Regardless of where you work, you have some chance of suffering an on-the-job injury every time you are there. After all, roughly 2.7 million American workers developed an occupational illness or suffered a work-related injury in 2019 alone. Added together, this number is roughly the population of Chicago.
If you are busy, you may think about trying to work through your on-the-job injury. Doing so may also earn you bonus points with your boss or customers. Still, continuing to work after suffering a job-related injury or developing an occupational illness is a mistake.
Your injury may worsen
With many work-associated injuries, aggravation is common. If you continue to perform your job duties, your health may worsen considerably. You may also suffer additional injuries from moving differently. Of course, worsening or new physical injuries may cause your mental health to decline.
You may miss medical appointments
Your primary concern should be returning to good physical and mental health. During your recovery, you may need to attend several medical appointments. If you are at work, you may be unable to do so. Skipping appointments and disobeying medical orders, though, may be disastrous for your workers’ compensation claim.
You may not receive workers’ compensation benefits
If you sustain an injury at work, you are likely eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits help you make ends meet until you can return to the workforce. Regrettably, if you continue to work, you may not appear to be unable to work because of your injury. This may cause a delay in your workers’ compensation benefits or even an outright denial.
Ultimately, both to protect your health and to improve your chances of receiving the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve, it is wise to stay away from work until you heal completely.