Regardless of how many measures are put in place to prevent accidents in the workplace they can and do happen on a regular basis. So if you\’ve been injured on the job you might be wondering what your next step is? Firstly it\’s important that you know how lucky you are to have been born at this point in human history – before 1908 there were no provisions for compensating people who were injured while performing their day-to-day working duties.
So let\’s take a look at what steps you need to take if you\’ve been injured in work.
1. Seek Medical Attention
Even if the injury seems trivial it\’s absolutely essential that you seek medical attention as quickly as possible. The main reason is that you need to be professionally examined to ensure there are no secondary injuries of any kind. You also need to begin the process of documenting your injury and when asked how the accident happens it\’s essential that you inform the doctor or other medical professional examining you that you were injured on the job. You will require this same doctor to provide a written record of the injury itself, including any diagnoses they might have made.
In terms of actually seeking medical attention it\’s advisable to only get treatment from a provider which has been authorized by the Worker\’s Compensation Board, unless of course you have an immediate medical emergency and require urgent attention. The underlying fact behind all of this is that your employer must provide for medical attention for you – that\’s the law.
2. Documentation
This might sound trivial but it\’s important that you make note of the time, date and location of when and where your injury occurred and anyone you spoke to about it; make note of exactly what was said during any conversation in relation to your injury. It\’s also very important that you make a note of the doctor who treated your injury and the name of the hospital or medical center also. It\’s important to start documenting the details around your injury as they happen because the human mind is a fickle thing and within 3-months of the incident you\’ll have forgotten key details.
3. Inform Your Employer
If you didn\’t have the opportunity to inform your employer just after the incident itself then it\’s very important that you inform them of your injury within 30-days of your workplace accident. If you fail to inform your employer of the situation within that time frame then you could lose the right to claim worker\’s compensation entirely.
4. Claim
As soon as you\’re physically capable of doing so you\’ll need file your claim for compensation by posting it with the Workers\’ Compensation Board office which is closest to you. You have a maximum of 2 years to file a claim from the date of the accident itself, failure to do so will waive your right to make a workers compensation claim of any kind.
5. Be Honest
Your workers comp claim will go far more smoothly if you simply tell the truth and be upfront about your injury. It\’s worth remembering that fraudulent workers compensation claims can result in a prison sentence of up to 5-years.