Every profession can cause stress at some time, but in certain situations, employees that are unable to handle the stress can become overwhelmed and make it impossible to perform their job. Stress-related illnesses can consist of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, among other emotional or mental stress injuries. Along with these emotional stress injuries, several physical stress injuries can also occur. To receive workers’ compensation benefits for these types of injuries, you will need the help of an experienced attorney who can file a Brockton workers’ compensation lawsuit on your behalf.
What Are Workplace Stress-Related Injuries?
A number of factors, such as number of hours worked, the type of management style that your workplace has, the type of work and relationships at work can all affect a worker’s stress levels. The two main types of workplace stress injuries can be broken down into the following to categories:
Physical Stress Injuries
Physical stress injuries are can be easy to identify, but can be difficult to treat. Some examples of physical stress injuries related to work could include: carpal tunnel syndrome due to typing, chronic back pain from heavy lifting or bending, or even nerve damage from excessive use of machinery or specific movements. In most physical stress injuries, a worker executes some type of activity at work over an extended duration, and suffers a physical injury as a result of the activity.
Emotional/Mental Stress Injuries
Emotional stress injuries are more challenging to prove, as compared to physical stress injuries, and, therefore, it is tougher to obtain compensation for these injuries. Worker’s compensation laws vary by state, as it is a state statute, but in some states, they do not cover claims for emotional stress. It is important you speak to an attorney to see if your state does cover emotional stress injuries. Examples of emotional stress injuries include depression, deliberate infliction of emotional distress or anxiety.
Am I Able To Bring Up This Type Of Claim In Massachusetts?
In the state of Massachusetts, the workers’ compensation law permits an employee to receive compensation for mental or emotional injuries only where the main causal source of the injury is an occurrence or series of occurrences arising within the scope of their employment. By this standard, it is clear that an employee who undergoes severe mental or emotional injuries, including anxiety, stress, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be able to obtain workers’ compensation for these injuries if certain requirements are met. However, it should be noted that the most crucial requirement of the Massachusetts workers’ compensation law is that the emotional or mental injury must be the consequence of a severe, traumatic working condition and was the definite source of the injury or emotional illness.
Contact an Experienced Brockton Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
If you have been injured at work in Brockton, contact the Brockton workers compensation lawyers located at 130 Liberty Street, Brockton, MA 02301. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and lost wages, among other losses. We work with experienced workers compensation lawyers that charge no fee unless you obtain benefits or a settlement. For a free (no obligation) case evaluation, call us at 508-436-7000 or toll free at 1-800-992-6878. You may also fill out a contact form on our site.
Paul d’Oliveira
Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.
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