Damage Control: How to Handle Being Hurt at Work

You’re a careful person – especially at work. So, why worry about getting hurt.

And then, it happens. You get hurt. Now what do you do?

Hunt For Your Worker’s Comp Paperwork

It’s not fun. But, it’s necessary. You’re going to want to dig up the worker’s comp paperwork from your company, along with the company handbook on how to file a claim. But, a workers compensation claim should be pretty straightforward. As long as you were hurt or injured (or got sick) at work, you’re covered. And, even if you were on break.

Basically, if your boss told you to do something that benefited him or the company, or he has control over the area you were in when you got hurt, you’re probably covered.

Report The Injury Immediately

Make sure you report the injury immediately to your supervisor. He has to fill out some paperwork. But, the real reason you want to report it immediately is you want that documentation in case there is a dispute later. You also want to get the medical care you need and you don’t really want to start treating anything until you have at least gotten some pictures of your injuries, have a document of the incident, and have statements from witnesses.

Now, if it’s an emergency, then yes you want to go straight to the hospital first.

The point is, report the injury before anyone can claim that it wasn’t work-related or before you get any secondary injuries outside of work which can then be used to argue that you never really injured yourself at work in the first place.

Get The Accident Report DoneTell Your Union Rep

Make sure you tell your union representative, if you’re in a union. It’s just one more layer of protection if management starts arguing over how it all happened. In fact, the more witnesses, the better. And, the more documentation, the better.

Tell The Company Doctor How Your Injury Occurred

Tell your company doctor about your injuries, and how the injury occurred. You should be able to lay out the details so that it’s clear that your injury was a direct result of your work environment or the conditions under which you were asked to perform a particular task. Get everything from the doctor in writing, too.

Follow Medical Orders

Make sure you’re following medical orders. This is important – especially if there’s a dispute about anything in your claim. A lot of employers will use medical orders as a sort of litmus test. If a doctor says you can’t perform some task, don’t perform it. If you do, you’re basically asking for the employer to dispute the claim.

Gracie Mitchell is a work safety liaison officer by day, though she often jokes that this safety officer role easily overlaps into home life! Gracie enjoys sharing her knowledge by writing articles and participating in various online groups.