Suffering an injury is something that can happen regardless of how careful we are. Obviously, no one wants to get hurt, but sometimes it seems that we cannot prevent it from happing. When we were young, we were taught to always ensure that it is safe to cross the street or to be cautious not to fall from a great height, and so on.
In this article, we are going to focus on injuries that happen in the workplace. Unless you work from an office, there is always a chance of something bad happening, and when it does, if it does, there are some things that you should know and do.
Treat it immediately
This is absolutely the first and the most important thing that you have to do. Depending on the type and the severity of it you can either do it yourself or with the help from your colleagues. According to the law, every workplace must have a first aid kit or even a trained professional.
If you are unsure about the severity of the injury, our advice is to stay still and call for help. After the initial treatment, you should get thoroughly checked by the doctor because sometimes trauma can be more serious than it appears in the first place.
Inform your co-workers
If the accident happened because some piece of equipment malfunctioned and a lot of people work with it, you have to warn everyone. The last thing you want is for something similar to happen to someone else.
Also, this is a step that you should not skip especially if you work alone in an area, because some type of investigation is probably going to occur, and you need to have bullet-proof evidence of exactly how it happened.
Report it to the manager
Obviously, once you have warned people you work with, the next step is to fill out an official report and submit it to your manager. Every company has a protocol that must be followed and if you don’t do this you might be at blame.
In addition, you are going to need all the documents when filing for sick days and compensation. The HR department needs to have all the information so you have to be as detailed as possible. It doesn’t matter if it is your or the company’s fault. As already mentioned, there is probably going to be some sort of investigation, so you have to do everything by the book.
Gather all the evidence
If the accident wasn’t serious meaning if you haven’t been badly hurt, then it is a good thing to document everything. Again, if you want to receive the compensation, as already mentioned, you will have to provide the company and your insurance with the evidence.
Besides filing a written report you should also take photos and videos of the location where the accident occurred. Unfortunately, not every employer is going to put your well-being before their interest, and some might even try to ‘fix’ the location before the investigators arrive in order to ‘clear their name’.
If this is something that you might expect from your boss then do this initial part of the investigation on your own. Take as many photos and videos as you like, record every detail and explained how it all went. This is just a smart thing to do in order to protect yourself.
Seek medical attention
Clearly, if the injury is severe, you should be transported to the emergency room immediately. On the other hand, if it is not, you should ask your employer for further direction. Why? Well, as you probably know, most companies have insurance that will cover all the costs of the treatment if you go to a specific clinic or a doctor they are collaborating with.
Another thing – make sure to follow the doctor’s instructions. This is of crucial importance. If the physician says that you cannot go back to work, listen to them and take some time off, even if you feel fine and don’t think that it is necessary to stay home. Why is this essential? Well, if you don’t obey and agree to the treatment, the supervisor might say that you endangered your own safety on purpose by not listening to professional’s advice.
File for worker’s compensation
Surely you know that this is a form of employee’s insurance in case of an accident that happens at a workplace. However, each state has its own rules so you have to inquire about the laws in your country. This compensation actually allows you to receive a portion of your salary while undergoing treatment.
For example, if you are in need of a physiotherapist, you will want to find the best one like physioinqpenrith.com.au. You need someone who is going to help you reduce the pain, recover quickly without having to worry about the re-aggravation of the injury, go back to work faster, and so on.
Keep in mind that you are restricted time-wise when it comes to filing this document to the Worker’s Compensation Board. Again, this is something that you should double-check, but usually, you have to do it within two years from the accident.
Hire an attorney
This is the final thing that we are going to discuss and communicating and asking for professional advice is something that you should do regardless of the circumstance. According to the law, you are entitled to receiving compensation for all medical expenses and rehabilitation, pain and suffering, and also lost income. However, unfortunately, getting all this can be extremely tricky, so you need someone who knows how to help you on your side. Many employers are going to try to avoid paying you all this money which is why you should always have a lawyer who is going to help you every step of the way.
To sum up, these are some main things that you have to do if you ever get in a work-related accident. Clearly, you should always put your health first and recovering should be your primary care, but, in today’s world, most people worry about paying all the bills.
