Don’t know if your light duty job is right for you?

Have you been injured on the job and offered light duty employment? Light duty employment can be a great way for you to continue to earn wages while recovering from your injury.

Sometimes though, employers use light duty offers against you, as a way to get you back to work when you are not ready. For example, say you work in a job that requires you to lift 50 pounds. You suffer an injury, and your doctor says that you should not lift more than 10 pounds with your injury. You take your restrictions to your employer, and the employer offers you a job that requires you to lift 20 pounds. The employer tells you that if you can’t do that job, then they can’t employ you anymore.

Often, employees fall into the trap of agreeing to the light duty job that really isn’t suitable for them. Sometimes this results in the employee getting hurt worse than they were before.

Under the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act, the employer must offer you a job within your doctor’s restrictions. If your boss cannot give you a job within the restrictions, then they will owe you benefits under the Act. Make sure that your employer obeys your doctor’s restrictions, and don’t go back to work before you are ready.

If you have questions about what work is appropriate for you to do with your workplace injury, feel free to call a Charlotte work injury attorney like Christian or John at Ayers Whitlow & Dressler to discuss. (704) 377-5050 or email.