Health & Safety / Job Injuries
California employees have the right to a safe and healthy workplace, and can make an anonymous report if there is a safety hazard on the job. It is illegal for employers to retaliate against employees for making a workplace-safety complaint.
Despite safety laws, workers occasionally can be harmed at work. Although employees can sue their employers for certain injuries (such as intentional injuries caused by their employer), nearly all workplace injuries must be handled through the California Workers’ Compensation System.
Check these fact sheets and resources for information about your rights and steps you can take to protect them. If you need further information or assistance, contact the Workers’ Rights Clinic.
Fact Sheets and Other Self-Help Tools
- Health and Safety Protections in the Workplace printer-friendly version
- Handbook: Helping Injured Employees Return to Work (pdf)
- Best Practices in Returning an Injured Employee to Work (pdf)
- Workers’ Compensation (CA): Overview printer-friendly version
- Workers’ Compensation (CA): Medical Care printer-friendly version
- Workers’ Compensation (CA): Temporary Disability Benefits printer-friendly version
- Workers’ Compensation (CA): Permanent Disability Benefits printer-friendly version
- Workers’ Compensation (CA): Federal Employees printer-friendly version
Key Resources
- CA Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation, Information & Assistance Bureau
- CA Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
- CA “Labor Commissioner” (Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement [DLSE])
- CA Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL-OSHA)
- US Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)