An accident in the workplace can seriously disrupt day-to-day operations and can leave employees injured and unable to work. What should you do as an employer when one of your staff members gets hurt on the job? Here is a short guide to the best way to handle these kinds of situations, but keep in mind that we can only give you general guidelines. The best practice in specific cases may vary slightly.
Make Sure the Area Is Safe
Your first priority when there is a workplace accident is to ensure that no one else is injured. You also want to keep the injured person from being injured any further. In order to accomplish these goals, you should secure the area where the injury occurred so that no one is any further danger.
Whatever caused the accident needs to be put to a stop. That could mean turning off a machine that has led to an accident. It could mean separating coworkers that have had a fight. Whatever needs to be done to make the area safe should be done fast. This allows you to deal with the immediate problem of the injury, but until the area has been properly secured, there is always a risk that the situation will become worse. You don’t want things to get out of control, so start with this step.
Treat the Injury with Medical Care
The next thing to do is to treat the injured person. Examine their injury and determine if you can treat it with the first aid supplies that your business has on hand or if you need to call for emergency medical services. This assessment needs to be made first, preferably by the most qualified individual. Just because you are a manager, that does not make you the best person to make the call as to whether someone should call for an ambulance.
Anyone with medical training on staff should be brought to the scene of the accident to make an assessment. They can determine if there is a need for the injured person to be rushed to the hospital or if they are fine to continue working or just go home and rest.
One thing that you should keep in mind about workplace accidents is that they can often seem less severe than they actually are. Your employee could be badly injured and not show it. This is possible after a fall where the visible injuries would be minor, but the internal injuries could be tremendous. This consideration needs to be made, and that is why we recommend bringing someone to the scene who has at least some level of medical knowledge. If you are in doubt, and you don’t know if the injury is worth having a doctor look at, then it is best to play it safe and take the injured person for expert medical care.
Document the Accident
When accidents occur at work, it is important to have them well documented. You need to take down all information that could prove relevant later on for a claims report or for any kind of investigation into the incident. This means you need to detail what happened. Don’t skimp on all the details either, since the full story should be documented so that other people can look at it and get the entire picture.
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You should also write down who was involved and who witnessed the accident. Get reports from witnesses as well, if possible, because investigators may want to follow up with them at a later date. If you have statements from them, then that can help to make the investigation process go easier. If you have proper documentation for the accident, then everything that follows will move along smoother. There will be fewer roadblocks to a just resolution, and you will make everyone else’s jobs easier down the line.
Many businesses have accident forms that they simply fill out, with all suggested information provided. This guides you through the report process, but don’t stick to just the form if you feel that it is inadequate. If there will be some info left out after the form is filled, then write out those details separately and then attach them to the accident form.
File Workers Compensation Claims
If there is a chance that the injured person will be due some compensation following the accident, then the employer should fill out a compensation form as quickly as possible. This is the logical next step when an accident could easily be considered the fault of the business due to working conditions, equipment, or poor management.
The compensation claim is a vital part of the process, because once the employee knows that it has been filed, they can rest easy. They understand that they are being taken care of, and they can feel assured that their employer cares about them.
A claim should be filled out for everyone who is injured, and they should each get their own claim forms. Copies may need to be passed on to the worker or to their lawyer. Be sure to make those forms available in case they are needed. These forms should be filled out fully and honestly, and they should be filled by the employer in most cases.
Consider Legal Counsel
Finally, the business owners should seek legal counsel after an accident, if they believe that the incident could turn into a court case. They should seek out the top rated advisors to determine what their next step is. Whether they were negligent or not in the matter, they may need legal resignation to help them present their case well.
Taking this step will protect the business and will help inform them of what kind of options they have available to them. If they do not have a lawyer they use regularly, then finding a reliable one is crucial. They should read reviews and do some research before settling on a choice.
