You're fixing a leaky pipe when the ladder shifts beneath you. You're rewiring electrical panels when a shock throws you to the ground. You're cleaning with industrial chemicals when your skin starts to burn. These aren't rare accidents—they're daily risks that maintenance workers face to keep buildings, facilities, and equipment running smoothly.
While there’s sometimes a stigma around workers’ compensation, you have no reason to feel guilty if you’re hurt on the job—you deserve to seek benefits and focus on getting better. No matter where you are in the Buckeye State, the team at Monast Law Office in Columbus supports maintenance workers like you in pursuing their injury claims and navigating Ohio’s workers' comp system to get the benefits they deserve.
What Kinds of Injuries Do Maintenance Workers Most Often Suffer?
As you know, your job tasks constantly expose you to hazards that can cause serious injury. It's important to remember why certain types of incidents qualify for workers' compensation benefits.
Ladder Falls and Height-Related Accidents
Whether you're changing light fixtures, cleaning windows, or accessing rooftops, working at heights poses significant fall risks. Considered one of the costliest workers’ comp injuries, these accidents often lead to broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, or spinal damage that can keep you out of work for months.
Electrical Shock Injuries
Whether you’re repairing wiring, replacing electrical components, or working near power sources, electrical shocks often cause burns, heart problems, and neurological damage. Even seemingly minor electrical contact can cause severe internal injuries that aren't immediately visible.
Equipment and Machinery Accidents
Other serious injuries to maintenance workers include using operating power tools, floor buffers, or industrial cleaning equipment. Caught-in accidents with moving machinery often result in severe crushing injuries, amputations, or complex lacerations requiring extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation.
Chemical Exposure Injuries
If you frequently work with cleaning solvents, pesticides, or industrial chemicals, these exposures can cause burns, respiratory problems, or long-term health issues that might not show up until years later.
Benefits Ohio Workers' Compensation Provides
The state’s system, administered by the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), extends crucial protection for maintenance workers’ injuries, regardless of who caused the accident. This no-fault system means you can receive benefits even if the incident or illness resulted from your own mistake or unavoidable circumstances.
Board-certified Ohio work injury attorney Jim Monast has decades of experience helping people gain essential benefits that help them move forward with their physical, mental, and financial recovery. Here are just a few areas that workers’ compensation benefits should cover.
Medical Expenses
Compensation should include all costs related to emergency care, surgeries, physical therapy, prescription medications, and ongoing medical monitoring. You won't pay out-of-pocket expenses for approved medical treatment, and you can choose from the BWC's network of health care providers.
Wage Replacement
These benefits provide financial support during your recovery. If your condition prevents you from working, you'll receive weekly payments based on your average earnings. These benefits continue until you can return to work or reach maximum medical improvement.
Vocational Rehabilitation
These services become available if your maintenance work injury prevents you from returning to your previous maintenance duties. The BWC program often provides job retraining, education assistance, or help finding suitable alternative employment within your physical capabilities.
What Challenges Do Maintenance Workers Face When Filing Workers' Comp Claims?
Some of our clients come to us because they encounter roadblocks that delay or threaten their benefits. Employers may use various tactics to minimize or delay payouts, so it’s critical to understand potential obstacles and when you might need legal assistance.
- Delayed reporting. Waiting too long to report an injury can raise doubts about whether it was work-related.
- Lack of witnesses. Injuries that occur without coworkers present may be harder to verify and document.
- Multiple work locations. Injuries experienced at different job sites can create challenges in proving where and when your condition occurred.
- Pre-existing conditions. Prior health issues might be cited as the cause, but our team at Monast Law Office will gather evidence that shows job duties aggravated or worsened them.
- Incomplete medical records. Gaps or inconsistencies in treatment notes make it difficult to connect the injury to job duties.
- Inconsistent accounts. Differences between what’s reported to supervisors, doctors, or on forms can raise credibility concerns.
Don't let these or other challenges discourage you from seeking the benefits you deserve. You might fix everything else, but you don’t have to fix this alone. With our dedicated legal guidance, you can protect your rights and secure what you need to move forward with life.
