The workers injury compensation system came into existence in the late 1920's.
Before this period, if a worker got injured in the course of his work, the only recourse was to sue his employer for compensation - which takes time.
In the meantime, the worker had to pay for all his medical bills as well as support his family out of his own pocket while out of work and lacking any income.
It often took years before the case was decided and there was no guarantee that the court will rule in his favor.
This gave rise to work injury law, a system of compensation for workers who sustain injury in the performance of their jobs and is recognized as benefiting both the injured worker and his employer.
Because sustaining injury in the performance of work was deemed normal and unavoidable, it was determined by the North Carolina legislature in 1929 to enact Workers Compensation laws.
It was enacted for the protection of both worker and employer if an employee was injured and that injury did not result from gross negligence by the employer, eliminating the need for workers to take their case to trial.
Work injury compensation law removes the presupposition of guilt on the part of employers; however, employers do pay for workers comp insurance to cover an employee's injury.
For employers, this protects them from any liability arising from unavoidable injuries sustained by workers as well as assures the workers that in times of injury, they would have little to worry about.
Injured workers would be receiving compensation to pay for medical bills and for a portion of their regular salary to sustain them during recovery, which is important especially if the injured worker is unable to work for a long period of time and needs a guarantee of compensation despite their temporary absence from work.
As a result of work injury laws, all an employee needs to do is file an injury claim with his employer to avail of its benefit and is most cases, there is no need to bring the matter to court.