What is work accident?

What Does work accident Mean

Accident is a term derived from accĭdens , a Latin word. This is the event that causes unintentional damage or changes the usual state of events. Work , on the other hand, is a concept with several uses: in this case we are interested in its meaning as the activity that is carried out in exchange for financial retribution.

A work accident , therefore, is a contingency that occurs to a person in the framework of their work activity or while going from their home to their place of employment (or vice versa). Legislation provides protection to workers against these kinds of accidents.

In addition to all the above, it is necessary to be clear about the situations that are considered work accidents:

-In itinere accidents, which are those that occur when the employee goes to or returns from his job.

-Mission accidents. Under such a unique name are those that the worker suffers during the journey that takes him, by order of his boss, from the workplace to the place that has been indicated.

-Accidents suffered by trade union delegates exercising this work, both in the place where it is carried out and when going to or leaving it.

-The illnesses that were had but that have worsened as a result of the work that is carried out.

-Accidents that are suffered by properly performing the tasks that are entrusted to the job.

-The diseases that are acquired and that derive exclusively from employment.
Work accidents can have different degrees of severity. In some cases, they cause little discomfort and do not leave sequelae. In others, however, they cause injuries that can be temporary or permanent. There are work accidents that even cause the death of the worker.
Given these potential effects, people who work must have coverage . Said protection is usually provided through an insurer , whose payment is usually the obligation of the company that hires the worker.
In Spain, the employer is in charge of contributing, on a monthly basis, to Social Security for each and every one of his workers. In this way, what it is doing is that, in the event that they suffer an accident at work, they can enjoy numerous rights, among which the following stand out by importance:

-Right to temporary disability benefits.

-Rights to the sanitary assistance.

-Right to the relevant benefit for permanent disability.

-Right to compensation in the event of death in an accident at work.

-Right to compensation for injury that is not disabling.

Suppose a laborer working on the construction of a building breaks his leg when he falls from a scaffold. This individual not only has the right to continue receiving his salary even if he cannot work due to the accident: he also has to have medical expenses covered and, if applicable, receive compensation . The company that hired you, in fact, is required by law to assume these obligations. That is why it is important that workers are registered and have a labor contract: otherwise, in the event of a work accident, the employer may try not to take responsibility.