while performing the scope of your job duties, and does not include damage to personal property. An industrial injury can also include an illness or medical condition that is caused by exposure or other hazardous incidents at your place of employment.

In California, injuries do not have to be physical in nature for an employee to receive compensation from their employer. California is one of the few states that permits employees to file a workers’ compensation claim for mental harm. The mental harm must be disabling in order for the benefits to be paid. Suffering an industrial injury or illness in California can change your life in an instant. It’s important for you to consult with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney about your case.

Industrial Accident Injuries

Injuries related to employment are divided into two categories in California: specific and cumulative trauma. A specific injury is one that occurs at a specific time and date. Cumulative trauma is an injury that occurs over a length of time due to repetitive work activities. The ability to compensate an employee for an industrial accident is divided into three categories by the Supreme Court in California.

Those three categories are as follows:

• Specific: This category covers the time when there is a need for treatment or disability is present because of an accident that caused the employee to notify the injuries immediately or at a later time.
• Continuous cumulative traumatic: This category covers a series of repetitive strains to the employee’s body that eventually results in an injury or disability.
• Cumulative: This category covers continuous exposure to a hazardous condition that leads to an injury or disability.