Going to work is part of our daily routine. At the end of the day, we have bills to pay, and you need that salary when the month ends. There are different types of work that have varying risks associated with them. As an employee, you need to be aware of your work environment.
Depending on the work you do, it is always wise to be informed on what to do if you get injured while at work. In this post, we will talk about that without further ado.
How likely are you to get injured at work?
Getting injured while you are working depends on several factors. The type of work you are doing contributes a lot as some jobs have higher risks than others. You may think that by working in an office, you may not get injured, but according to the CDC, people who work in the office are more likely to suffer disabling injuries from a fall than non-office workers.
On the other hand, the construction industry has about 150,000 construction site injuries each year. With such high numbers, it is important to protect yourself by having a contingency plan. A lawyer is necessary in cases when you might need compensation for construction accident injuries from your employer. Having that in mind, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Are you covered
Injuries that occur at or when you are working should be covered by your employer. Depending on where you are, most employers are required by law to have worker’s compensation insurance.
The worker’s compensation insurance covers the cost of work-related illness and injuries like medical bills. It helps both the employer and employee to avoid financial loss when an injury occurs. As an employee, it’s good to know if you are covered from injuries or illnesses that may occur while at work. You need to be aware if your company has this insurance cover for its employees, especially if your work has a high risk of getting you injured.
How does workers compensation work
Even though it’s required by law for employers to have worker’s insurance, most employers and employees don’t fully understand how it works. When the time comes to claim, they find themselves at crossroads, leading to total confusion and wastage of time.
So how does it work? Assuming you get injured while at work, the first thing you should do is report the incident to your employer. This is because your employer has a limited time to file a claim. Then you get to fill in the documentation for the claim, which details the circumstances that led to your injury.
Before the claiming process starts, seek medical treatment as soon as possible. If it’s severe, see a medical practitioner first. Your medic will fill in a medical report of your situation, which will be shared with the insurance company to calculate the medical bills they will compensate.
Your employer will then file a claim with the insurance company by sending the employee claim form alongside other documentation required. The insurance company will then go through the claim and investigate to ensure the claim is valid.
Once the claim is approved, you can accept the payment offered or appeal the decision to be compensated a different amount.