Greensboro Occupational Injuries & Diseases

When you go to work, you expect to do your job uneventfully and then come home. However, what happens when you start feeling poorly, and your doctor tells you that the reason you feel bad is that you have developed an occupational illness or injury?

First, you’re probably shocked, and then maybe angry. Finally, you’ll realize that you need a Greensboro occupational disease attorney to file a workers’ compensation claim on your behalf. After all, you need the benefits to treat your condition and keep your financial boat afloat while you get treatment.

Occupational illnesses and injuries are just as valid as traumatic injuries that occur on the job. Don’t minimize your condition or assume that your regular health insurance will cover it. Talk to an experienced occupational disease lawyer from Hardison & Cochran today. Let’s discuss your case and determine what benefits you’re entitled to. Your case review is free and fully confidential.

Greensboro worker in a manufacturing facility wearing protective gear to prevent occupational injuries and diseases

Common Occupational Injuries in Greensboro Workplaces

Many people suffer from occupational diseases due to their jobs. Unlike traumatic injuries, such as a broken bone or a laceration, occupational injuries and illnesses are largely invisible. Occupational illnesses or injuries are usually caused by exposure to hazardous substances or loud noises over time, or repetitive motions.

Some occupational diseases can be acquired by inhaling fumes from toxic chemicals or substances, or by physical contact with hazardous materials. They include the following:

  • Repetitive Trauma Injuries – Carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff strain, and other joint injuries may qualify as an occupational injury.
  • Hearing Loss – Exposure to loud noises for prolonged periods can lead to compensable hearing loss.
  • Diseases from Chemical Exposure – These diseases can include mesothelioma, asbestosis, various cancers, and other serious illnesses.

Occupational Diseases Recognized Under North Carolina Law

North Carolina law specifically recognizes certain occupational diseases that result from exposure to chemicals. Their listing includes poisoning via the following:

  • Anthrax
  • Arsenic
  • Lead
  • Mercury
  • Phosphorus
  • Volatile halogenated hydrocarbons
  • Benzol
  • Radium
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Sulfuric, hydrochloric, or hydrofluoric acid

The list also includes the following diseases:

  • Chrome ulceration
  • Compressed-air illness
  • Epitheliomatous cancers
  • Blisters from appliance or tool use
  • Bursitis
  • Miner’s nystagmus
  • Synovitis
  • Tenosynovitis
  • Asbestosis
  • Silicosis
  • Psittacosis
  • Undulant fever
  • Hearing loss

Industries in Greensboro Most Affected by Workplace Injuries and Diseases

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in one recent year, North Carolina private industry employers reported 64,200 workplace injuries and illnesses. Sixty thousand of the recordable cases were injuries, while 4,200 cases were illnesses. Fifty-five percent of those injuries and illnesses came from businesses in the health services, education, utilities, trade, and transportation industries.

In North Carolina’s Department of Labor report from the OSH division, the industries with the highest fatality rates over the past year were construction, manufacturing, the public sector, and logging. Although no specific Greensboro data were available, these trends throughout North Carolina are suggestive of the incidence of occupational diseases and injuries that Greensboro residents experience.

How to File a Workers’ Compensation Claim for an Occupational Injury or Disease

When you’ve suffered an occupational disease or illness, you are allowed to file a workers’ compensation claim on your own. However, this approach is inadvisable. A Greensboro occupational disease lawyer will have the experience required to file your workers’ compensation claim on time with the appropriate supporting documentation that can show how your condition is related to your job.

When you discover your condition is related to your job, you must report your injury or illness to your employer in writing within 30 days of discovering your injury arose from your job. You have two years from the date you discover your condition is work-related or from the date you first experience the condition to file a claim with the North Carolina Industrial Commission. You file your claim by completing a Form 18. You must submit this form to the Industrial Commission. If you suffer from a lung disease, you must submit Form 18B instead.

Your employer’s workers’ compensation insurer will review your claim and either accept it or deny it. If your claim is accepted, you’ll receive benefits. If they deny your claim, you can file a Request That Claim Be Assigned for Hearing on Form 33. Once you file this form, you’ll be required to attend mediation. In mediation, a neutral third party will facilitate discussions between you and the insurance company, aiming to help you reach an agreement.

