Glendale California Workers' Compensation Blog

Depending on the industry you work in, you are subject to unique risks tied to the job responsibilities you are assigned each day. If you work in an especially dangerous industry in California, chances are your employer has gone to extensive lengths to put parameters in place to protect you and your cohorts. However, you can also reduce your risk of getting injured simply by taking good care of yourself and making sure you are fully prepared for work each day. 

According to healthfinder.gov, workplace injuries include both physical injuries, as well as sicknesses from exposure to chemicals for example. To keep yourself better protected, here are some of the things you should be doing outside of work: 

• Eat healthy foods that will provide you with strength and nutrients.
• Maintain a healthy weight and take preventative measures to keep yourself in optimal health. 
• Make sure you get enough sleep every night and take small breaks throughout the day to keep yourself alert.
• Find healthy ways to manage and cope with the stress you feel in your job. 
• Be active and make sure you keep your body in the condition it needs to be in to perform your job responsibilities safely and efficiently. 

The fear of being injured on the job may not keep you up at night due to your confidence that your employer in Glendale will take care of you if such a thing ever happened. Yet what if you were to be injured at work and then later were told that your company does not offer workers' compensation benefits? Like most, you assume that the law requires all employers to carry such coverage. Yet many employers may claim that their unique business structure does not require them to follow the law. Given the complexity of employment law, yours might be relying on you to simply take its word on it and not press the issue. 

Its word, however, is likely wrong. Per the California Department of Industrial Relations, all employers (even those who employ only one worker) must carry workers' compensation insurance. Furthermore, companies that operate outside of the state yet employ people within it must abide by the local laws even if those in the states where they are based do not require it (this applies only if their local employees work primarily here in the state). The only people not required to be covered under workers' compensation are executives, corporate officers and sole proprietors. While they must carry it for their employees, they may choose to opt out of such coverage.