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TALLAHASSEE, FL (CompNewsNetwork) – —Investigators from the Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Compliance, issued six Stop Work Orders (SWOs) during a surprise enforcement sweep last week of 39 contractor sites throughout Collier County. The SWOs were issued to contractors determined not to have workers’ compensation coverage for their employees.
Dubbed Operation Check Point, the sweep also involved inspectors and investigators from Collier County Licensing, who issued 11 citations, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, who issued three citations and two Cease and Desist Orders, all for unlicensed activity.
We are fortunate to live in a state where the rights of workers are respected. This recent surprise inspection was meant to show that Workers’ Compensation coverage for Florida Workers is not something that is “optional.”
According to the Florida Statutes, you are required to have workers’ compensation coverage:
• If you are in an industry, other than construction, and have four (4) or more employees, full-time or part-time, you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage (an exempted corporate officer does not count as an employee).
• If you are in the construction industry, and have one (1) or more employees (including yourself), you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage (an exempted corporate officer or member of a limited liability company does not count as an employee).
• If you are a state or local government, you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage.
• If you are a farmer, and have more than five (5) regular employees and/or twelve (12) or more other workers for seasonal agricultural labor lasting thirty (30) days or more, you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage.
The inspections that took place were meant to make sure that everyone who works in our state will not be left out in the cold if they get injured on the job. Unfortunately, some employers see more profits if they don’t take out workers’ compensation policies for their employees. They often take advantage of what the workers don’t know. They misrepresent the law, or maintain that the jobs that they offer fall under an “exemption.” Oftentimes they will simply say nothing about workers’ compensation and hope for the best.
If you have been injured on the job, and you believe that you are not receiving the benefits that you are due, contact the law offices of Cavey, Hudson and Barrett. Our attorneys have decades of experience in helping injured workers, and we can tell you if you are receiving what you are supposed to.
Contact our offices for a free legal consultation today.
Answering these broad-based questions isn’t easy. Help is a phone call away. You can contact Nancy Cavey, an experienced long-term disability attorney at 727-477-3263.