation payment from your employer’s insurer. There are only a few exceptions to the rule in nearly every state that employers are responsible for having insurance to protect their employees while at work. You do need to follow the established procedure as well as you can and stick to the time limits imposed on you. A workers’ compensation attorney can help you if your employer or your employer’s insurer challenges the validity of your claim. Injuries That a Security Guard Might Have on the Job Security guards have a potentially dangerous job. Most of the time all they need to do is to walk around or stand close to a prime spot for theft and look a bit menacing. Occasionally there may be an incident and there could be violence involved. The worst case scenario is that the guard is assaulted with a weapon. If attacked with a knife the guard may be seriously cut and could face blood loss if not taken to a hospital quickly. If attacked by a firearm, the guard may be shot. If the wound is not fatal, there may be some sort of damage to the guard’s vital organs. In addition to these dangers, the guard may simply slip or trip up and injure themselves when they fall. What a Claim Might be Worth A security guard can only claim for the cost of medical treatment and lost earnings. There are special payments in many states if the injury is more severe and causes either permanent partial or full disability. Either of these two situations may prevent the injured guard from returning to the same sort of job again. As a workers’ comp. payment should include all medical costs, it is important that these are well documented. This is especially important if the guard has been attacked by an assailant or thief as the full cost of medical treatment for firearm wounds, knife attack or an attack by a blunt instrument can be very high. The lost earnings component is based on a percentage, typically 66% or thereabouts, of what the guard could have earned if he or she had been able to be at work. Hiring a WC Attorney May be Advisable As security guards are more likely to suffer more serious injuries than many other workers, it is important that they get an adequate amount of compensation when filing a claim. It would help to use an experienced workers’ comp. attorney throughout the claim process. Claims are not always honored. If you are an injured security guard and your claim has been denied, then you may decide to appeal the decision. it would be hard to do this without the help of a professional workers’ comp. attorney. Additional Reading Security Guards and Workers' Compensation Total vs. Partial Disability
