Following work safety rules is always a good idea. Add that to commonsense and you may be able to avoid being injured while on the job in St. Petersburg, no matter what the function of the position may be. No matter how safety conscious you are, though, there is always a chance that you could be the victim of a workplace injury.
Each employer has a responsibility to make sure the employees know in what order to do things if they are injured while on the job. The steps outlined here may not be in the order your Saint Petersburg employer would prefer, but each step should be taken at some point.
Steps to Take if Injured at Work
- If it is an emergency, make sure to get help immediately and fill out any paperwork later.
- Report the accident or injury to the person in charge over your position. That may be your supervisor, department manager, or foreman. Make sure that when you report it to them you are able to tell exactly what happened, how it happened, if there were any witnesses, and how serious you believe the injury is.
- Fill out an accident or injury report. The report should include the date and time of injury, details about how it happened, and the names of any other persons involved or who may have witnessed it. It should also include the treatment you may have already received if you had first aid or any other treatment immediately following the incident. All of this should be done on the day of the accident or as soon after as possible.
- Report the accident to your company’s Workers Compensation plan. Even if you don’t need to miss work because of the injury, you may still need to have some medical treatment, and Workers Comp. will handle that. They will cover your medical bills and will assign you someone to manage your case who will help you through the process. They should contact you soon after your report.
- Get the treatment necessary to help with your injury. Don’t hesitate to be seen by someone even just as a precaution.
- If you are given any restrictions from the doctor, follow them exactly. Not only will this help your injury heal faster, it may also be a condition of Workers Comp. paying your medical bills and paying you while you recover.
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- Call a good personal workplace injury attorney. You may have more to deal with than you initially expect with the injury. You also may be entitled to more than your employer or Workers Comp may be able to offer. You really won’t know what all of your options are until you speak to a personal injury attorney about the accident, the extent of your injuries, the amount of pain you are in, and whether it was because of negligence or the fault of something or someone else.
Workplace injury and accidents happen more often than they should, and often are not reported right away because the injured party does not think it is serious. More often than not, though, an injury will end up being serious enough to require at least minimal medical attention, even the next day. Taking the proper steps to make sure you are covered will go a long way in getting the proper help, the proper way.