If you are stung or bitten by bugs at work and require medical care, you may wonder if that care is something that workers’ compensation will cover. You should know that your employer is required to provide compensation for your injuries, and if severe enough, bug bites could be included.
It’s an unfortunate reality that some people are so allergic to bugs that a bite or sting could put them in the hospital, result in disabilities or cause death. For this reason, it’s a good idea for anyone who knows they have a severe allergy to carry an EpiPen, which is used to treat life-threatening injuries.
Not all people know that they’re allergic to bugs, so if you are bitten and require care, you should seek it out immediately. Let your employer know that you have been stung or bitten and need medical attention.
What can you do to avoid bug bites at work?
It’s possible to avoid bug bites at work, though all may not be avoidable.
To start with, your employer should be informed if dangerous insects are on the property. If there are wasps or other insects that could harm someone, mitigation techniques may need to be used to remove them from the property.
If a stinging or biting insect is flying around, stay calm. Most won’t bite or sting without reason. When you can, retreat inside if possible. Then, let someone know if you need medical attention, so you can get the emergency care you need.
Will workers’ compensation cover a bug bite injury?
If you need medical care for a bug bite, then you should, at the very least, have that medical care covered by workers’ compensation. Fatalities related to anaphylaxis are well-documented in workplaces, so workers’ compensation insurance providers are familiar with the risk.
It is possible that you could miss many days off work because of this injury. In severe cases, those bitten or stung by insects could even end up with disabilities. As a result, it’s valuable to make your claim to seek compensation, because you were put at risk and hurt on the job.
