Security Guards And Florida Workers’ Compensation

Security guards have dangerous jobs, and they can sustain many different types of injuries on the job. Whether you are a security guard who works at a mall and is largely tasked with preventing retail theft and non-violent crimes or you are a security guard who works outside a nightclub or bar with a history of assaults, it is important to know that injuries you suffer on the job may allow you to seek workers’ compensation benefits. Although the level of danger or risk posed by a job does not necessarily affect a person’s likelihood of receiving workers’ compensation benefits, many of the kinds of injuries that harm security guards are compensable through the Florida workers’ compensation system.

Our experienced South Florida workers’ compensation attorneys want to provide you with more information about security guard injuries and seeking workers’ compensation benefits.

Seeking Workers’ Compensation Benefits After a Security Guard Injury 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “security guards face a set of hazards different from that of the average worker,” and they are “more likely to be fatally injured while working, especially by homicide.” There are many different types of security guards that the BLS identifies who are tasked with “guarding, patrolling, or monitoring premises,” including but not limited to:

• Bodyguards;
• Bouncers;
• Store guards;
• Facility guards;
• Armored car guards; and
• Watchguards.

A security guard who got hurt on the job should immediately report the injury to his or her employer (if not immediately, within 30 days) and begin the process of filing a workers’ compensation claim. 

Common Causes of Security Guard Injuries in Florida

Based on data from the BLS, the following are the most common causes of fatal injuries suffered by security guards while working:

• Assaults and violent acts (60 percent), and within that category, homicides (51 percent);
• Highway and transportation accidents (21 percent);
• Exposure to harmful substances (7 percent);
• Falls (6 percent); and
• Contact with objects or equipment (5 percent).

Nonfatal injuries to security guards on the job tend to have the following causes:

• Slips and falls, and falls on the same level (31 percent);
• Transportation accidents (14 percent);
• Assaults and violent acts (13 percent);
• Contact with objects or equipment (12 percent);
• Falls from heights, or falls to a lower level (8 percent); and
• Overexertion (7 percent).

Security guards tend to suffer serious and deadly injuries at work at different times than most other workers. While the most common times of day for occupations injuries in general is between 8:00am and 4:00pm, security guards suffer injuries most often from 8:00pm to 4:00am.

Contact Our Sunrise Workers’ Compensation Lawyers 

There are many different types of injury risks that security guards face while they are working, and it is essential for any injured security guard to know that she or he may be eligible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. An experienced Sunrise workers’ compensation lawyer at our firm can assess your case and can work with you to ensure that your claim is filed in a timely manner and that you take all necessary steps toward obtaining the compensation you need and deserve. Contact the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. to learn more about how we can assist you.

Resource:

bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/osar0009.pdf