Your employer is required by law to provide all employees a safe environment to work in. Unfortunately, often employers fail to fulfill live up to their responsibility, and as a result, someone ends up getting hurt. In some cases, however, when employees have been injured despite efforts to ensure workplace safety, there can be a dispute between the employer and employee.
The injured employee commonly hires a personal injury lawyer and attempts to receive compensation for the injuries they’ve endured on the job. Whether they’ve broken bones or developed an illness as a result of their job, it’s essential that they take the right actions necessary. Here are the most critical steps to take if you’ve been hurt on the job.
Get Medical Attention
First and foremost, it’s essential to get medical attention for any injuries that you’ve sustained. The doctor must run any tests and examinations to be able to give a full diagnosis of how severely you’ve been affected.
In many states, your health care provider must be certified by authorized by the worker’s compensation board in order to treat you. Assuming the case isn’t disputed, your employer will pay for the full cost of medical tests and treatments that were performed in relation to the incident.
Alert Your Supervisor
You are required to alert your supervisor as soon as possible so that they know exactly what happened. If within 30 days you haven’t reported the incident, you may not be able to file a claim for workers compensation.
Additionally, by alerting your supervisor of how you were hurt, you’re eliminating the risk of someone else suffering the same accident. Instead, they can make adjustments at your place of employment to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
File a Claim
Your employer will give you the proper instructions on how to file a claim for workers compensation. It’s essential to complete the paperwork as soon as possible and submit it so that you will be eligible for benefits. Failing to do so could cause you to lose your right to what you are entitled to for your injuries.
Depending on how severe your injuries are, you may have to miss work for a considerable amount of time. Therefore it’s in your interest to make sure that you file a claim in the event that you aren’t
Rest
Even though you may be anxious to get back up on your feet again, it’s important to rest for as long as you need to get better again after you’ve been hurt on the job.
Being active prematurely may cause your injuries to worsen further, so it’s in your best interest long-term to rest.
