Factory & Manufacturing Accidents

If you or your spouse suffered a job-related injury while working at a factory, warehouse, or manufacturing plant in the Charlotte metropolitan area, you should speak with an experienced attorney about getting workers’ compensation, which can help pay for your medical bills while replacing part of the wages lost due to your disabling injury.

At the Ramsay Law Firm, our trusted legal team has spent more than 25 years fighting for the rights of injured workers like yourself. We have already helped over 1,000 injured workers obtain the compensation they needed to support themselves and their loved ones, and now, we are ready to devote ourselves to your case.

We can answer your questions and help you understand what steps to take after a work-related injury in Charlotte.

Manufacturing Industry Injury Statistics

Without the manufacturing industry, which is essential to virtually every product we use, North Carolina’s economy would grind to a halt. But while the manufacturing industry helps close to half a million North Carolinians earn a living, it also exposes workers to extremely serious injury risks, such as crushed limbs, fractured bones, head injuries, and disabling back injuries.

In fact, statistics show that manufacturing is one of the most dangerous industries for workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the manufacturing industry has a national injury incidence rate of 3.4 injuries per every 100 workers. That means for every 100 workers in the industry, more than three will suffer an injury on average.

Injury rates are especially high within certain subsets of the manufacturing industry. A few examples of injury rates, based on BLS data, are listed below.

  • Wood Product Manufacturing – 5.9 injuries per 100 workers
  • Plastic and Rubber Manufacturing – 4.1 injuries per 100 workers
  • Food Manufacturing – 4 injuries per 100 workers
  • Paper Manufacturing – 2.6 injuries per 100 workers
  • Tobacco Manufacturing – 2.1 injuries per 100 workers
  • Apparel Manufacturing and Chemical Manufacturing – 1.9 injuries per 100 workers

Overall, over 425,000 manufacturing workers were injured during 2015 alone, which is an astounding daily average of roughly 1,160 injuries nationwide. State-specific data shows that over 8,000 of those injuries, or just under 2%, occurred here in North Carolina.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Injured Factory Workers in North Carolina

State law requires most companies in North Carolina to carry workers’ compensation insurance. With a few exceptions, all companies are required to obtain workers’ compensation in accordance with the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act if they employ a minimum of three employees. This applies regardless of whether the entity is structured as a partnership, S corporation, C corporation, or limited liability company (LLC). If you work in the manufacturing business in North Carolina, you are likely eligible for workers’ compensation following a job-related injury.

The purpose of workers’ compensation is to provide financial benefits for employees who are injured at a job site, or during the course of work-related duties. Injured workers are generally prohibited from suing their employers, and instead will typically file a workers’ compensation claim to get compensated for a workplace accident and the resulting expenses.

Workers’ compensation provides benefits for workers who are temporarily or permanently disabled as a result of work-related injuries. The maximum duration of benefits is 500 weeks, or about 9.5 years. Your employer will generally continue to pay you benefits, normally on a weekly basis, until you return to work.

However, after a period of time, your employer may try to show the North Carolina Industrial Commission that you are no longer disabled, in which case your benefits could be cut off. Benefits are calculated based upon the nature and severity of an employee’s injury and resulting disability, and provide financial compensation for:

  • Injury-related disability and loss of income.
  • Medical expenses, including ongoing care.
  • Certain transportation expenses associated with travel for medical care.

Unlike a personal injury lawsuit, a workers’ comp claim does not provide benefits for pain and suffering.

Charlotte Work Injury Lawyers for Warehouse Workers

At the Ramsay Law Firm, we are proud to be legal advocates for hard-working men and women like yourself who are injured on the job. We can assist with a broad array of workers’ compensation claims, including claims involving:

To talk about your North Carolina workers’ comp claim in a free legal consultation, contact our Charlotte workers’ comp lawyers at Ramsay Law Firm by calling (704) 376-1616 right away.