Many women in Georgia will experience depression or anxiety at some point during their lives. New research from the Colorado School of Public Health suggests that women who have experienced depression, anxiety or fatigue may face an increased risk of suffering from work-related injuries.
The data comes from a collaboration with Colorado’s largest workers’ compensation insurer and included information about 17,000 workers. Researchers found that men were more likely to sustain a work-related injury than women were but that factors such as fatigue and anxiety were not as likely to increase their risk. About 60 percent of women stated that they had experienced mental stress prior to suffering from a work-related injury compared to about 33 percent of men.
The study also found that workers who had been injured on the job in the past were more likely to become injured again. Researchers suggest that more studies should be done to examine the differences in work injuries between men and women.
A person who has experienced an injury on the job may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation, which is a type of insurance carried by employers that will pay for a worker’s lost wages, medical expenses and other costs related to an on-the-job injury. Strict regulations apply, so an employee who has experienced an injury on the job may benefit from speaking to an attorney.
In some cases, insurance companies may initially deny a claim. When this happens, an individual may need to go through a series of appeals in order to have his or her claim approved. Attorneys may be able to help their clients build a case for approval by gathering medical evidence, negotiating with insurance companies and attending hearings. A lawyer may also be able to help make sure that the compensation offered by the insurance company is a fair amount in light of the claimant’s injuries.
