Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is an insurance program that provides a financial safety net for Pennsylvania workers who have suffered a work-related injury or occupational disease during the course of their employment. If you suffered an injury or have become sick from workplace conditions in PA, you have the right to receive workers’ compensation from your place of employment to cover your medical expenses and lost wages for your injury or illness.
The Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act of 1915 mandated that all employers in PA provide workers’ compensation insurance for all employees. All Pennsylvania workers are covered for the entire period of their employment. Coverage begins on the first day on the job. Injuries or diseases caused or aggravated by workplace duties are covered under workers’ compensation, regardless of the employee’s previous physical condition.
If you are suffering from a work-related injury or disease, you may be entitled to collect workers’ compensation benefits. Contact a workers’ compensation lawyer at Munley Law today. We will answer all of your questions, we can help you file your claim, and more. We have been fighting for the rights of injured workers in Pennsylvania for more than 60 years.
What Work-Related Injuries or Medical Conditions Are Covered Under Workers’ Comp?
Although some job conditions in Pennsylvania, such as construction sites, are more inherently dangerous than other work sites, every job has its own risks.
Any employee in Pennsylvania suffering from any work-related injury or disease resulting from workplace exposure to unsafe environmental conditions may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits to recover financial compensation for their injury.
Some examples of these injuries include:
- Injuries such as acute on the job injury caused by a workplace sudden accident or incident
- A pre-existing condition aggravated by job site duties such as arthritis that has worsened as a direct result of daily job duties
- Any injury or disease employees develop from repetitive stress such as carpal tunnel syndrome
The immediate family of a worker who died as a result of a workplace injury or illness may also claim for death benefits under the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act. Married spouses and children of a deceased worker may be entitled to a percentage of their weekly wage (subject to a cap of $1,325 per week), as well as a $7,000 burial benefit.
Workplace safety is a serious issue in Pennsylvania. According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pennsylvania employers reported 115,200 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023. With an incidence rate of 2.6 cases per 100 full-time workers, Pennsylvania’s injury rate remains higher than the national average of 2.4.
Not only do these work-related injuries and diseases cause incredible physical stress on the affected worker, but they also cause untold emotional pain as workers struggle with coping with recovery, financial losses from missed work, doctor’s visits and hospital stays, and ever-rising medical expenses.
Workplace Accidents and Injury Risks by Industry
Pennsylvania’s diverse industries each present unique workplace hazards and injury risks. Recognizing industry-specific risks helps ensure worker safety, prevent workplace injuries, and secure fair compensation.
Construction: Construction workers experience some of Pennsylvania’s highest rates. The industry’s top hazards, known as the “Fatal Four”, include falls, electrocutions, struck-by incidents, and caught-in hazards. Common workplace injuries here may involve scaffolding mishaps, nerve damage from machinery, and back injuries from heavy lifting.
Healthcare and Social Assistance: Healthcare workers in Pennsylvania face unique safety hazards, reporting an injury rate of 3.5 per 100 workers. Frequent issues include back and limb injuries from patient handling, exposure to infectious diseases, needlestick lacerations, and workplace violence. Employees at hospitals, nursing homes, and home-care settings experience significant risks.
Manufacturing: With an injury rate of 3.3 per 100 workers, Pennsylvania’s manufacturing workers face repetitive motion injuries and industrial accidents involving machinery and hazardous exposures. Injuries in metal fabrication, food processing, and wood product facilities often result in long-term pain and extended recovery periods, averaging 21 days away from work after serious .
Transportation and Warehousing: Transportation incidents lead to some of the highest fatality rates in Pennsylvania. Growth in warehousing and e-commerce, particularly warehouse injuries in Allentown, has led to increased musculoskeletal trauma from repetitive tasks. Warehouse staff, delivery drivers, and dock personnel frequently suffer back injuries, shoulder strains, and injuries from falls.
Munley Law understands these unique risks and has spent decades protecting injured workers throughout Pennsylvania. If you’re hurt at work, we’ll fight for compensation and support you need to recover.
What Are Some of the Most Common Workplace Injuries?
Worker’s compensation covers many types of injuries and occupational diseases. According to the National Safety Council, some of the most common are:
- Muscle sprains, muscle tears, and strains
- Broken bones
- Repetitive strain or stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and chronic back pain
- Cuts, lacerations, and punctures
- Slips, trips, and falls
Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs), also called cumulative trauma or cumulative injuries can happen in any workplace. Any job-related duty that requires you to repeat the same or similar motion over and over again can lead to a repetitive stress injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and chronic back, neck and shoulder, and wrist, finger, hand, or joint pain.
Common RSIs include:
- Tendinitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tennis elbow
- Trigger finger
- Back strains and sprains
- Shin splints
- Bursitis
Occupational exposure can cause work injuries and disease
Sometimes, your work environment can be linked to your injury, loss of use of a body part, or occupational disease. Examples include:
- Hearing loss due to equipment noise
- Loss of vision, such as the loss of vision developed after exposure to the bright visible light of welding equipment
- Breathing problems such as asthma and lung disease including black lung disease
- Cancers such as mesothelioma developed from exposure to toxic substances including gases, fluids, particles, and mold
If workplace exposure caused your occupational illness or injury call Munley Law today. We have been fighting for PA workers for more than six decades. Your consultation is free. We will charge you nothing until you get the workers’ compensation coverage you deserve.
What Types of Injuries Are Not Covered by Workers’ Compensation?
Not every injury is covered by PA workers’ compensation insurance. For instance, if your injury occurred in an accident outside of the scope of your work duties.
Some of these injuries which are not eligible for a workers’ compensation claim include:
- When a worker who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol caused an incident or accident
- An injury that is self-inflicted, such as a worker starting a fistfight with a co-worker
- The injury occurred while the worker was not on company time
- The employee knowingly or willfully ignored safety rules or procedures or company policy
- The worker was engaged in unlawful activities at the time of the incident
- When a worker is injured ‘coming and going’ from work
Why Do I Need a Workers’ Compensation Attorney?
When you sustain a work-related injury or illness, you may wonder how you can afford your medical bills or how you’ll get paid for missed time from work. Fortunately, workers’ comp benefits cover most employees. However, these benefits may not be as straightforward as they seem. There are strict filing deadlines such as needing to notify your employer of a work injury within 120 days and filing a claim petition within 3 years. You will need a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer to help you with your workers’ comp claim.
For more than 60 years, our workers’ comp attorneys have been helping Pennsylvania injured workers file workers’ comp claims and get the benefits they are owed.
Our peers and legal organizations throughout the country have recognized us for our work. We are consistently named to the Best Lawyers in America lists. Workers’ comp lawyer Caroline Munley is certified as a specialist in the practice of workers’ compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Let us review your claim for free. Chat live, fill out our contact form, or call today. We do not collect a fee for our services unless we succeed in recovering your benefits. Se habla Espanol.
Caroline Munley
Caroline Munley is an experienced and award-winning personal injury lawyer and is a board-certified workers’ compensation specialist. Since 2018, she’s been listed in Best Lawyers in America (Personal Injury Plaintiffs; Workers’ Compensation Claimants, Northeastern PA), Lawdragon, and has been a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2022. A member of the International Society of Barristers, Caroline has won millions of dollars for car accident, commercial truck crash, and workplace injury victims.
Call us at (844) 686-5397 
