QuagmireMcGuire
Kinder and Gentler
Just so you're aware, workman's compensation is legal required for pretty much all companies, with very very few exceptions. So, in your example, if you had your arm caught, your employer would be on the hook for your medical care, not you. That applies to practically all accidents. I'm surprised you don't know that as a law school graduate?
People who can't buy insurance because of an "entry level job" amaze me. When I was 16 years old and still in high school, I worked at KFC and put in enough hours to qualify to buy into a limited insurance policy for myself. I didn't need it since I was covered under my parents, but the point still remains.
I still maintain that if a person wants insurance, go get a job that provides the opportunity. If a job doesn't, and a person really wants insurance, go find another job. If I could get it at 16 years old at a fast food joint, I don't think it should be too hard for a college graduate to do the same.
I shouldn't be required to pay for your insurance if you don't have the gumption to go find a job or do what you need to do to have it.
And here I said I was done....
Have you ever seen those television ads with lawyers advertising their services for people with Worker's Comp claims? There are necessary and affirmative steps that an employee must make in order to receive compensation. It is called compensation for a reason.
First, you have to provide notice of your accident to your employer- line manager or shift manager. If you are an uninformed worker who knowingly put your arm into a machine then you are going to be reluctant to report your mistake. Second, you have to file a formal claim with the appropriate agency. Third, if the person is unsure of the proper procedure, they could find themselves adversely affecting their claim if they sign documents which their employer says they must sign. Fourth, the employee must submit to an examination. Depending on the jurisdiction, the time of reporting an injury varies. Depending on the jurisdiction, the time of filing a claim varies. Depending on the jurisdiction, the process, time of coverage, and the time of an open claim will vary.
This factory had a no tolerance rule which stated that if any employee stuck their arm into a machine without first placing safety locks on the machine, they would be immediately terminated. You have a factory full of over-worked, over-heated employees who are timed for efficiency, many times, they would go against this policy. If you failed to report your injury for fear of retribution then you don't have a claim, do you? Who will pay those expenses then? I know of one situation of an older man who was injured, told co-workers but failed to go to his shift manager; he paid for his own expenses but found that his injury was sustaining. He went to report it but time had elapsed between the injury and his reporting of it. He started to miss work because of the lingering injury and eventually lost his job.
When I fell sick, I went to the office and reported it. They gave me a paper to sign and I called a friend to pick me up. I don't even know what I signed; it may have been an incident report. They asked if I needed an ambulance. I declined. I went home, went to bed, and then went to the hospital the next morning. I paid for my own expenses.
There was also rampant sexual harassment committed by the managers towards the women on the line. I saw women's breasts fondled; I even know of women who slept with their line boss during break so that they could get lighter duties. Other workers kept their mouth shut; the women either ignored it or resigned themselves to it.
When you believe that you don't have many options to you then you will settle for anything; you will not do anything which may impact your employment status. Companies such as this factory know this and they rely upon the ignorance and fear of their employees. Yes, there was a union but there were two levels of employees at this factory. Those who were "temporary" and those who were permanent. Only after you were deemed a "perm" worker were you permitted to join the union.
Surprisingly, finding a job that has health benefits may not be as easy as you would think. If you accept an internship or you work as a contractor/temporary employee then you may not have a health insurance plan available to you. I worked as a researcher in an academic field; there was no option of a health insurance plan through my position.