Did you know that workers’ compensation coverage includes injuries that happen as a result of natural disasters? Fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, or even major winter storms can wreak havoc on a city’s infrastructure and safety for residents and workers. If any type of natural disaster injures employees, they are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Although the laws vary from state to state, in Georgia, it doesn’t matter if the injury was caused by controllable or uncontrollable circumstances in order for an employee to receive workers’ compensation.

If you live in an area where natural disasters such as severe storms or wildfires are common, you should be particularly interested in learning more about your rights as an employee if you are injured during a natural disaster. However, as we observed over the last couple of weeks in Texas, it is truly impossible to determine when disaster will strike so it is recommended that all employees take the extra precautions to understand how to proceed after suffering from an injury caused by a natural disaster. 

There are a handful of consequences from natural disasters that can impact a workplace and its employees. If you are unsure of how an unforeseen disaster could affect your rights, it is always best to contact an attorney. He or she will guide you through the process of understanding how to determine what your rights are as an employee and if they have been violated. 

1. Change in Job Description/Responsibilities: It is not uncommon after a natural disaster for workers’ jobs to change slightly in order to rebuild and recover. If your job has shifted at all in response to a disaster, it is important to consult with your employer to ensure that you are still covered under your company’s workers’ compensation policy. If your job is moved to a contractor role, you may not receive the same coverage that you previously were. 
2. Increased Safety Precautions: After a natural disaster, it is likely that there could be some damage to your workplace, the surrounding area, or both. Employees should not return to work until a thorough clean up has been completed and any threats towards employee health and safety have been addressed. Employees and employers must exercise increased caution during the period after a disaster to ensure any further damage and injuries are avoided. 
3. Lost Wages: If your place of employment was required to close for a period of time following a natural disaster, you should be paid for any lost wages. If your workplace does not offer to pay for lost wages, you are encouraged to file for unemployment or utilize the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program if traditional unemployment is unavailable. Even if you do not suffer from a physical injury as a result of a natural disaster, financial injury can be extremely difficult to overcome which is why it is essential to protect yourself by consulting with an attorney if you feel you are owed compensation that your employer is not providing you.

If you have experienced a natural disaster that has resulted in you suffering an on-the-job injury, it is important that you contact a workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible. Not only are you entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, your attorney will help you navigate your rights as a worker in response to the natural disaster. Contact Poirier Law Firm today to receive help filing a workers’ compensation claim or if you feel like you have not been justly compensated or protected after a natural disaster.