How to Respond When a Worker is Hurt on The Job
No employer ever wants to have to see an employee get injured, but it happens on job sites across the country every day. Even the best safety programs can have injuries, but it is how the company responds to the injury that can help make the situation worse or better. All of our clients have the proper workers’ compensation insurance in place that is set up to help an employee recover from an accident, but it is those first few steps a company takes in the wake of an accident that can make all of the difference in the world.
Attend To The Employee
Having the right insurance for your company and your workers means having full confidence in the first steps you take immediately after an accident occurs. Your employee is your top concern, and getting them proper medical attention is critical. A work site accident can run the full range from a band-aid to a cut to a 911 call for an ambulance. It is up to your on-site staff to make the right determination as to what action to take to get the right kind of medical assistance to your fallen employee as soon as possible.
Make Sure Your Employee Follows Up
Whether your work site accident results in a band-aid or a trip to the hospital, you need a company policy in place that does not allow the employee to come back to work until they have had a follow-up appointment with their doctor. This might seem inconvenient to your employees, but your organization is not made up of medical experts. That means that you rely on the opinions of medical professionals to make sure that your employees get the best care possible.
Get The Accident Report Right
Once your employee has been properly cared for, you need to create a comprehensive accident report for your insurance company and your own files. A detailed accident report that includes eyewitness accounts and physical evidence can help the insurance company to understand what happened to cause the accident, and make recommendations to prevent the accident in the future.
For your company, comprehensive accident investigations are critical to preventing future accidents and updating safety training to reflect any necessary changes. Safety is a dynamic part of running any company, and you need to use the information available to you to create the best possible safety policies to protect your employees.
Consider Long-Term Implications
It is important that you stay in contact with your injured employee and help them understand all of their long-term care options for serious injuries. You should let the employee know how much support and financial assistance they can expect from company resources, and what their options would be when the company resources run out.
It is not enough for a company to have the right types and amounts of insurance in place to protect the health of their employees. Your company needs to have comprehensive policies in place that your field supervisors understand completely that will be put into effect the moment an accident occurs. The way in which you treat your employees when they are injured will influence how safe they feel when they are on the job. For your own peace of mind and the peace of mind of your employees, you should know exactly how to react when an accident occurs.