By the time you start your shift, you’re already in the weeds. The hostess just sat a four-top in your section, but the lovey-dovey couple lingering over their pie and coffee seem to have taken out a lease on their table. As you pass by with the coffee pot for yet another free refill, you fail to notice that the toddler with the distracted parents of two other, older kids has managed to remove the lid from his lemonade and spilled it all over the himself, the table and – most unfortunately – your path. Down you go, with hot coffee splashed all over your arms, legs and upper chest area.
Working through painful injuries should not be part of your job description
If you are like many single parents who support their children by waiting tables in diners and restaurants, many is the night you have gone home with aching muscles, sore feet and strained backs. While a certain amount of pain from exertion may be avoidable in this industry, as in many others where being on one’s feet and carrying heavy objects is part of the job, real injuries deserve real compensation from your employer.
It can be intimidating to inform your boss that you were injured on the job while performing your duties as a waitress or waiter. In the above example, it would be very difficult for a manager or restaurant owner to dispute an injury that happened in full view of customers and other employees. However, other on-the-job injuries are not as visible and may occur over time, such as repetitive stress injuries that can lead to painful carpal tunnel syndrome.
Tying your injury to your job can be a complex matter
If you are lucky, you work for a kind and generous boss who is concerned for his or her employees’ welfare. These bosses are a rare and cherished commodity in the service industry. More likely, if you find yourself with a job-related injury, you will be met with a great deal of obstruction and denials from your employer, as well as the potential loss of your only source of income.
This is why many injured workers decide to avail themselves of the professional legal services of a Pennsylvania attorney who routinely handles workers’ compensation cases. Getting you the benefits you deserve – when you need them the most – while preserving your right to return to work once you are healed is sometimes best left to the professionals.