A new study has found that workers who are offered paid time off for illness are less likely to be injured on the job than workers who don’t get paid sick leave. More specifically, researchers found that employees in the United States with paid sick leave have a 28% lower risk of suffering a workplace injury than workers without the benefit. The workplace injury study was conducted by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and was published in the American Journal of Public Health. If you have been injured in a workplace accident in Tennessee, contact our experienced workers’ compensation attorneys at Michael D. Ponce & Associates today. Our workers’ comp lawyers are familiar with TN laws governing benefits for on-the-job injuries, and have years of experience helping Tennessee workers pursue fair and timely compensation for their work injuries.
According to the CDC study, the risk of workplace injury differed depending on the industry. For healthcare workers, not having paid sick leave was associated with an 18% increased risk of work injury, while workers in the construction industry faced a 21% increased risk. “Many workers may feel pressured to work while they are sick, out of fear of losing their income,” said researcher Abay Asfaw, Ph.D. “If fewer people work while they are sick, this could lead to safer operations and fewer injuries in the workplace.” The CDC study included 38,000 workers who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 2005 and 2008, and who worked in the private sector, since employees in the public sector are typically offered paid sick leave.
A similar study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that workers who don’t take time off when sick are more likely to require even more time off later. This research, which included 12,000 participants, found that employees who came to work when sick six times or more were 53% more likely to require at least two weeks off later due to illness. Unfortunately, with the economy in a slump, more and more workers are finding themselves without paid sick leave, feeling pressured to work despite illness in order to maintain their income. As CDC research has shown, employers who offer their workers paid sick leave are less likely to face workers’ compensation claims filed by injured workers later on down the line. If you have suffered injuries in an on-the-job accident in Nashville or elsewhere in Tennessee, consult our workers’ compensation lawyers at Michael D. Ponce & Associates for legal help. Our team of experienced workers’ comp attorneys, led by Michael D. Ponce himself, can help you protect your legal rights and seek the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve.
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