What Should I Do if I’m Injured at Work?

Suffering an injury at work isn’t something that anyone ever expects will happen to them. Accidents, however, are generally unavoidable. In this case, it’s best to know what to do if an accident leads to you getting injured at work. Here are the steps that you should follow in this case if you want to get the best outcome and secure your future while getting back to good health.

Report the Accident

The first and most important step that you need to take if you get injured at work is to report the accident or injury to your supervisor. Doing this will alert them to the situation and you can proceed with other steps after making the report. If you’re not in a state to report the accident immediately, report it as soon as you can, even if it’s while you’re at the hospital. Fill out any forms that need to be filled in so that the report is in hard copy and it’s easier to follow up with the legal steps after this.

Note that in order for an injury to be considered ‘catastrophic’ it has to render someone unable to work and provide for their family’s needs. Such injuries can include paralysis, severe burns, and injuries to the spinal cord and neck. Make sure to report the accident accurately so that no issues arise in the future as a result of failing to do so. Legal steps that you need to follow will call for you to share the details of the accident as it happened. These details must be identical to your original report if you are to have a chance of getting a good outcome.

Seek Legal Assistance

Legal assistance will come in the form of enlisting the services of a professional. If you can find a good and reasonably-priced claims lawyer, they’ll improve your chances of getting a settlement. They’ll offer you advice and help you in legal areas where you may be unsure of the terms used and other details. They’ll do a lot of research on your behalf and alert you about what’s expected of you in order to make the process end up in a favorable outcome.

If you know someone who has been injured and who managed to make a claim that was paid, ask them for insights. For instance, oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are estimated to directly employ between 10,000 to 12,500 workers. This is a large number of people, and so it’s easy for one or a few of them to get involved in an accident at some point while working. If you work in a similarly large industry, you’ll have an easy time finding someone to help you go through the process or even refer you to the lawyer that helped them.

Seek Medical Treatment

Last but definitely not least, seek medical treatment for your injury. You don’t have to be grossly injured to seek treatment, because some injuries take some time to come to the foreground. If you take too long to go to the hospital after getting injured, you may be told that your injury cannot be tied to the job. This will hurt any claims process that you may be actively pursuing.

Find out what the law states on issues such as developing chronic issues due to working for a long time in an unsafe environment. Note that chronic lead exposure in adults can lead to high blood pressure, issues with memory and concentration, and joint pain as well. If you end up with such symptoms and find out that your work environment exposed you to lead, you’re in a state to seek compensation.

Take the steps above if you get injured at work so that you can have a good chance of receiving the compensation that’s due to you. For the best outcome, stay honest and consistent so that there are no gaps that make you appear to be less than honest.