{"id":5977,"date":"2020-03-27T11:26:03","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T15:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=5977"},"modified":"2020-03-27T11:26:23","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T15:26:23","slug":"an-employees-guide-to-getting-injured-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/an-employees-guide-to-getting-injured-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"An Employee’s Guide to Getting Injured at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Employees get injured at work almost every 7 seconds<\/a>, and if you\u2019re one of the unlucky ones you need to know how to deal with the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Injuries at work will harm your productivity as well as your health. You will likely have to spend time away from work, which will jeopardize your earnings. Medication and therapy can also be quite costly, which will put additional strain on your wallet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you take the proper measures and react quickly enough, you can alleviate most of the downsides. Being prepared is the key here, and the first step involves getting informed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help you tackle getting injured at work, we wrote a short primer on the topic covering all you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What It Means to Get Injured at Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A workplace injury is any kind of injury you suffer while working at a particular job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some states extend this definition to injuries sustained during transit to and from work, but not all. Injuries sustained while performing remote work are also not likely to qualify as workplace injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thing to consider is your state of mind at the moment of injury. If you\u2019re intoxicated with alcohol or drugs during work, you will have a much harder time justifying your injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Injuries come in many forms. If something falls on you, or if you slip and fall, that obviously counts as an injury. But there are also injuries that form over long periods, such as spinal damage from sitting hunched over in a chair, or from breathing polluted air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workplace-related stress is usually not classified as an injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preventive Measures<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best way to avoid workplace injuries is by taking the right preventive measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being mindful of your surroundings at all times is your first line of defense. This will enable you to spot common hazards such as items that can fall on you from shelves, or cables you can trip on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing how to handle workplace equipment is also important. Never use machinery in any way other than the ones specified by its manual. Also, always wear safety equipment such as helmets, gloves, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking small breaks during work to stretch and change your sitting position will also go a long way towards preventing injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget that workplace safety is a collective effort. If you spot a hazard such as a faulty electric socket, be sure to notify your coworkers as well as management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Do in the Event of an Injury<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the worst comes to pass and you end up injuring yourself, you need to know how to react to minimize the damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately after suffering an injury, notify your coworkers about what happened, and ask them to call for help. If you think the injury is serious, ask for someone to take you to the company infirmary, or drive you to the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to remain calm during all of this. People that panic tend to behave irrationally, which can further aggravate the injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that being said, don\u2019t just shrug it off either. The injury might be more serious than it initially appears, so try to remain vigilant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, don\u2019t waste time trying to explain what happened to everyone. You will just make things more confusing. Instead, focus on explaining how you\u2019re feeling, and find one person to help you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing a Doctor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You should make it your priority to see a doctor as soon as possible after a workplace accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s a serious injury, don\u2019t hesitate to go straight to the emergency room. If it\u2019s not, you should contact your employer to see if there is a specific doctor you should visit. Otherwise, you can see the doctor of your choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If after seeing a doctor that your employer prescribed you\u2019re not satisfied, you should look for a second opinion. Even if your insurance doesn\u2019t cover a different doctor, it\u2019s still worthwhile to pay the cost and do so anyway. It\u2019s better to be cautious than risk injury-related complications in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start Building Your Case<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019re out of the woods, you can start building your case for worker\u2019s compensation (more on that later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, get your story straight. Remember how the accident occurred, and focus on the facts. Be sure to write everything down as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there were other coworkers nearby, they can corroborate your account. You can ask them to make or write a statement as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask your doctor for a copy of the report and any analyses you went through such as blood tests, MRI screenings, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve assembled everything, you will be ready to apply for worker\u2019s compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying for Worker\u2019s Compensation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A workplace injury will make you eligible for worker\u2019s compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State laws vary in terms of documents you need to submit and the deadlines you need to meet in order to be eligible. Check with your local Worker\u2019s Compensation Board for details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key thing to remember about applying for workers\u2019 compensation claims is that time is of the essence. Start gathering documentation as soon as you\u2019re physically able to do so. Otherwise, you will risk losing your claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After you submit your claim, you will have to wait for a while for processing. There are two outcomes here. Either you will be presented with an offer to cover your medical and\/or disability bills, or your claim might get rejected, in which case you can submit an appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve been granted or denied worker\u2019s compensation, you should start preparing to return to work. If you need some support, this return to work program<\/a> will get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow These Steps If You’re Injured at Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting injured at work is something that can happen to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the consequences you are likely to experience depending on how you reacted in the situation, and how you acted in the follow-up. If you\u2019ve followed our guide, you can expect to reach a more positive outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re interested in learning more about worker\u2019s compensation and similar topics, you can check the rest of our blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Employees get injured at work almost every 7 seconds, and if you\u2019re one of the unlucky ones you need to know how to deal with the situation. Injuries at work will harm your productivity as well as your health. You will likely have to spend time away from work, which will jeopardize your earnings. Medication […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5977"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5977"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5979,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5977\/revisions\/5979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}