Many assume that full-time working adults are the only individuals who qualify for workers’ compensation after an accident. However, teenagers can get injured while at work, whether at a retail establishment, fast food restaurant or in other employment.
Georgia law requires that any employer with three more employees must carry workers’ compensation coverage for injuries that occur on the job. This means even teenagers are eligible for compensation benefits.
Injury potential
There are child labor laws in place that prohibit teens from working on many dangerous tasks but there is still the potential for injuries to occur. Whether a summer job or a part-time job, there are several ways accidents and injuries can happen. These include:
- Grease burns from working at a fast-food restaurant
- Back injury or muscle strain from lifting children at a daycare facility
- Broken bones or sprains from falling from a ladder while stocking at a grocery store
- Slips and falls from waiting tables at a restaurant
- Car accident injuries from working as a delivery driver
- Fractures or cuts from using landscaping or lawnmowing equipment
Compensation requirements
There are no stipulations on how long a teen has to work before eligibility for benefits occurs. Workers have access on the first day of employment, regardless of their employment status. The law also requires eligibility of benefits regardless of fault, though there are times when legal counsel is necessary because of denied benefits.
Workers’ comp benefits are a protection for both an employer and employee, even if the employee is a teenager. Depending on the severity of the incident, teens are eligible for medical care, permanent injury, income replacement and death benefits like any other adult employee.
