Employers have a legal duty and responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment to their employees. At times, employers fail to meet this duty resulting in work-related injuries.
As an employee, you’re entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for injuries you suffer at work. Every employer is required by law to provide such insurance coverage to their employees.
However, the compensation isn’t automatic. And your actions or inactions may deny or reduce the amount you get as compensation.
Follow these steps to protect your legal rights to compensation.
1. File an Accident Report
Different states have varied timelines by which an employee must file an accident report. Failure to adhere to these timelines may see you lose on the case. You don’t want this to happen. Therefore, report any accident you’re involved in on the job whether you’re injured or not.
Even if you don’t sustain any injuries, the accident may cause the employer to implement new safety measures to prevent a future accident on its employees. Further, filing the incident report protects you if you don’t experience symptoms until months after the accident.
2. Focus on The Injury
It’s the most important thing that you should do. Immediately after the accident, seek first-aid services at the employers’ first aider. The law requires every employer to have a first aid kit and a designated first-aider. Depending on the nature of your injury, you may find the first-aider or demand that a colleague summons the first-aider to you.
And yes, the injuries may appear minor, but don’t rely on this to discard medical attention. Even a small injury may become a long-term illness without proper and timely treatment. Therefore, ensure you get a comprehensive assessment by a competent medical practitioner.
3. Engage a Lawyer
A workplace accident can be confusing. In the tough job market, some employees may fear reporting their injuries to their boss for fear of reprisal. Others don’t know that their employer is responsible for covering some or all medical costs emanating from the injury.
At Queens, NY injury lawyer James Galleshaw understands how frightening it is when you’re hurt and can’t report to work anymore. Therefore, the attorney does everything possible to ensure you get the best possible compensation for your case.
4. Take Evidence
Do you want to make a compensation claim for the injuries sustained at the workplace? Then take photos and video evidence of the injuries and the location where the accident occurred. Having this evidence may prove vital when arguing your case in court.
Remember; there’s nothing like too much evidence. Therefore, if in doubt, take photos and record them. No one will criticize you for taking the evidence.
5. Ask a Reliable Colleague for Help
Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may need to take some days off from work. At this time, the employer will make some changes to the systems of work and work equipment. While this is necessary to prevent future injuries, sometimes it may be done as a cover-up. Therefore, you need a reliable colleague who can update you on these changes.
6. Make a Diary Entry of All Symptoms
You must keep an updated list of symptoms emanating from the accident. That’s because doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners don’t record all the symptoms.
Yes, you may sustain several injuries in your body. However, the hospital will only concentrate on the serious ones at that time. But do you know that the minor injury today might turn into a long-term debilitating condition in the future-perhaps the biggest injury on the claim,
Conclusion
The last thing you want is to sustain a workplace injury. If the unfortunate event happens, engage a competent lawyer to help protect your rights. Further, follow these steps to ensure you get the right compensation.
Written by Spencer Calvert
