Quick answer: If you were injured on the job in Ontario, California, report the injury to your employer within 30 days, get medical care, and file a workers’ compensation claim within one year. Our Ontario office at 3401 N. Centre Lake Dr., Suite 580, represents injured workers throughout the Inland Empire. Call 909-460-6900 for a free consultation.
Ontario sits at the center of one of the largest logistics regions in the United States. Distribution centers, trucking terminals, manufacturing plants, construction sites and the businesses around Ontario International Airport employ tens of thousands of Inland Empire workers, and the physical demands of that work produce a steady stream of injuries. When one of those injuries happens to you, California workers’ compensation is the system that pays for your medical care and replaces part of your income while you recover.
Common Workplace Injuries in the Inland Empire
- Back, neck and shoulder injuries from lifting, pushing and pulling
- Forklift, pallet jack and loading dock accidents
- Falls from ladders, racking, trailers and scaffolding
- Repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel and tendonitis
- Truck and delivery vehicle accidents while working
- Heat illness in warehouses, yards and outdoor jobs
- Crush injuries and amputations from machinery
Injuries do not have to come from a single accident. A condition that develops over months of heavy or repetitive work is a cumulative trauma injury, and it is covered just as an accident is. See overexertion injuries and warehouse injuries.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Ontario
Report the injury
Tell your supervisor as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after the injury. Put it in writing if you can. Your employer must give you a DWC-1 claim form within one working day of learning about the injury.
Get medical treatment
Once the claim form is filed, the insurer must authorize up to $10,000 in treatment while it decides whether to accept the claim. Many employers use a Medical Provider Network (MPN), and you can change doctors within it. Describe every body part that hurts, not only the worst one.
Protect your income
If your doctor takes you off work, or your employer cannot accommodate your restrictions, you are entitled to temporary disability payments of two-thirds of your average weekly wage, within state limits. See does workers’ comp cover lost wages.
Why Inland Empire Claims Are Often Disputed
Large logistics employers and their insurers process high volumes of claims and contest many of them. Typical disputes include whether a back injury is work-related or degenerative, whether a temp agency or the warehouse operator is responsible, how average weekly wage is calculated for workers with overtime or second jobs, and how much permanent disability a condition deserves. Ontario-area cases are heard at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board district offices that serve the region, including Pomona, San Bernardino and Riverside. See workers’ comp dispute resolution.
Temp and Staffing Agency Workers
Many Inland Empire warehouse workers are placed through staffing agencies. You are still covered. Usually the staffing agency’s workers’ compensation insurance handles the claim, but the client company can share responsibility. Report the injury to both the agency and the on-site supervisor.
Our Ontario Office
Law Offices of Dennis A. Dascanio, 3401 N. Centre Lake Dr., Ste. 580, Ontario, CA 91761. Telephone 909-460-6900. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We serve Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Pomona, Chino, Fontana, San Bernardino, Riverside and surrounding communities. Visit our Ontario office page.
Talk to a Certified Specialist at No Cost
Dennis A. Dascanio is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in workers’ compensation law and has represented injured workers since 1987. Consultations are free, and attorney fees are approved by the judge and paid only from benefits recovered. Call the office nearest you: Santa Ana 714-550-7002, Ontario 909-460-6900, or San Diego 619-338-8399. Se habla español.
This page provides general information, not legal advice for your situation. Every claim depends on its own facts.