What to do When Injured at Work

Workplace injury is a fact of life, even when appropriate safety protocols are in place. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately three million workers — about 1 percent of the population of the United States — received some kind of nonfatal injury while at work in 2013. Armed with this knowledge, it quickly becomes crucial why employees need to learn what to do in case they sustain an injury while on the job.

A workplace injury does not necessarily refer to something that requires a visit to the emergency room or urgent care. No matter how small the injury, fill out an incident report so your employer has the information on file. For example, if you receive a simple cut from the corner of a desk and you apply an adhesive bandage, that wound may harbor infection. An infected cut may need antibiotics, and you can only get those types of prescription medications with a visit to the doctor's office.

See a company-approved doctor where possible, as this type of medical professional can report your progress or status to human resources. A company-approved doctor also knows how to fill out workers' compensation forms and contributes to the written documentation process as you heal from your workplace injury. If you take the company to court over the matter, the firm's lawyers must consult with any company doctor who treats you. You may start out with urgent care or the emergency room, but the company's regular doctor should take over once the urgency of the injury passes. Follow the doctor's orders as you complete your treatment regimen.

Fill out the necessary forms to claim compensation after you receive treatment for your workplace injury. Form C-3 goes to the nearest Workers' Compensation Board office so it can review your case. This office consults with insurance companies, the company doctor and your employer's human resources department to discuss the time off you need to recover. If necessary, this government office determines how much money you receive in benefits.

Your employer may take preventive measures following your workplace injury to keep this type of thing from happening again. Ergonomic keyboards and workstations represent one way to help mitigate repetitive motion injuries. Help yourself by maintaining good posture while you sit in an office chair, and avoid hunched positions for long periods of time. When you look at a screen, make sure the top of the monitor rests just below eye level. That way, you look nearly straight ahead at the screen instead of peering downward.

Even if a workplace injury seems small, silly or barely noticeable, document what happened so your employer knows how to protect other workers from receiving the same type of injury. The added paperwork may be a pain, but a few extra steps may make someone else's life easier in the future.

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