No one starts the day expecting a workplace injury.
Whether it's a twisted knee, a fall from a ladder, or a back strain from moving materials, the moments immediately following an injury can be stressful for everyone involved. The good news is that the steps you take in those first few hours can make a big difference for your worker, your company, and the overall claim outcome.
Take Care of the Worker First
Your first priority is always the health and well-being of the injured employee. If the injury is serious or you're unsure of the severity, call 911 right away. For less critical injuries, assess the situation and determine the appropriate level of medical care. It may also be necessary to secure the area to prevent additional injuries and preserve information about what happened.
If medical treatment is needed, consider having a supervisor or manager accompany the worker. Not only does this show your employee that the company cares, but it also gives your supervisor or manager an opportunity to discuss modified/light-duty work options with the medical provider. Early communication can help support a safe and timely return to work.
Don't Wait to Gather the Facts
Once immediate medical needs have been addressed, start documenting what happened while details are still fresh. Talk with the injured employee and any witnesses. Written statements can help preserve an accurate account of the incident and may become valuable months later if memories begin to fade.
It isn't unusual for memories to change unintentionally over time. A minor fall might later be remembered as a much larger one, or a relatively light object may seem much heavier after multiple medical visits. Having documentation from the day of the incident helps ensure everyone is working from the same set of facts.
Head injuries deserve particular attention. Witness accounts can be especially important when questions arise about loss of consciousness, which is often used to determine treatment decisions and injury severity. Accurate information early on can help avoid unnecessary complications and delays.
Look for Lessons, Not Blame
Every incident is an opportunity to improve safety.
After gathering information, review what happened and consider discussing it during a safety meeting. Even inexperienced crews can identify simple changes that help prevent the same type of injury from happening again. Taking time to learn from an incident today may help prevent another one tomorrow.
Don't Overlook Third-Party Responsibility
Sometimes the employer isn't the only party involved.
If the injury was caused by someone other than your company or one of your employees, it may qualify as a third-party industrial claim. Common examples include motor vehicle accidents, defective equipment, unsafe property conditions, or the negligence of another contractor.
Identifying third-party involvement early can have a significant impact on claim costs. Once a third party is identified by L&I, the claim costs are reduced to 50% until recovery is made from the third party. In some cases, the entire cost of the claim may be recovered, leaving the employer with no claim costs.
One More Step Before You Move On
After you've gathered the necessary information, complete the Employer's Report of Accident. This allows your ROII claim representative (ROII claim rep) to review the details and submit the report to L&I on your behalf.
It's also important to send claim-related information directly to your ROII claim rep rather than submitting additional documents to L&I yourself. Once information is submitted to L&I, it becomes part of the permanent claim file and cannot be revised or removed. Your ROII claim rep can help make sure the right information gets where it needs to go.
Your ROII Claim Rep Is Here to Help
Workplace injuries don't happen every day for most employers, and that's a good thing. But when they do happen, you don't have to navigate the process alone.
Your ROII claim rep can help answer questions, identify potential concerns, and guide you through the next steps. From reporting the injury and gathering documentation to exploring return-to-work options and identifying potential third-party involvement, your ROII claim rep is there to help you navigate the process while you focus on supporting your worker and keeping your business moving forward.