Getting injured at work is a terrible situation for everyone involved. But it’s worse if you aren’t prepared.
Workplace injuries are probably infrequent at your place of employment, but that doesn’t mean an accident can’t happen to you. You can bet that your employer has a plan for what is to be done if you have an injury at work. Why shouldn’t you have the same?
Preparing for a workplace injury isn’t about walking around wearing a helmet and elbow pads. It’s also not about being paranoid. Instead, workplace injury preparation is about knowing who to call, as well as how to conduct yourself in the event of an injury. Click through for detailed advice on accidents in the workplace. For a fast explanation, read on.
Know what to do
First of all, you should know how to behave and what to ask for if you get hurt at work. Unless you are completely incapacitated or unconscious, you should be documenting your injury as best you can. Take pictures using your smartphone of the area, any equipment that contributed to your accident, the personnel in the area (especially if one of them contributed to your injury), the injury itself, and any identifying information which would tie the event to a specific date and time (like a clock or computer calendar).
This information will serve you well if you find yourself in a “he said, she said” situation. If coworkers witnessed your accident, it would be in your best interests to ask them to recount the events that happened verbally, recording their responses on your phone. Typically, workers compensation payouts work well, but occasionally an employer will not act in your best interests. Documenting the events as they happened is key.
Call the hospital, then your solicitor
Before you do any of this, however, you should call the hospital and your solicitor, in that order. This requires that you have the number of your hospital in your contacts list, and that you have a solicitor with whom you already have a professional relationship.
If you are badly hurt, you want to make sure that you get help as quickly as possible. Once the hospital ambulance is on its way, make sure that you receive first aide from someone qualified to administer it.
Start documenting early
If possible, see to it that documentation is started as quickly as possible. Workers compensation is your right when you incur an injury while working at someone’s facility while in their employ. But benefits don’t just happen. It’s important that you look out for your own best interests, and that you have a qualified solicitor who can make the calls and have the conversations required to get you restitution, especially while you are hurt.
Takeaway
Perhaps even in the best of times, you don’t have the knowledge of qualifications to see that your rights are respected. How much more challenging will this be if you are injured on the job and in hospital? It’s better to prepare for these emergencies well before they happen. Hopefully you’ll never have to use the information you prepare, but if you do at least it’s ready.