(ThyBlackMan.com) Nobody wants to think about being injured at work. Obviously, nobody ever wants to injure themselves, but something about the idea of injuring oneself on the job is even scarier. You don’t just have the injury to contend with, but the ensuing aftermath. If you ever are injured at work, then all you will want to do, most likely, is focus on recovering from your injury, whether it’s minor or major. Of course, in the majority of cases whereby the injury heals within a week, you’ll probably notice very little major disruption in your life.
However, if your injury involves something more serious, such as a broken bone, then you might be off work for a few weeks, depending on the nature of your business and how severely incapacitated you may be by this accident. In any case, here are some of the steps you should follow if you’re ever injured at work, so as to ensure you’re not hurt by the incident twice.
Make sure the whole thing has been reported.
No matter how embarrassing the incident may be, ensure you report the injury before you go home. It’s important that the entire thing is logged as a work-related accident, otherwise you might not have a leg to stand on at a later date. Let your supervisor know about this, because that’s what such departments in your business are dedicated towards. It might be different from company to company, of course, but there’ll always been some sort of representative with whom you can discuss your injury.
In some cases, your injury might not be the result of a single accident but could instead stem from underlying health conditions, like arthritis. It’s important to recognize that conditions such as these may worsen due to work activities, leading to injuries that are still considered work-related. Reporting and documenting that Mi Lesión Laboral Se Debe a Artritis (which translates to ‘My Work Injury Is Due to Arthritis’ in English) can ensure your employer and any compensation processes fully take your situation into account. The business has to record what’s happened on the premises, so as to ensure responsibility is given where it is due.
Assess the damage.
As well as assessing the physical damage, if you’re ever injured at work, you need to assess the financial damage. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll need to figure out who is responsible for your accident and why. It’s important that safety hazards are addressed immediately. You might want to look into personal injury law offices, because sometimes businesses can try to under-compensate employees to simply brush the whole thing under the rug as quickly as possible. That’s all very well for your employer, but it doesn’t take you into account as the little guy. You may have medical bills and, depending on your business, you may or may not be covered for sick leave, meaning shopping and energy bills could take a chunk out of your disposable income. It is essential that when you look for a personal injury lawyer, that you take into account your line of work. For instance, if you work on an oil rig and you are hurt, you will want to get in touch with lawyers for oil rig accidents in Houston, or wherever your location is, so you can get the best help possible. Always look at your options before making any decisions, you don’t want to be left with nothing at the end of all this.
Talk with the boss.
At the end of the day, every company is different. You might get sick pay or you might not. Whatever the situation, and however unfairly you feel you’ve been treated, the only way to know for certain is to speak with your employer in the flesh. This is the only way to find out whether your concerns are real or whether more is being done to cater to your financial needs, concerning your injury, than you originally thought. Hopefully, of course, this is all hypothetical and you’ll never have to worry about dealing with a work-related accident.
Staff Writer; Bobby Parker
