It is estimated that there are over 145,000 laborers across the U.S. who are employed in warehouse settings. Of those employees, one in 20 will suffer a work related injury in the year. In Wyoming County, Procter % Gamble Paper Products is the largest employer in the county meaning that those employees are more likely than others to suffer a workplace injury.
If you are employed by Procter & Gamble (P&G) and suffer a warehouse injury, the workers' compensation attorneys at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys are here for you.
About P&G (Procter & Gamble)
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is a multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2021, Procter & Gamble employed 101,000 people across 24 manufacturing plants in 18 states, and two additional plants in Canada as well as multiple office and headquarter locations.
Reported Employee Injuries and Deaths at P&G
Unfortunately, P&G locations across the country are not strangers to employees and contractors being injured or killed during a warehouse accident.
In March of 2012, an employee at a P&G warehouse in Wyoming County, Pa. died after being injured during a machine repair. The employee was 36 years old and died from a head trauma.
This is not the only report of an employee being injured or killed while repairing a machine at one of Procter & Gambles facilities. This begs the question–what should employees at P&G warehouses do if they become injured at work?
What P&G Employees Need to Know About Warehouse Injuries
It is estimated that in 2020, there were 4,764 fatal workplace injuries. Of these fatalities, they most common causes of employee death were related to:
- Transportation accidents
- Falls, slips, and trips
- Violence and other injuries by person or animal
- Contact with objects and equipment
- Exposure to harmful substances or environments
- Fires and explosions
Further, when compared across all occupations, injured workers in transportation, material moving, construction, and extraction occupations made up nearly half of all fatal occupational injuries and workplace deaths.
What Are the Most Common Warehouse Injuries?
Warehouse injuries remain some of the most dangerous and potentially fatal across industries. With long hours, large machinery requiring repairs and maintenance, and fewer workers overall, injuries are all too common.
Common warehouse injuries include:
- Malfunctions with machinery
- Falling objects
- Slips and falls
- Overexertion
- Heat-related illness
But that doesn't mean employees have to suffer. If you are an injured worker employed by a P&G warehouse, you may be entitled to workers' compensation for your warehouse injuries.
How Do I File a Workers' Comp Claim as a P&G Employee?
Your state's workers' comp laws will determine how to file a workers' compensation claim as a Procter & Gamble employee. However, if you are employed by P&G in Tunkhannock, PaHere is what you need to know about filing a workers' comp claim for your warehouse injuries.
To begin the workers' compensation claim process following your warehouse injury, you will need to file an accident report with your employer. For the preservation of your case, and to keep an accurate account of all of your medical expenses, record all that occurred the day of the injury, as well as any medical treatment that you received.
In Pennsylvania, you will need to utilize your company's approved medical provider, then after 90 days, you can pick your own physician to take over your care. Be sure to ask your employer for a list of approved physicians to ensure a technicality does not hold up your case.
If you hope to receive any benefits, you must follow state deadlines to file a claim with your employer. Failure to comply with the deadlines will result in denial of your right to claim benefits.
What Can I Expect to Receive From a Workers' Comp Claim?
If your workers' compensation claim is successful, you may be entitled to the following benefits:
- Lost Wages
- Disability Benefits
- Death Benefits
Know that you may be entitled to weekly or a lump sum payment for your lost wages and medical bills, but it comes at a risk. By taking a lump sum, you may lose out on some of your rights for future compensation.
Further, you may be entitled to more than just these payments. Under Pennsylvania workers' compensation law, you may be entitled to specific loss payments which compensate you for a workplace injury that has resulted in permanent scarring or disfigurement, the loss of a limb, or impaired use of a body part. The value of your specific loss payments depends on the specific injury and the body part or function you no longer have.
What Happens in the Case of Wrongful Death? Can My Family Collect Those Benefits?
If a loved one dies as a result of a workplace injury, workers' comp also provides death benefits for the family who depended on the deceased for financial support.
Pennsylvania death benefits follow certain requirements. To receive workplace related death benefits, you must be:
- A spouse
- A child of the deceased who is mentally or physically disabled
- A parent of the deceased who relied on them for financial support.
- A sibling of the deceased who is under 18 or a student under 23. (Siblings who are disabiled ,may be entitled to benefits regardless of age.).
- Child of the deceased under the age of 18.
If the family meets one of those requirements, they are entitled to a $3,000 funeral expense benefit.
In addition, the family may also be entitled to recurring benefits. These benefits are as follows:
- Widow or widower with no children: 51% of the weekly wages earned by the deceased.
- Widow/Widower with one child:60% of weekly wages
- Spouse and two or more children: 66 2/3% of weekly wages.
Finally, if the decedent had a spouse and children that have different guardians all benefits must be split evenly. If there is no spouse and instead a child is left behind by the deceased worker, whoever becomes the guardians of the child will receive 32% of the worker's weekly wages. This percentage increases by 10% for each additional child with a limit of 5 children.
There are also specific limits on income benefits for cases where the deceased left behind no spouse or children, but has parents or siblings who are alive.
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Is Here For P&G Warehouse Workers in Need of Workers' Comp
Warehouse workplace injuries are common, and unfortunately for P&G warehouse workers across the country, they can even be fatal. If you or a loved one have been injured on the job while employed by P&G, know that you have a right to seek legal advice.
At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we can help you navigate through the workers' compensation claim process, negotiate a fair settlement, or represent you in court should your case be more complex than others.
Warehouse injuries can be so severe that you are out of work indefinitely. And unfortunately, those injuries may result in death. If you or a loved one have suffered serious injuries in a warehouse like P&G Paper Products, Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can help.
For a no-obligation, free consultation, contact the workers' compensation lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys today at 570-213-9759 or by completing our online contact form.
