Perhaps as a manufacturing company employee, you often work in the warehouse lifting heavy crates and boxes. It is a job that is not without risks and injuries are not uncommon.
If you should suffer a workplace injury, how should your employer respond?
Securing medical attention
If you sustain an injury at work, notify your employer promptly. There should be an immediate response with first-aid supplies if those would help. In any case, he or she should make sure that you seek medical attention at once. If the injury appears to be serious, your employer should call 911 so that emergency medical personnel can come to the job site to treat you, then transport you to the hospital if necessary.
Filing a report
Once you have had appropriate medical care, your next step is to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. Your employer should be able to provide you with a claim form. The insurer will likely ask your employer for documentation about your injury and he or she will file the First Report of Injury or Illness.
Being prepared
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA sets the standards for workplace safety and most companies have a safety policy in place. If safety measures fail, it is your employer’s responsibility to find out why and develop methods for eliminating future workplace risks.
Following up
Sometimes an insurer will deny workers’ compensation benefits even if you, as the injured party, and your employer have both followed all the steps in filing the claim. If this should happen to you, you have the right to appeal. To strengthen your case, an advocate familiar with such issues can work with the insurer on your behalf.