A workplace accident can occur due to situational circumstances or you not paying attention. No matter the instances that resulted in your injury, you still need to take certain steps. Here are the steps that you need to take following a workplace accident.
Receive Medical Care
Ensuring that you receive medical treatment is always the first place to start. Your employer should be a part of the process so that you can get the right level of care. For smaller injuries, you may be able to receive first aid treatment on site and then schedule a follow-up appointment with a medical professional. For more major injuries, it may require that you be transported to a medical facility in order to receive care.
Report the Incident
Reporting the incident to your employer is to protect both parties. You need to let them know so that your care can be covered and they need to know so that the appropriate agencies can be notified. Reporting often occurs at the same time as the receipt of medical care because your employer will likely be involved with the step. There may be forms that you’ll have to fill out at a later date or even drug testing that might be involved with a workplace injury.
Understand Your Rights
You need to understand how the process works when it comes to you suffering from a workplace injury. Speaking with a workers’ compensation attorney can help give you some insight into how the process will go. It may help to protect you in instances in which your employer hasn’t done the right thing by you. In some states, it’s a requirement that workplace injury steps be posted. Knowing the rights that you’re entitled will ensure that you protect yourself.
File Required Paperwork
There will likely be paperwork that will need to be completed following your workplace accident. These are typically referred to as incident reports. The depth of detail that will be required for this report will depend on the extent of your injury. An investigation may need to be completed. In cases of more severe injuries, an outside agency may come in to aid with the investigation process. This is to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Workplace accidents can occur anywhere and at any time. Understand what needs to be done so that you can take the right steps and receive the right amount of aid to recover from your injury.