An injury is considered as work injury if it occurs in the workplace or any other location where workers work for the company. Some common causes of occupational injuries are:
- Overexertion- repetitive motion ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome, incorrect lifting of large objects, etc.
- Slips & falls can result in mild bruising, fractured bones or even death.
- The equipment entanglement- when a worker becomes entangled in or behind a large equipment.
- Motor accidents occur when employees drive for work related activities.
When a work-related injury or illness happens, it is your job as an employer to care for the employee by obtaining medical treatment on their behalf. You must also investigate the occurrence & take action to avoid similar injuries from occurring. This article will detail the procedures you should take as an employer to deal with a workplace injury once it happened.
1. Prepare An Incident Response Plan
Some of the most essential steps you can take to prevent a workplace injury is to follow the preventions in advance. While it is impossible to prevent all situations, you should take all reasonable efforts to reduce risks and prevent workplace injuries. Of course, because accidents can still occur, you must have a strategy in plan to respond to such incidents & obtain workers’ compensation coverage, which is required by law in most jurisdictions.
It’s also a good idea to develop a response strategy for injuries or illnesses & train your personnel to use it. Make sure the plan follows OSHA requirements & includes delegation of responsibilities for emergency medical treatment for the wounded employee, alerting relevant authorities, & so on. Along with the plan, having the necessary documents for example- medical treatment permission forms, incident report forms, & return to work release forms on hand would be beneficial, as job related injuries come with a set of legal & insurance duties.
2. Report The Work Injury to The Relevant Authorities
A complete incident report must be created when the injured employee has received the necessary medical attention. This should include a summary of the occurrence, all involved individuals, any photos- if necessary & any other pertinent information. This must then be conveyed immediately to all relevant parties. For example, the law requires you to immediately report any significant injuries to the nearest OSHA district office within 8 hours for deaths & 24 hours for hospitalization, amputations or vision loss.
3. Investigate The Incident
While state workers’ compensation laws vary, they all have the same basic premise: employees have the right to receive benefits if they are injured & become ill during working hours. The simple line is that your insurance company determines whether an injury is compensable. Nonetheless, you should launch an internal investigation following the incident. Interview witnesses & prepare incident reports.
4. Stay Informed
When an injury happens, employ all available resources such as company doctors & case nurses. Obtain further medical information & seek recertifications under the FMLA, especially if a person’s leave schedule exceeds the treating physician’s instructions.
5. Do Not Forget About Other Workers
When people see or hear about one of their coworkers being injured on the job, they are understandably concerned & apprehensive. Effective communication can help. If there are any safety concerns, discuss them with other staff & solicit feedback on how to improve things. HR cannot discuss medical information, but you can listen. Ensure that everyone understands the company’s commitment to the wellbeing of all employees. While workplace illnesses & injuries are unpredictable, they can be managed more smoothly if policies are in place ahead of time.
Off course, your approach will need direction to the case that’s why you need to work with personal injury lawyer in New York. A lawyer can make all the difference in allowing a person to return to work safely while avoiding lawsuits & muddy legal seas.