What You Should Do if You’re Injured at Work

Getting injured in an accident at your workplace is something that can happen to anyone, and without warning. This is why you need to know the legal steps to take in case you’re a victim of a workplace injury.

Seek Medical Help Immediately

Once you get injured at work, the most important step to take is to seek medical treatment. Even if you feel like you can walk it off, it’s important to seek professional medical assistance. They will evaluate you thoroughly and they may be able to spot hidden issues that resulted from the injury and that you weren’t aware of. They will also write you a report and provide you with the forms you will need for legal purposes after your injury. The most common reason for worker’s compensation claims is slipping on a slick floor, which contributed to 85% of these cases.

Report Your Injury as Soon as Possible

After you get injured, don’t put off reporting your injury. Ensure that you report it as soon as you’re able to so that the process for compensation can begin early and conclude in good time. In different states, there’s a set time frame within which you should report your injury in order to get compensated for it. There may be some exceptions to this, but it’s always a good idea to be on the safe side and report within the window of time. No matter how small you feel your injury is, you need to report it so that it goes into your employer’s official records.

Find Out Your Rights

As mentioned, different states will have different rules and legal processes to follow after getting injured on the job. This makes it important to find out the specific ones that apply to you so that you can be prepared to take the right actions. Knowing the steps you need to follow will also minimize stress on your part and enable you to get the issue resolved effectively. A calculation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that the number of grounds maintenance employees will increase by 10% from 2019 to 2029. This will do a lot to help minimize common workplace injuries that result from poorly-maintained grounds and such. With employers taking more steps to minimize the risk of having their employees injured while they work, you also need to stay informed on the process to follow in case you do get injured.

Keep Your Facts Straight

When reporting your accident to your legal team and to anyone else you may need to report it to, you should try and be as straightforward as possible. Avoid twisting facts, exaggerating, and downplaying issues. Simply outline exactly what happened clearly and concisely so that there’s no room to sound like you’re fabricating stories. Even if you won’t need to go to trial, it’s good to be ready to repeat the details surrounding your injury to more than one person throughout the process.

Return to Work When You’re Ready to

Finally, you may enjoy the break you get when you get time off to recover after your injury at work, but it’s important not to overstay. As soon as you’re able to get back to work, do so. If you suffer a partial injury that leaves you unable to perform your previous duties, your employer may offer you lighter duties, which may also come with lower pay. If you refuse this, you may lose your benefits and compensation. Your employer can even terminate your contract and term it as a refusal to work. In 2016 in the United States, there were 138,900 sheet metal workers employed, and this is a number that has likely gone up. Since you may be easily replaced and lose your income if you work in a competitive market, it’s good to get back to work as soon as you’re able to and work your way up as you get better.

Keep this information in mind so that in case you get injured at work, you know exactly what you need to do.