As of January 3, 2012, Kia Motors Manufacturing in Georgia indicated that it finished its $100 million expansion to boost annual production. Automotive jobs are labor intensive and often dangerous. While the obvious, blunt traumatic injury occurring on the job should be covered under workers’ compensation, repetitive motion injuries are also covered under the workers’ compensation system. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome or rotator cuff tears are common injuries that autoworkers experience. While there is no one “accident” that caused the repetitive injury, the continuous use of the hands or arms may have had a cumulative effect precipitating the injury. These injuries could also affect the legs and feet. For example, instead of carpal tunnel syndrome, the injured worker may have “tarsal” tunnel syndrome.
Proving these occupational injuries can be challenging. In short, the workers’ compensation judges will rely on the medical evidence, the injured workers’ reports to the supervisor or the human resource departments, as well as the type of job the employee had. Furthermore, the workers’ comp judge will consider how long the employee was working that job. The longer the injured employee worked the repetitive motion job, the better chances he or she has in proving the claim.
If you have been hurt while working on an assembly line at Kia or any other Georgia employee and you would like a free consultation about your workers’ compensation rights, please contact the Ramos Law Firm.
