Prior to joining Golan & Christie LLP last September, I spent the past three years working for a well-known workers’ compensation defense firm. I am excited to share my knowledge relating to workers’ compensation with Golan & Christie’s clients.

For starters, some companies do not understand the importance of having workers’ compensation insurance. Under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, all employers are required to obtain workers’ compensation insurance. Even if your company only has one employee, workers’ compensation insurance is required. If an employer knowingly fails to obtain insurance, that employer is subject to a $500 fine for every day of noncompliance with a minimum fee of $10,000.

Additionally, many companies do not know that the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission — the enforcement body — can issue a work-stop order on a company that has been found to have knowingly failed to provide insurance. In those cases, the company must stop all business operations until it can provide proof of insurance.

Failure to have workers’ compensation insurance can prove very costly to an employer.

If you have additional questions or need information on how to obtain workers’ compensation insurance, please contact Brianna Golan at (312) 696-2636.