In a lawsuit filed against Tyson Fresh Meats for the wrongful death of an employee, allegations were made that managers at the Waterloo plant in Iowa made wagers on the number of employees that would contract COVID-19 while on the job. The lawsuit goes on to allege that employees were encouraged to take shifts despite exhibiting symptoms of the illness. Additionally, the Tyson managers created an attendance based incentive program that paid bonuses to workers that did not miss any shifts due to an illness call out, thus encouraging sick workers to report for duty. Lawyers are arguing that the abhorrent behavior of Tyson executives created an unsafe work environment for the more than 1000 employees of the meat processing facility. To date, at least 5 workers have died due to COVID-19.
As we have seen in Florida, employers all over the country are taking the position that corona-virus is a commonly occurring illness that does not fall within the confines of workers’ compensation insurance coverage. While COVID-19 is widespread in many communities, certain workers find themselves at a substantially increased risk of contracting the disease due to the nature of their work with the general public or the closeness in proximity to fellow employees. Currently, our firm is pursing COVID-19 exposure claims under Florida workers compensation law for injured workers. Depending on the circumstances of workplace exposure, injured workers may also have traditional civil negligence and wrongful death claims against an employer for gross negligence.
Florida law has specific time limitations on filing workers compensation claims and civil lawsuits based on gross negligence. If you or a loved one contracted COVID-19 from your workplace we can assist in pursing the medical benefits and compensation from the employer. As with any injury claim, consultations are free and available in person, via telephone, or video teleconference with one of our experienced Jacksonville Florida workers compensation lawyers. Call us today at (904) 358-3300.
SOURCE: The Courier – Waterloo, IA
