You hurt yourself at work recently, but your employer has workers’ compensation. Unfortunately, that does not mean your company handled your situation right. Do you know whether your employer dropped the ball?
Chron breaks down employer responsibilities for addressing employee injuries. Understanding employer responsibilities to injured workers protect your rights.
Employer responsibilities
Companies must provide harmed employees with instant medical treatment. If your injury needs future medical attention, your employer must provide that, too. Your company should also create an injury report and document the incident with the local workers’ compensation board office.
First notification
You or a coworker must notify your employer that you hurt yourself on the clock. After learning of an employee injury, a supervisor should provide medical care and make sure you do not hurt yourself further. Supervisors must investigate the matter and put measures in place to prevent similar injuries from happening. The company should also document the accident site by taking images, employee statements and video.
Recovery and rehabilitation
After providing immediate medical attention and filing a workers’ comp claim, your employer must support you during your recovery. You may need vocational or physical rehabilitation or long-term medical attention.
Your company owes you a duty of care when you return to the workplace. That means accommodating your injury while they recover. You could need to work in a different space or change work duties.
Checking all the boxes on workers’ comp claims helps you recover and get back to work. Your employer must follow through with all their responsibilities. Otherwise, you may not recover proper compensation.