We live in a world full of precautions. Be it making sure that all heatshrink sleeving is properly packed and sealed up tight, that any fresh fruit being picked to be sold later at a grocery store is as fresh as possible and isn't rotten, that all vacuum trucks have been crash tested for safety before being sold to the public or that any wet floors of a Cambridge, Massachusetts department store have a 'wet floor' warning sign to protect customers from slipping. We want to be safe so we make sure to go to any extremes needed to make the world a safe place to live in. That goes doubly so for workplace environments.

You can't possibly expect workers to do their best job possible or give their maximum effort if they don't feel safe at work or are afraid of getting hurt. Which is why companies adhere to standard safety procedures to make sure their workplace environment is safe and meets all safety codes. However, that isn't to say accidents don't happen. They do. They happen all the time. Probably even more than we think they do. It's not hard to slip and fall in a puddle of waste water grit removal or get your hand stuck on a conveyor belt. Things like that happen. The biggest fear people have when they get hurt on the job is how are they going to survive without working? You work for a reason. To get paid so you have money to pay the bills. If you aren't able to handle the tube cutting machine because of a workplace accident, then what?

Luckily, there is a system in place prepared for such a situation. Workers' compensation. Commonly referred to as workman's comp or workers' comp, for short. If you find yourself getting hurt on the job and can't work for a certain period of time, you should more than likely be entitled to some form of workers' compensation. As soon as you get hurt on the job, whether it's severe or not, make sure to report it to your employer so they can get started on the paperwork. If you find yourself hurting your foot because it got some power distribution blocks dropped on it, make sure you file a report or get a fellow employee to do it before going to the hospital to get it checked out. That way it's on record as happening.

The amount of worker's compensation you're entitled to depends on a few things and can be awarded in different ways. Depending on how long you're off work for, you could receive weekly payments instead of a pay check, you could receive payments for future losses if it's deemed permanent, payments specifically for pain and suffering are also available. As well as payments to family members in case of a death. Payments depend on factors such as severity and length of injury. No one wants to get hurt on the job but it's a nice feeling to know there is someone out there looking out for you in case you do get injured at work.