Man Down! What You Need To Do When Injured At Work

Workplace injuries are no joke. One minute everything is fine, and the next you’re staring at your swollen ankle or watching your arm bend in the opposite direction.

Man Down! What You Need To Do When Injured At Work

Get daily updates directly to your inbox


Workplace injuries are no joke. One minute everything is fine, and the next you’re staring at your swollen ankle or watching your arm bend in the opposite direction.

Take a deep breath; it’s going to be okay. Follow these steps to make sure you’re covered.

No Matter the Injury, Fill Out A Report

As soon as you can after treatment, fill out an incident report. The top priority is to have the injury in writing — no matter how big or small. You might feel a little foolish filling out a form over a small cut, but if the cut gets infected, you have no documentation that you received it at work. Unreported accidents won’t receive worker’s comp because the company can deny that the accident actually happened. Not only that, but the longer you wait to report what happened, the less you’ll remember about it.

Also note: keep a copy for yourself just in case, if your company doesn’t have incident reports, make sure you have what happened in writing and proof that it was sent to someone.

Seek Out A Company Doctor

If you can’t move your back or are gushing blood all over the floor, you need to go to the emergency room. After that, however, you may need to see a company doctor. Sometimes called panel physicians, these are specifically approved doctors by the company who you need to see to continue the written documentation process. Here is the reason: if you visit a company-approved doctor, their team of lawyers won’t question their credibility or decision process. They’re already viewed as an authority by the company.

Complete An Official Worker’s Comp Form

In order to make your intentions official, fill out a claim for workers’ compensation on Form C-3, which should then be mailed to the nearest Workers’ Compensation Board office. This, mixed with the incident report and doctor’s consultation will help your supervisors and the insurance company determine how much money is owed and how much time off is needed.

On another note, this will also help the company set up preventative measures to make sure the injury never happens again. It could lead to harnesses, better equipment, or the posting of warning signs.

Follow All Of The Doctor’s Orders

If they have you taking antibiotics for two weeks, and you feel fine after a week or so, keep taking them. If they want you to rest for a month, rest for a month. Seek out a specialist if that’s what the doctor wants. By doing everything the doctor recommends, you’re showing how committed you are to a full and speedy recovery.

If you miss a physical therapy session or try to go back before the doctor is approved, it could hurt your claim. It shows that the injury wasn’t as serious as previously thought. It also increases the possibility that you make the injury worse through physical exertion.

Consider Hiring A Lawyer

How can a Personal Injury Attorney help? Even if you follow all of these steps, file the right reports, and follow your treatment perfectly, you might still get the run-around from your supervisors and the human resources department.

Personal injury lawyers make sure you and your company reach a compromise for compensation, time off, and future preventative measures. If a company wants you to return before you’re fully recovered, then you could worsen the injury. If they refuse to compensate you for he needed recovery time, then your family could struggle to sustain itself. The lawyers work to reach an agreement about what is fair for both parties given the severity of the injury and the cause. Think of it as a negotiation.

Even if you think the injury is small or silly, it can still come back and have serious repercussions in the future. Even if your compensation case is approved, or the injury is small enough that it’s dropped, there is evidence of a dangerous work environment. Your employer can work to make your workplace safer and prevent any future injuries, which is priceless.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Get a free CV REview before applying for your next job applications 

b2ap3_thumbnail_imgad.gif

Rate this blog entry:

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our top stories.

 

Published from

Report this post

Add blog
 

What do you think ? Comment below

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment

Comments

Pure Jobs Blogger
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Saturday, 09 November 2024
4 Ways For Dealing With A Negative Co-Worker
5 Biggest Job Application Mistakes

Popular on Pure Jobs

Most popular

It is commonly thought that first impressions in business are the impressions provided by employe...
Sarah Ellis
06 July 2017
Making a little bit of extra money from home need not be difficult. There are plenty of ways to e...
Sarah Ellis
13 June 2017
How does your resume score?
How does your resume score? See how your resume stacks up. Submit now.

Career news, advice and insights -Purejobs

Poll

How Long Have You Been Job Searching?

Feed

Subscribe To Us And Stay Updated with the latest career advice on pure-jobs.com.

Related post

Follow us:

Advertise with us

Would you like to advertise here? Place your banner or link here.



Subscribe to updates from our blog

PLEASE NOTE! WE USE COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE BEST USER EXPERIENCES

However, by continuing to use the site without changing settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.