In the United States, the general population does not generally acknowledge the important role that garbage collection professionals play in our everyday lives.
While jobs in garbage collection are necessary, demanding, and difficult, they are unfortunately also relatively thankless most of the time.
This makes it even more important that garbage collection professionals should not be forced to accept their careers without full confidence that, if they are hurt, they will be able to easily receive the workers' compensation to which they are entitled.
Garbage collectors face extremely dangerous work conditions.
Their jobs involve maneuvering around huge trucks, lifting heavy loads, operating compacting machines, and handling potentially dangerous waste materials.
The potential sources of injury are high in number and potentially catastrophic in nature.
All it takes is one misstep or a simple lack of communication for a devoted garbage collection employee to be in an accident that could have a permanent and debilitating affect on their life.
Obvious injuries such as broken bones, cuts, or sprains are not the only risks, though.
Handling waste can lead to an increased risk for contracting many serious illnesses, such as hepatitis or infections.
The result is that, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, garbage collection workers faced the sixth-highest rate of occupational fatalities in 2008.
When a garbage collection professional is injured on the job, they should not have to worry about the funding for their treatment or losing income from the time away from work needed to make a full recovery.
Workers' compensation plans should be in place that allow an injured worker to focus on regaining their health, not stressing over the financial burdens of medical bills.
Unfortunately, this is not always what actually comes to pass when someone gets hurt.
Sometimes garbage collection employers will discourage their employees from filing workers' compensation cases, recommending that they file with their personal medical insurance provider instead.
This should not happen, and represents a serious shrugging of responsibility by the company.
Some workers may not have personal medical insurance, and would be forced to absorb the costs themselves.
If an injured worker does not get the workers' compensation they deserve, they may not be able to afford the best possible medical treatment.
This can lead a treatable injury to leave a person with lasting, and potentially serious health issues.
No one deserves to suffer in this way because their employer does not want to deal with compensation cases.