Self Employed Accident At Work: What To Do If You Are Injured
Self Employed Accident At Work — Self-employed workers are not automatically covered by an employer’s worker’s compensation insurance, and as such, may have to pay for their own medical care in the event of injury or illness related to work. But what if you are injured on the job? It may be tempting to lie about the cause of your injury to get out of paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for treatment, but this can be detrimental in the long run. By knowing what to do if you are injured at work as a self-employed worker, you can protect yourself and your business from legal trouble down the road.
However, when you are self-employed and running your own business, you are responsible for your own safety, which means you need to know what steps to take to secure yourself if you suffer an injury while working.
Who Is A Self Employed Individual?
Technically, it can be a sole proprietor or a partner in a partnership. A person working for someone else is generally not self-employed, although those who have several different employers within a short period of time may qualify. The IRS also recognizes that some people are self-employed even if they do not work for themselves. For example, an accountant who runs his own business but works solely for one client qualifies as self-employed.
What is Accident at work? An accident at work is an unexpected event that happens while you are at work, on your way to or from your place of employment. An accident can happen in a number of ways, such as slipping and falling, tripping over something, or being involved in a car crash. It does not matter whether it was your fault or not; if it happened at work, it’s covered by workers’ compensation insurance.
However, as a Self employed individual you are not automatically covered by workers’ compensation insurance. This means that if you are injured at work, or on your way to or from work, and it is not an accident that was caused by someone else then your client is unlikely to be liable for any costs. This can leave you with a hefty bill for medical treatment, so it is important to get in touch with your self-employed injury benefits provider. They will assess whether or not you have been injured at work and will pay out accordingly.
Note: As a Self Employed individual, although you are not automatically covered by the workers’ compensation insurance you can actually purchase an insurance for yourself.
