Hand, wrist and finger injuries at work.

How this injury happens at work.

• Presses, saws, and shears without guards or with defeated interlocks
• Conveyors, mixers, and rollers in food processing and manufacturing
• Repetitive gripping and keyboard work
• Falls onto the hand
• Punctures and lacerations in warehouses and kitchens

The injuries we see.

• Finger and hand amputation
• Crush and caught-in injuries
• Carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger
• Tendon and nerve lacerations
• Wrist fractures (scaphoid, distal radius)
• Complex regional pain syndrome after hand trauma

Report it, then file it.

California workers’ compensation runs on fixed deadlines, and the carrier will use every one you miss. Report the injury to your employer in writing, ask for the DWC-1 claim form, keep a copy of everything, and get to a doctor the same day if you can. The deadline calculator on our home page shows how long is left on each clock from your date of injury.

Treatment and your right to a doctor.

Emergency surgery and, where possible, replantation; hand therapy; nerve and tendon repair; prosthetics fitted and replaced as needed. Carpal tunnel: splinting and injections, then release surgery when conservative care fails.

All treatment reasonably required to cure or relieve the injury is covered — no co-pay, no deductible, no lifetime cap. For the first 30 days you generally treat within the employer’s medical provider network unless you pre-designated your own physician; after that you can change treating doctors within the network, and disputes over diagnosis or disability go to a Qualified Medical Evaluator. Utilization-review denials can be appealed through Independent Medical Review within 30 days.

Two claims, not one.

Both cases run at the same time. You do not choose between them, and the two-year civil statute keeps running whether or not the workers’ comp claim is filed.

Permanent disability and what it’s worth.

Amputation ratings are set by schedule and increase with each digit and the dominant hand. Loss of grip, sensation, and dexterity are rated for non-amputation injuries. Hand injuries frequently end a trade — the retraining voucher and Return-to-Work Supplement matter here.

Once you reach maximum medical improvement, the treating physician or the medical-legal evaluator writes a report that is converted to a permanent disability rating and a weekly benefit. Cases then resolve by Compromise & Release for a lump sum, by Stipulated award with future medical care left open, or by trial before a workers’ compensation judge. If your employer can’t offer work within your permanent restrictions, you are also entitled to a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit voucher for retraining and the Return-to-Work Supplement.

What the carrier will try.

• Repairing or replacing the machine before anyone inspects it
• Blaming the worker for “bypassing the guard”
• Denying prosthetic upgrades and replacements
• Closing carpal tunnel claims as “non-industrial”

Questions we hear first.

General information about California law, not legal advice about your case. Statutes cited: Labor Code §§ 4600, 4650, 4658.7, 4906, 5400, 5401, 5402, 5405; Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Every case turns on its own facts — call for a free consultation.