A common question that many employees have is “What should I do after being injured at work?” Most companies have programs that are intended to prevent work related injuries. It is essential that both employers and employees have safe work practices to prevent accidents. Unfortunately, no matter how many precautions employers and employees take, there is always a chance that an accident will occur. If you do become injured at work, it is in the best interest of both you and your employer to properly report the incident.
What Should You Do When Injured At Work?
If you are injured at work, it is essential that you report the incident to your employer as soon as possible. While this may seem obvious, there are many cases where employees suffer an injury without requiring medical attention immediately. These employees often make a mistake of not reporting the incident immediately and taking a wait and approach.
If you don’t report an accident shortly after it occurs, your employer can deny you benefits and medical treatment. Also, the workers’ compensation insurance carrier may ask why your employer didn’t report the incident promptly. Your private health insurance carrier may refuse to pay for treatment for the injuries you suffered at work. The best thing you can do is report an accident properly no matter how minor or insignificant it may seem. This will save you from trouble further down the line.
In many states, the three workers’ compensation benefits that you can expect to receive if you are injured at work include temporary disability benefits, medical treatment costs covered by your employer, and a monetary award that is based on the severity of your permanent injury. However, if you fail to report the injury as soon as it occurs, you run the risk of the employer claiming the injury occurred outside of work. The employer may even claim the accident never occurred at all.
You should also keep in mind that employers often have strict deadlines for reporting incidents that resulted in injury. For example, an employer may require that employees report accidents within 24 hours. You can get a formal reprimand or even suspension without pay if you don’t report an accident on time. Believe it or not, but it is actually possible to receive a formal reprimand for failing to report an accident that your employer claims didn’t even happen.
For more information about what you do when injured at work, you should reach out to work related injury lawyers in Ventura County. These work related injury lawyers in Ventura County will help you every step of the way when it comes to get the workers’ compensation benefits you are entitled to.
