If you are injured at work, your medical expenses and lost wages caused by your injuries are covered by Workers Compensation (Workers Comp). Workers Comp is insurance that employers are legally required to have that covers employee injuries on the job. Workers Comp covers all employees, regardless of whether you work full-time or part-time, or are a temporary employee. A main benefit of Workers Comp is that you don’t have to prove that your employer was at fault for you injury; you only need to prove that you were injured on the job.
In a standard personal injury matter or case, you are entitled to compensation for your pain & suffering due to your injuries. The downside to Workers Comp is that you are not entitled to be compensated for your pain & suffering caused by the injury. This was the tradeoff between employers and employees when this system was created. However, you may have a claim against someone in addition to your Workers Comp claim. For example, if defective machinery at your workplace was a substantial factor in causing your injuries, you may sue the manufacturer and distributor of that machinery, and would be entitled to be compensation for pain & suffering from the manufacturer and/or distributor.
If you are injured on the job, let your employer know immediately and seek medical attention immediately. Then contact a personal injury attorney to see if you are entitled to more than just medical expenses and lost wages.