Here’s What You Should Do if You’re Injured At Work

In the workplace, the owner of a business is responsible for your health and well-being. If you are injured in a workplace, and it was not your fault, then you are entitled to some form of compensation from the owner. The amount you receive will depend on how serious the injury was and whether or not it could have been prevented. However, you could be looking at a compensation claim of up to a quarter of a million dollars. But, only if you take the right steps to protect yourself.

Step 1: Report The Incident

It doesn’t matter whether or not you are planning to take action; you must report an accident at work. Your office should have health and safety officers, and this is who you should report to. If you can not move after the accident, you must make sure a witness reports it. It is also vital that you ensure the incident is recorded in the logbook employers are legally required to keep. You need an accurate recording of what occurred otherwise you could run into issues.

Step 2: Getting Medical Care

Again, it doesn’t matter whether or not you think the accident was serious or if you were harmed, you should never not get medical care. For one thing, you may not realize you have suffered a serious injury. Many people hit their heads and only realize it after they start to develop a concussion. Other health problems seem minor at first and then overtime grow in severity. If you do want to make a claim, you should be taking steps to get it initiated as soon as possible.

Step 3: Paper Trails And Accurate Accounts

After you have been checked on by a medical professional, you can start to gather information on the incident. Typically, an employer will be doing the same thing and you may have to get witness accounts recorded as quickly as possible. Your employer may or may not attempt to push the blame of the accident onto your shoulders. You should not admit blame unless you have spoken to legal counsel. David Resnick is an excellent personal injury lawyer and will be able to advise you as to whether the accident was your fault.

If there were no witnesses, the most important issue is recording the scene before it has been altered. You may want to do this straight after the accident has occurred, but this is not always possible. Remember, you must gain as much evidence as you can that the incident was not your fault.

Step 4: Legal Representation

After you have spoken to a lawyer, you will know whether or not you need legal representation. If you do, they will handle the case for you. They will converse with your employer’s own council and hopefully reach an agreement. In most cases, a PI case will not go to court. Instead, a settlement will be reached before that occurs, and you will receive fair compensation. Finally, do not feel guilty about asking for compensation. If they did not make your place of work safe, they have only themselves to blame.

Picture courtesy of Flickr.