Insurance Law

What Happens When You Are Injured on the Job?

Workplace injuries are not very common but this does not mean that they don’t ever happen. They do but the point is that when workers get injured on the job, they should expect adequate compensation from the employer, the insurer or both. Below is what you should expect when you are injured on the job.

The Right Response

All employers do not respond the same way when their workers get injured on the job. For the record, the right response by the employer is understanding, compensation and even compassion. Below are some elements of the right response when you are injured on the job.

Emergency Response

If you are injured on the job, your employer should start the process with an emergency response. If there is a staff hospital on the grounds of the company, the injured worker should be rushed to the place for first aid and emergency treatment. Once the worker has been stabilized, the next step is specialist medical attention at a bigger medical facility if this is required.

Documentation

The next step is documentation. This is a comprehensive and objective report of the incident. If the company has a CCTV camera, this will make things easier because video evidence is incontrovertible. However, in the absence of CCTV cameras, the company executives will get oral and written testimonies from the people who witnessed the accident. If the victim is lucid, he or she can also make a statement for the record.

Assessing Compensation

The next step in the process is the assessment of the injuries and the extent of compensation required. At this point, the relevant section of the company will simply go by the book. This means looking at the injured worker’s personal insurance cover. Depending on the extent of injuries, the victim may or may not require extra compensation. When all these things have been taken into account, the company can take decision but this decision cannot be implemented until the injured person is discharged from the hospital.

The Wrong Response

Sometimes, the employer may respond the wrong way and this is when things might get complicated. This usually happens when the employer or the insurer tries to wriggle out of paying compensation or refuses to take responsibility for the accident. In this case, the most obvious outcome is litigation.

What the Injured Worker Should Do

The smart move is to get in touch with a competent and experienced personal injury attorney. The injured worker should tell the lawyer what happened and what he or she expects from the employer. Since the employer appears to be displaying an irresponsible attitude, the lawyer should go all out and sue the employer. Once the case is in court, the employer might seek an out of court settlement to avoid the cost of litigation. However, the lawyer should insist on getting the maximum compensation to help his or her client and teach the employer a lesson.

Final Word

As you can see, getting injured on the job can lead to complications. In cases where the employer does not to do the right thing, the best move is to sue he employer, the insurer or both.

Look at https://arawc.org for more info.