Home / Practice Areas / Workers' Compensation / Safety Violations (VSSR)
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What Is a VSSR?
VSSR
Violation of a Specific Safety Requirement
A VSSR is an extra Workers' Comp award of 15% to 50% that you can receive when your Ohio employer broke a specific safety rule and that violation caused your injury.
It is paid on top of your normal Workers' Comp benefits, not in place of them. Ohio built the VSSR into its Workers' Comp system to make sure employers follow the specific safety rules that protect workers, and to give something back to the worker when they do not.
In plain terms, a VSSR does two things at once: it puts more money in your pocket, and it holds the employer accountable for the safety failure that hurt you. It is one part of the broader Ohio Workers' Compensation system, and it is often the difference between a basic claim and a full recovery.
How Much Is a VSSR Award Worth?
A VSSR award adds 15% to 50% of extra compensation on top of the compensation you have been paid in both the past and future. The Industrial Commission decides where you land in that range based on how serious the safety violation was. Say you were getting $1,000 a week for lost wages and the Commission found a 50% violation. Your weekly check jumps to $1,500, and you also get a back pay check covering the 50% increase on everything already paid.
15%
Less serious violation
More serious violation
50%
Added on top of your Workers' Comp, based on how serious the safety violation was
The more serious or clear-cut the violation, the higher the percentage tends to be. Because it is a percentage added to your benefits, a VSSR can add up to a meaningful amount over the life of a claim. We cannot promise a specific figure, but we can explain how the award is calculated and fight for the highest percentage your case supports.
What Counts as a "Specific Safety Requirement"?
This is the heart of every VSSR. The award only applies to a specific safety requirement, which is a definite, spelled-out rule, like a required machine guard or guardrail. A general duty to be careful is not enough.
When a VSSR can apply
`This is a clear rule written into Ohio's safety code that tells an employer exactly what to do, such as guard this machine or install a guardrail here. When a rule like that is broken, a VSSR can apply.
A general duty
Not enough on its own
"Be safe" or "use common sense" is not specific enough to support a VSSR on its own. Employers often argue that no specific rule applied, and pinning down the exact rule that did is where our work begins.
Specific requirements most often involve
Machine guarding
Fall protection
Respiratory & PPE
Ventilation
Hazard communication
How to Prove a VSSR
To win a VSSR, you have to prove all three of these, not just one.
A specific requirement applied
A definite safety rule in Ohio's code applied to your employer and to the work you were doing.
Example: the safety code required a guard on the machine you were operating.
The employer violated it
Your employer failed to follow that rule.
Example: they ran the machine with the guard removed.
The violation caused your injury
That failure directly caused your injury.
Example: your hand was caught in the machine because the guard was missing.
You do not have to prove your employer meant to hurt you. What makes or breaks these cases is evidence, so photos of the scene, the equipment involved, witnesses, and the safety code itself all help build the case.
The VSSR Deadline
A VSSR has its own deadline, separate from your regular Workers' Comp claim.
Two years from the date of injury
In Ohio you generally must file the VSSR application within two years of the date of injury.
Because it is filed as its own application with the Industrial Commission, it is possible to have a perfectly good
Workers' Comp claim and still lose the VSSR by missing this two-year window. That is why it helps to look at a possible VSSR early, before evidence disappears.
How Our Ohio Attorneys Help With a VSSR
Our family digs into what happened, prepares and files your VSSR application, works to prove the specific rule was broken, and takes it through the Industrial Commission. You focus on healing, and we handle the fight.
We investigate and preserve the evidence of the violation before it disappears.
We pinpoint the exact specific requirement in Ohio's safety code that applied.
We file the VSSR application on time with the Industrial Commission.
We prove causation and argue the hearing before the Industrial Commission, and press for the full award you are owed.
We coordinate the VSSR with your Workers' Comp claim and any third-party claim, so nothing is left on the table.
Which Injuries Lead to a VSSR?
Safety-rule violations show up most in falls, machinery and industrial accidents, and hazardous exposures. If any of these caused your injury, a VSSR may apply.
Missing guardrails, harnesses, and lifelines. Fall protection is the most common VSSR category.
Frequently Asked Questions
About VSSR Awards
