Most people think of workers compensation as a program that provides coverage to workers injured in accidents while on the job. But NJ workers compensation goes far beyond coverage for injury sustained in an accident. Repetitive stress injuries can also be covered by workers compensation. While these types of injuries are more difficult to prove, they fall within the type of injury compensable under the program.

A repetitive stress injury (RSI) can arise in a number of different fashions. Anyone who has a job that entails constant repetitive motion can develop RSI. This includes:

• Factory workers who are constantly bending, lifting or loading objects
• Typists and those at the keyboard for many hours such as data entry professionals or transcriptionists
• People in nursing and health care industries who lift and move patients and equipment

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a type of RSI. With our society’s current penchant for spending endless hours on computers, we can expect this type of injury to increase.

Generally, to receive benefits on an RSI claim, you need to show that your exposure to risk or to a danger in your workplace was a contributing cause of your injury. The insurer may attempt to deny coverage by showing that your chronic condition arose due to non-work related causes.

A skilled New Jersey workers compensation attorney can examine your situation and assist you with establishing a claim for benefits under worker compensation law.