What to Do If One of Your Employees Is Injured at Work
Taking care of your employees is a crucial part of running a business. What do you do when an employee gets hurt on the job?
Keeping your employees safe and healthy on the job is by and large the most important role for any business manager. But accidents can happen, on-site and off. Even the most experienced workers can find themselves impaired by unexpected hazards and environmental conditions.
The more prepared you are, the easier it is to mitigate damage when disaster suddenly strikes. Knowing how to properly and efficiently handle a workplace injury will alleviate additional burdens on your company, your insurance provider, and, of course, the employee.
We’re here to provide a step-by-step guide for small business owners outlining exactly what to do if one of your employees gets injured on the job, highlighting how to respond, navigate workers’ compensation, remediate fallout, and prevent future accidents from occurring.
Your employees’ health is important. Find out what to do now.
An Overview of What to Do Following an Employee Injury
The moments (and days) following an injury can be extremely stressful, frightening, and chaotic for the injured and the employer. As a manager, it’s your job to maintain a level head and know exactly what protocols to follow in order to uphold your workers’ safety and your administrative obligations.
The following overview aims to provide small businesses with an actionable plan when an employee gets injured on the job:Make sure the injured employee receives swift emergency medical attention in the case of severe injury, or is administered minor first aid by a peer.
1. Make sure the injured employee receives swift emergency medical attention in the case of severe injury, or is administered minor first aid by a peer.
2. Clear the scene of the injury of any other at-risk individuals, and capture adequate documentation of all relevant information including photos of the scene and injury, witness and victim testimonies, and isolate video footage that may have recorded the event.
3. Stringently follow OSHA reporting guidelines and electronically submit records within seven calendar days. Contact higher-ups and check in with both the injured individual as well as their coworkers.
4. Learn how workers’ compensation claims work to benefit both you and your employees, and understand how they should be correctly filed with insurance companies as well as the state board.
5. Be prepared to handle any litigation that may arise from a work-related injury and know the in’s and out’s of liability.
6. Take proactive measures to ensure that future injuries do not occur.
