Workplace Injuries: 8 Steps to Take

Accidents do happen in the workplace regardless of the industry you’re in. When these happen, it’s essential to take immediate action and follow the proper steps to make sure you get your deserved worker’s compensation fee. Doing this also allows the workplace to implement appropriate safety measures to ensure such an incident doesn’t happen to anyone else too.

If you’ve just been involved in a workplace accident and don’t know the steps to take, you’re in the right place. Here’s an overview of the steps you should take after getting an injury while at work. 

1. Immediately Get Medical Attention

Your health is all that you should be worried about right after sustaining an injury while at work. This is especially the case if you’ve been badly hurt and in need of an immediate medical treatment. Therefore, you should head straight to the hospital following the accident, where the doctor can closely examine your injury. This way, you avoid becoming part of the statistics on people who overlooked work-related injuries only to get worse later.

Once the doctor confirms you’re safe from any harm, you can then schedule an appointment with a doctor approved by your employer. Doing this ensures you qualified for the worker’s compensation classifications. Make sure to inform the doctor that the injuries you have were caused while you were at work. Moreover, explain all the symptoms, physical restrictions, or pain that you’re experiencing. But, if you feel that the doctor is somewhat being biased to your employer, you’re always free to consult a different doctor.

After the doctor is done perfuming tests, he’ll inform you whether you can resume your regular work duties. Also, he’ll give both your employer and your insurer details about the seriousness of your injury. Should the doctor’s report show you can’t go ahead with your daily duties, you’re eligible to be compensated for the wages lost.

2. Report The Accident To Your Employer

Once you’ve consulted the doctor, the next step is reporting the incident to your employer. It’s advisable to do this as soon as possible, explaining in detail how the accident happened and the extent of your injuries.

While a verbal report will work, you should also file a workplace injury report and request to be given a copy. In this form, you should include details related to your accident, such as the date of your accident, and describe the injuries you sustained. If your employer refuses to give you this form, or you’re uncertain about how to go about filling the form, then you should hire an attorney.

3. Note Down All Your Symptoms

Even after going to your doctor, you still need to write down all the symptoms you get caused by the injury, either on paper, your smartphone, or a computer. It’s recommended that you do this because physicians usually don’t note down all your symptoms immediately. Moreover, your injuries might, over time, start becoming severe than earlier thought. For example, a simple head injury might, in the long-run, lead to a severe illness that might even cause disability months or years later.

Without proper records of all your symptoms right after your accident, it may be hard to prove that they were caused by your work-related accident. Because of this, you end up getting under-compensated by your employer.

4. Record All The Interactions With the Insurance Or Company Representatives

Some employers can be devious and look for the slightest reasons not to pay you your deserved compensation due to the injuries sustained while at work. Therefore, you need to play safe and record every crucial detail about any interaction you had with your employer’s representative or insurance company employees. This includes noting down the exact date, the details of the meeting, how many times you met, and the people present during the meeting.

If your worker’s compensation claim doesn’t get approved, having these details could provide you with evidence on why the judgment was unfair. This is because you’ll have all the details on the interactions and conversations on record with the company or insurance representatives and the doctor. Therefore, it’ll be a lot easier to prove that you deserve compensation. 

5. Record All Your Expenses

It’s essential to have a record of all your losses and expenses you’ve had to pay for out of your pocket. This includes your medical cost and travel expenses you spent going to the hospital. Also, you need to consider the money you lost because of not being able to carry out your daily work, like the lost promotion or bonus that you would have received were it not for getting involved in a work-related accident. 

6. Take Video And Photos Of The Evidence

Are you planning to file for worker’s compensation? If so, it would be best to take pictures and videos of the scene of the accident and your injuries. This will be invaluable evidence should your employer want to disapprove of your claims that your accident was work-related.

You should try and take as many pictures as possible as there’s nothing like having too much evidence.  By doing this, you shouldn’t worry about your employer trying to do something deceitful like tamper with the evidence at your workplace. 

7. File For Worker’s Compensation Claim

You’re eligible for compensation for any injury you get while at work. For this compensation to be granted, you need to file for worker’s compensation claim. To qualify for these benefits, you must file for compensation within two years after your injury. You’re eligible for these benefits, and it doesn’t matter who caused the accident.

8. Hire An Attorney

If your employer isn’t willing to cooperate in your request for worker’s compensation, then you should consider hiring an attorney. With the guidance of this professional with expertise and experience in dealing with such cases, you’ll be in great hands to help you navigate through any roadblock that arises, preventing you from getting compensated.

Takeaway

Work-related injuries can be emotionally and physically draining. Therefore, you need to know the steps you need to take to make sure you get compensation for your pain and suffering. If you didn’t know how to go about all this, discussed above are the steps you should follow right after your workplace accident. By following them, you don’t lose a shot at your worker’s compensation fee.