5 Steps to Take if an Employee is Injured

Even if your business has the best safety program in place, it’s still possible for an employee to be injured. Pressure can cause employees to cut corners or be careless in their work. Injuries in the workplace can happen at any time, and it pays to be prepared. How you and other employees respond to the injury can make all the difference. Knowing how to respond is crucial for the employee’s wellbeing and the future success of your business. Workplace injuries impact the employee, their family, staff morale and your business’s bottom line.

Here are five steps you should take when dealing with a work-related injury or illness properly.

Get Appropriate Medical Treatment

The highest priority, when an accident has occurred is to get the appropriate medical treatment for the injured employee. If the person is seriously injured, consider dialing 911 immediately. If the injury is not severe and their life is not in danger, it could be treated in house, or they can be transported to the nearest medical care facility for treatment. Your insurance provider may have provided you with a contact telephone number that provides 24/7 access to an injured employee hotline. Registered nurses will then be able to provide medical guidance over the phone for workplace injuries or illnesses.

Secure the Accident Scene

Once the employee has received medical attention, your next priority is to secure the accident scene. This is to prevent further injury and for investigative purposes. A formal investigation may have to take place by local law enforcement or the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Anything involved in the accident should also be secured and saved as they may be needed during a subsequent investigation. If you’re worried about the legal implications of an injury in the workplace, you should consult with a personal injury attorney such as Abercrombie, PA.

Collect Facts

It’s important to gather facts about the accident as soon as possible. All details and facts will need to be included in any reports that have to be made. Record contact information of who was injured, what happened, where and why it happened and the medical treatment that was provided. Contact information for any witnesses will also need to be recorded.

Complete the Paperwork

You will need to complete an incident report as quickly as possible while it is fresh in your mind. If you want to make a claim under your worker’s compensation insurance policy, you’ll need to file it within 24 hours. This can usually be done by email, phone, or by visiting their website.

Develop a Return-to-Work Program

It depends on the injury, but an accident at work could lead to an employee missing time from work. Therefore, you can implement an effective return-to-work program to help keep workers off long-term disability and potentially lower related costs for you as an employer. Work out whether there are opportunities for transitional or modified jobs so that your business can accommodate employees who have been medically cleared to return to work but will be unable to perform their previous duties.