Burns are one of the most painful and disfiguring types of injuries that a person can sustain. In many industries – such as construction – the risk of burns is high. When a workplace accident resulting in a burn injury occurs, a worker may be able to recover compensation for his or her injuries.
If you've been burned in a workplace accident, the burn injury attorney at James F. Aspell, P.C. can assess your case and help you recover benefits for medical expenses and secure the disability benefits to which you're entitled under workers' compensation law. You also may be able to file a third-party lawsuit in some cases.
Types of Burns in the Workplace
The most obvious cause of a burn injury is a fire. However, there are other causes and types of burns in the workplace that can be equally as devastating to a victim.
The following list names common types of workplace burns, as provided by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
- Chemical burns: When skin tissue is exposed to an acid or base, a chemical burn may occur.
- Electrical burns: As its name implies, an electrical burn occurs when the worker is exposed to electric shock.
- Arc or flash burns: Arc or flash burns occur when a fire or explosion causes high temperatures near the body, resulting in burns.
- Thermal contact burns: Thermal contact burns result when the body comes in direct contact with something hot enough to cause a burn: such as a hot piece of equipment or an ignited piece of clothing.
Severity and Degrees of Burns
The severity of a burn is classified by degree. A burn can be a first-degree, second-degree or third-degree burn.
First-degree burns are the least serious type of burn, although they are often incredibly painful. According to MedlinePlus, a first-degree burn is a burn injury in which only the outer layer of the skin has been burned.
A second-degree burn is a more serious type of burn injury. In a second-degree burn injury, both the surface layer of the skin and the initial underlying layer of the skin are damaged. Second-degree burns cause blistering and can be extremely painful. A second-degree burn that is more than two to three inches wide is classified as a major burn.
Third-degree burns are the most serious type of burn injury. When a third-degree burn occurs, deep layers of the skin – and the nerve endings – have been burned, often resulting in numbness and other serious complications. Skin grafts might be required.
Who's liable for your burn injury?
If your burn accident happened while you were at work, then your employer may be responsible for paying workers' compensation benefits. In Connecticut our Workers Compensation Act provides that an employer shall be liable for compensation for an injury incurred during the course of employment.
If you've been burned in a workplace accident, file a claim for workers' compensation immediately. If you fail to do so in a timely manner, you may relinquish your right to compensation. What's more, if your burn injury was caused by a defective product, a toxic substance, your employer's intentional behavior or if your employer does not have workers' compensation insurance, you may be able to file a personal injury claim outside of workers' compensation.
Speak with Our Hartford, CT Burn Injury Lawyer the Law Offices of James F. Aspell, P.C. Today
Our Connecticut work injury specialist can help you understand your rights as a workplace accident burn victim and guide you through the process of filing a workers' compensation claim or personal injury claim. Our team will be there for you to make sense of the law and to provide the legal assistance you need to claim the benefits you deserve.
