If you get hurt on the job, your employer is required by law to pay for workers’ compensation benefits. You could get hurt by:
– One event at work. Examples: hurting your back in a fall, getting burned by a chemical that splashes on your skin, getting hurt in a car accident while making deliveries.
—or—
– Repeated exposures at work. Examples: hurting your hand, back, or other parts of the body from doing the same motion over and over, losing your hearing because of constant loud noise.
Workers’ compensation covers some, but not all, stress-related (psychological) injuries caused by your job. Also, workers’ compensation may not cover an injury that is reported to the employer after the worker is told he or she will be terminated or laid off.