When workers get injured on the job, they often want to know what legal actions they can take to secure proper workers’ comp benefits. These benefits can help cover the medical bills they’re facing after their injury, as well as a portion of the wages they’ll miss if they can’t work while they recover.
Burn injuries are one of the most common ways workers get injured in certain professions. For instance, electrical burns are a significant risk in the construction industry, where electrocutions are one of the “fatal four” identified by OSHA. Factory or warehouse workers could experience thermal burns when exposed to heat sources, kitchen workers could be burned by oil, plumbers could suffer significant burns from contact with hot water and more. Workers in all industries need to understand these risks.
3 classifications for burn injuries
Most burn injuries can be classified into three categories, as follows:
- First-degree burns: These are minor, relatively superficial burns, although they can cause pain. Only the outer layer of the skin is damaged, resulting in redness or discoloration. These burns typically heal on their own.
- Second-degree burns: These burns extend deeper into the lower layers of the skin. They can cause swelling, along with redness and discoloration. Some second-degree burns result in blisters and significant pain.
- Third-degree burns: A third-degree burn is the most serious, affecting every layer of the skin. In many cases, the muscle tissue and fat below the skin are also burned. These burns can be so severe that they appear black or brown rather than red. Ironically, pain may be less because the nerves are destroyed by the burn itself.
If you’re a worker who has suffered serious burn injuries on the job, be sure you know what legal steps to take.