If no agreement can be reached, your case will proceed to a hearing. An attorney should represent you in the hearing before the Deputy Commissioner. A North Carolina workers’ compensation lawyer will know the appropriate procedures and can prepare a compelling argument that your condition is related to your job.

If the Deputy Commissioner denies your claim, you have 30 days from the date you receive the decision to appeal your case to the Full Commission. If your claim is still denied, you may be able to take your case to the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Benefits Available for Occupational Injuries and Diseases in North Carolina

A Greensboro occupational diseases attorney can advise you of the benefits you’re entitled to in your specific circumstances. In general, workers’ compensation benefits in North Carolina include the following:

  • Medical Benefits – In North Carolina workers’ compensation claims, the employer or their insurance company usually selects the injured worker’s doctor. In some cases, the injured worker may choose a doctor, but only with the approval of the Industrial Commission. Workers’ comp pays for reasonable medical treatment required to treat the injured worker’s condition.
  • Temporary Total Disability Benefits (TTD) – An injured worker whose condition prevents them from working in any capacity while healing may be paid TTD benefits. These benefits are 66 2/3 percent of the worker’s average weekly wage (AWW). The AWW is based on the average of the worker’s earnings for the 52 weeks prior to the injury or illness.
  • Temporary Partial Disability Benefits (TPD) – If a worker returns to light-duty work or work that pays less than the pre-injury job, the workers’ comp insurer will pay 66 2/3 percent of the difference between the worker’s pre-injury AWW and their current weekly wage.
  • Permanent Total Disability Benefits (PTD) – If the work injury results in specific losses that prevent the injured worker from returning to work of any kind, they may be entitled to PTD benefits paid at the TTD rate for life.
  • Vocational Rehabilitation – In situations where the injured worker cannot return to their regular work but may perform other work, they may be entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits to help them enter a new line of work.

Proving Your Occupational Injury or Disease Workers’ Compensation Claim

Workers’ compensation cases cannot be built on statements alone. You’ll need substantial, persuasive evidence. A Greensboro lawyer for occupational diseases can gather the evidence you need to prove your claim is valid, either to the workers’ compensation insurer or the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

Your attorney can obtain all your injury or illness-related medical records. They may obtain witness testimony from people who saw you working with hazardous materials or engaging in repetitive work. Your lawyer may request a job description from your employer. They may also request witness statements from your family and friends who saw your illness or injury developing over time. If your injury occurred because of your constant use of the same machine or equipment, a lawyer could obtain the specifications of the machine or device, including the information about how much force is required to use the item in question.

Using all the evidence they gather, an experienced Greensboro workers’ comp attorney can build a case that shows how your work activities resulted in your current condition, what treatment you require, and the harm that has been done to your body.

How Hardison & Cochran Handles Greensboro Occupational Injury and Disease Claims

When you engage the Greensboro occupational disease claim attorneys of Hardison & Cochran to handle your workers’ comp case, we’ll fight to get you the benefits you’re entitled to by doing the following:

  • Investigating your claim
  • Gathering evidence about how your condition is related to your job
  • Filing your workers’ compensation claim
  • Requesting a hearing if the insurer denies your claim
  • Preparing you to testify at your hearing
  • Preparing witnesses to testify
  • Representing you at hearings
  • Appealing your case to the next level if necessary

Contact Hardison & Cochran for Your Free Workers’ Compensation Consultation

At Hardison & Cochran, we are dedicated to putting the client first and making things happen. All our cases are about injured people, which means our lawyers and staff are deeply experienced in handling workers’ compensation, personal injury, and Social Security disability cases. We have four North Carolina Board-Certified Specialists in workers’ compensation law. For more than 40 years, we’ve been protecting the rights of injured workers and making sure they are treated fairly.

Our law firm has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and awards for our clients, such as the $6.75 million for a delivery driver who was injured on the job and the $3.5 million for a worker who was paralyzed when trees fell on him while he was on the job. Our clients are happy with our work and have left glowing reviews about working with us.

When you’ve sustained an injury or illness at work, you need a Greensboro occupational disease compensation lawyer to handle your case. Call Hardison & Cochran today or contact us online for a free, fully confidential consultation. There are no upfront costs for us to get started on your case, and you pay nothing unless we successfully resolve your matter.