5 Things to Keep in Mind When You Are Injured at Work

When you are injured at work, emotions can run high and logic can be thrown right out the window. However, it is important that you do what is necessary to keep yourself safe physically and financially. Following these certain steps will help you to protect yourself when you could otherwise be in a compromising physical or financial situation. Here are five things you should keep in mind when you are injured at work.

Remember, as well as following these tips, make sure you stay safe and calm when the injury takes place. You will need to get medical attention if the injury is bad enough. Your health is more important than any amount of money. Make sure that you are safe and secure after your injury and before you try to take care of filling out any forms or gathering any information.

Seek medical attention if needed

It is imperative that you seek medical attention as soon as possible if needed. Not only will this help your health but it could also give you important medical documents that would be needed in the future due to any claims. Don’t hesitate to call an ambulance if you feel like you need emergency attention. Ask anyone at your workplace if they have medical training or if they know first aid. They will be able to help you get to a medical facility without further injuring yourself. You may also have a first aid kit available at your work that will help you to take care of any immediate further danger to your health.

Immediately notify a supervisor and fill out an incident report

Once you have determined that you are either safe at work or safe at a medical facility, it is imperative that you notify a supervisor. If you wait too long to contact your supervisor, it could make things very difficult for both parties involved. In many cases, there is compensation that needs to be provided to an employee who was injured on the job. If a supervisor isn’t notified as soon as possible, this could create a big problem in the long run. As soon as you are able, contact your supervisor. They will be able to help you fill out any forms that need to be filed as well as allowing you the time off that you will need to recover from your injury. Some employees may be afraid to talk to their supervisor about getting injured on the job. They may think that they will get in trouble for causing an accident. However, supervisors are trained to professionally take care of injury issues. They will be on your side helping you get the medical attention you need and the compensation you deserve.

Go over security footage with your supervisor to validate your claim

Most workplaces now have security cameras that will help to validate your claim. This security camera footage will many times need to be documented by employees higher up in the corporate structure. Having this footage on file will help all parties to feel like they are being taken care of. In the rare case that an injury issue has to go to court, this security footage is going to be one of the most important pieces of evidence. While this is an unlikely scenario, it is one that could happen. Many security camera systems will only store footage for a short amount of time. Make sure that you are able to get a hold of this footage before it is erased from the system.

Determine if you need to take a leave of absence

One of the biggest physical issues that employees can face is returning to work too early. If you have a serious injury and you are trying to work through it, you could end up seriously harming your body in the long run. This is why it is important to determine whether or not you need to take a leave of absence. It is a good idea to sit down with your supervisor to discuss this matter. Most times, you will need to talk to a doctor before you talk to your supervisor. Your doctor will be able to recommend how long you should take off work. With this information from your doctor in writing, your supervisor can see that you need a leave of absence. Remember, your body isn’t worth any amount of money or any job lost. If your doctor has told you that you need to take time off from work and your supervisor won’t give you a leave of absence, it is time to quit and find a new job.

Meet with a personal injury attorney to determine if you need to seek compensation

In the rare case that an injury at work doesn’t go smoothly, you may need to seek the help of an attorney for compensation. Being fired for getting injured on the job is what is called a wrongful termination. An attorney will be able to let you know if you can sue over this for compensation. There are also other issues that could raise questions. If your place of work was unsafe and your employer knew this, you could easily sue your employer and get your medical expenses taken care of. When you aren’t allowed a leave of absence to heal, this could also be a reason that you need to meet with an attorney about possible compensation. If you feel like you are being jerked around by your employer over your injury, don’t hesitate to meet with a lawyer who could help you answer some of your important questions.

These are just a few of the things that you should keep in mind when you are injured at work. Make sure that the first thing you take care of is your health. As long as you stay level-headed about your injury, everything will work out in the end. If you need to have the help from a professional, make sure you hire an attorney who will be able to get you the compensation you deserve.