UPS Workers

Injured on the job as a UPS Employee? See How to Claim Your Workers’ Compensation Benefits!

Georgia workers’ compensation laws are designed to help injured employees get medical treatment and financial help to cover medical costs, lost wages, and other expenses that come with experiencing an on-the-job injury. And you qualify for these benefits whether you are a part-time employee, full-time employee, seasonal employee, or independent contractor for UPS.

If you’re one of the 15,000+ people working at UPS in Georgia, you may wonder what workers’ compensation benefits you have following an on-the-job accident, illness, or injury. Keep reading to see the compensation benefits available to you as an injured UPS employee.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits Available to Injured UPS Employees

You have the right to compensation benefits whether you’re a package sorter, local delivery driver, airline crew member, dockworker, cross-country tractor-trailer driver, or technician.

If you’ve been injured while working at UPS, you may wonder what workers’ compensation benefits are available. Injured UPS employees can get the following compensation benefits:

• Lost wages: Georgia law requires employers to provide employees with wage loss benefits following a work-related injury. If you’re unable to return to work following your UPS-related injury, you can get wage loss benefits like temporary total disability (TTD), temporary partial disability (TPD), or permanent total disability (PTD) benefits, depending on the duration and severity of your injury.
• Vocational rehabilitation following permanent partial disability (PPD): If you’re unable to continue with your UPS career, you may be able to get vocational rehabilitation benefits. Your vocational rehabilitation benefits will cover the educational-related expenses you may incur for new training while switching careers.
• Medical bills and rehabilitation expenses: Your employer must cover your medical care and rehabilitation services while you recover from your injury. This includes physical therapy and counseling sessions related to managing post-injury pain.
• Funeral and burial costs (in fatal work accidents): Employers have to cover funeral and burial costs for employees who lost their lives in an on-the-job accident.
• Travel expenses: Your employer must cover travel expenses. These include mileage to and from doctor’s appointments, pharmacy visits, and physical therapy sessions.

Compensation claims are subject to time limits. So, if you were injured while working for UPS, you should report the incident to your supervisor within 30 days. Also, you will lose your right to compensation unless you file the claim within one year of the date of injury.

Working at UPS Is Dangerous and Highly Demanding

UPS is the largest courier company in the world by revenue. In 2021, UPS saw an all-time high in annual revenues, with total revenue of $97.3 billion. That year, UPS delivered about 25.2 million packages per day, totaling 6.4 billion packages per year, ahead of competitors like FedEx and DHL.

The volume of packages UPS handles has continued to increase with continued partnerships with some of the biggest brands in the world—Amazon, Apple, eBay, Walmart, Samsung, and more. But despite the increase in demand, UPS has failed to employ more people and instead increased the quota pressure on existing employees.

Because UPS is only interested in its margins, they provide employees with worn-out equipment, make them work in an unclean environment, and put intense productivity and quota pressures on them. In the words of an employee at UPS, “I blow my nose sometimes and what comes out is brown and black from the dust that does not get cleaned up in there.” And according to another employee, “The machinery is old. Stuff falls on people. Stuff is always breaking like guardrails; lockdown belts have holes in them.”

This understaffing of sections and poor working conditions have led to a higher incidence of workplace injuries and even suicides, with the most recent being the case of a pregnant worker jumping to her death.

Sadly, most UPS employees don’t know their rights or how to claim them. If you want to know about your rights as a UPS employee under Georgia’s Workers’ Compensation Law or speak with someone about your case, call +1 404-445-8370 for a free consultation.

Help! I Was Injured On-The-Job at UPS in Georgia. What Should I Do?

If you get hurt while working at UPS, you must know what to do to get the compensation and benefits you deserve. Here are four important things you must do following an on-the-job injury at UPS.

1: Seek Immediate Medical Help

The first thing to do after a workplace injury is to seek medical help, even if the injuries are minor. Your first call should be to a pre-approved medical facility or physician. Follow the physician’s medical advice (even if you don’t like the advice). You can always seek a second opinion if the advice seems unreasonable. Whatever you do, collect receipts and bills for ambulance rides, emergency room visits, physician consultations, medical treatments, and prescription medications.

2: Report Your Injury to Your Manager

After getting the medical attention you need, you should report your injury to your manager or supervisor within 30 days of the incident, specifying the date and location of the accident. Be sure to get a notice of injury form (DWC-1). If you cannot report your injury immediately, get a trusted coworker to report it for you. Take notes on your conversations with your supervisor, as they may say something relevant and important to your case.

3: Gather Evidence and Documentation

Gather evidence that shows that your injury happened at work, so UPS cannot make excuses or doubt where the injury happened. Some critical evidence and documentation you should gather include the following:

• Copies of medical records
• Photos of the injury
• Pictures of the area where the injury occurred (if possible)
• A description of what happened
• A witness (usually a coworker).

4: Contact an Experienced Workers’ Compensation Attorney

After an injury, it is important to protect your rights. Get an experienced Georgia workers’ compensation lawyer to help you protect your rights and serve your best interests! You can contact us for a free consultation today!

Common UPS Accidents and Injuries

UPS has a relatively high number of on-the-job non-lethal injuries and fatalities. Usually, UPS employees are at risk for injuries and health hazards because employees have to work extra long shifts in poor working conditions.

For example, several delivery drivers have been killed on the job due to accidents or heat-related illnesses. They are forced to face some of the toughest conditions imaginable, from icy wintery conditions to sweltering hot summer days.  They are also at constant risk for injury due to icy walkways and roads.

Some of the most common causes of UPS injuries include:

• Exposure to excessive noise levels
• Trips, slips, and falls
• Falls from ladders, trailers, and pallets during loading or unloading
• Exposure to dangerous chemicals
• Working in dangerous weather conditions
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Workers being hit or crushed under heavy loads
• Exposure to exhaust fumes
• Dog bites
• Accidents from unsafe or malfunctioning equipment
• Accidents caused by a coworker.

UPS workers are commonly exposed to the following:

• Back and leg injuries due to extended standing
• Neck and spinal cord injuries due to whiplash
• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions due to blunt trauma
• Death resulting from warehouse and road accidents
• Knee injuries, hip injuries, strained lumbar, and herniated disks due to repeated heavy lifting.
• Injuries leading to amputation
• Broken and crushed bones
• Deep cuts
• Heat strokes

Talk to an Expert Workers’ Compensation Attorney to Protect Your Rights!

All businesses in Georgia with three or more employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. Since UPS has thousands of employees, you can benefit from their workers’ compensation insurance as a UPS worker. All you have to do is apply and qualify for workers’ compensation if you’re injured or ill due to your job at UPS.

But applying for your workers’ compensation payout isn’t the easiest thing in the world. If you or your loved one was involved in a work-related accident at UPS, you might need an experienced workers’ comp lawyer to help and guide you through the process. This way, you can put together the best application possible and have someone familiar with your case help you through the appeal process should your initial claim be denied.

If you don’t have an experienced attorney behind you, you might lose your benefits or get staggeringly low offers. In fact, UPS, like other large companies, is known for denying workers their compensation claims, forcing injured employees to resume work before they are fit to work, or offering them low compensation that cannot do anything to help their case. You surely don’t want that to happen to you. And this is where Gearhart Law Group comes in.

At Gearhart Law Group, we know what it takes to secure workers’ compensation benefits from a large corporation like UPS. And because we know you deserve justice and need your benefits, we offer a no-cost and no-obligation consultation. This way, we can help you review your case so you understand your legal options and move forward confidently.

So, we are here for you if you need a UPS workers’ compensation lawyer in Georgia. Let us help you explore your best options and get the most out of your compensation claim!