words Alexa Wang
Getting hurt is horrible, but getting hurt whilst on the job can get complicated. Sometimes it’s just inevitable, even if you are super careful and know all the precautions – stuff might happen, every field of work or space can cause all sorts and kinds of accidents and injuries.
But don’t let that scare you, if something like that happens, you’ll know exactly what to do to get the best out of that horrible situation. Here’s what you’ll need to know!
Know the Legal Side of Things
Before anything else, you need to be aware of the legality of everything. This is where seeking advice from a law firm like Work Injury Advisor can come in handy for those who feel like they are on uneven ground. Not many newly employed people seem to think about injuries at work, they simply don’t think that could happen to them, and even if it did, that’s a problem for another time. But the truth is if it comes to any sort of injury on the job – you need to be educated and prepared in advance. Knowing the basics, like “How long do I have to see a doctor after a work injury?” or “What steps to take to document everything?”, is crucial to ensure your rights are protected from the very start. Because memories are faulty and people sometimes lie it’s important to gather as much evidence as possible to support your accident claim. This way, you’ll know exactly what to do and how to get the best out of it. You need to be smart about this!
Common Injuries
Depending on the type of work you are doing, a lot of different accidents might happen that result in some light to heavier injuries. You never know what might happen, even if you are a trained employee, sometimes the outside forces are against you! Here are some of the more common accidents that might happen on the job:
Falls and Trips
This one is sometimes hard to miss, as it’s sometimes inevitable. This can happen to anyone and anywhere, due to spills or any kind of residue on the floor causing people to slip. Trips could also happen quite regularly, as the workspace might not be as organized, so tripping on random bricks or things on the ground is not off-limits. This might result in broken bones, head and spine injuries, and a lot more. But be smart if some of these things happen, as falls can easily be faked, but that’s what surveillance comes in to save you, hopefully your fall is recorded and used as evidence to support your case!
Injury by Objects
This type of injury is a bit tricky, as a lot of things might happen, depending on the job and the equipment you are working with. Different reasons might also cause these types of injuries like unsafe products, flimsy equipment, or unsafe workspace in general. This is more common for construction workers or anyone in the manufacturing or construction field that works with heavy equipment and dangerous objects. Depending on the severity and the reason behind the accident, you’ll get the right compensation for your injury!
Injury by Substance
This is also a common cause of injury on the job, with all sorts and kinds of variations depending on your workplace and the environment. A lot of these injuries might not have instant symptoms, but leave long time consequences like inhaling harmful and toxic chemicals. And some leave injuries right away like high temperatures that cause burns, electricity, and even radiation in some cases.
What to Do on the spot
Depending on how serious the injury is and if you are even conscious or not, the best thing to do is gather evidence in any form of way, regardless if it’s other colleagues as witnesses to the accident or footage from the surveillance camera – everything counts and everything will be of great importance when building your case. Also, it might be a good idea to take pictures of your injury and the thing or place that caused it! Just to be extra secure, you never know when you’ll need additional evidence if it comes to it. As you do this, you need to report the accident to your superiors as soon as possible!
Remain Calm
The most important thing you should do when some of these accidents happen is to try to stay calm and reasonable. If you can, try to do treat the wound, or ask for help from your fellow colleagues, you might get away with performing basic first aid if the injury isn’t as severe. But you should always wait for the ambulance if the accident was more dangerous, treating critical wounds yourself can be extremely dangerous, so you might just want to rest up and wait for help.
Go to a Doctor
Once you notify your superiors about your injury, you need to get medical attention as soon as possible to get all the right medical treatment for your wound or to determine if you have any sort of concussion that might not be visible to the eye. This will also help in building your case, any kind of injury needs to be treated and looked at by a doctor to determine the severity of the accident. Once you get treated, you need to call your lawyer of choice and start building your case to claim the right insurance from your workplace. This can vary from state to state or from workplace to workplace, so be careful and work with a good lawyer that’s experienced with work injury cases. This way you’ll get the best out of it!
What are Your Benefits
You need to know about the benefits you, as all employees get when working with any kind of job. You are entitled to compensation in the event you went through and also it covers medical expenses you’ll get along the way, regardless if it’s just a check-up or injury diagnosis or something more serious like surgery or rehabilitation. Also, you as an injured worker, are entitled to take days off from work, as long as you need to recover from the injury. And don’t worry, you’ll receive benefits while you are not at work, to replace your pay.
The bottom line is, if you follow all the right steps after you are injured, you are totally safe and secure when it comes to getting benefits and compensations for the accident. Always remember to seek professional help and get the best lawyer for the job, they’ll know exactly what to do to ensure you get all you deserve – and more!
