Workplace Injuries: What To Do After Your Employee Meets With An Accident

Post-accident best practices

On an average, more than 99 people are injured at work each day. However, the good news is that American workplaces are getting safer in recent years, with annual workplace deaths falling from 14,000 to 5,000 in the last 40 years.
 

However, injuries are still a common occurrence and one that employers need to be prepared for. Most importantly, employers need to have a list of best practices that they follow in the event of an employee injury, particularly in those moments right after an accident occurs.  
 
There is nothing worse than a late-reported claim. You want to know the who, what, when, where of the incident, but you also want to know how to most quickly provide care and treatment for the injured employee.
 
Time is of the essence when it comes to collecting recorded statements.
 
The quicker you interview your employees and eyewitnesses, the fresher their memory will be. Let them know that no one is trying to place blame, but that you rather want to collect information so that you can find out what happened and therefore prevent such a tragedy in the future.
 
The HR expert says that it is a good idea to take pictures of the scene, and to include rulers in the images to help keep things to scale.
 
You should also hang on to any surveillance videos or monitoring footage, you might have of the incident. This can be invaluable later on when trying to demonstrate who is at fault.
 
Or, if the accident occurred at a convention center or other public place, ask for those videos or reports from their on-site medical team.
 
Make sure you record all statements that you get from witnesses, supervisors, as well as from the injured employee when they are able to be interviewed.
 
As you work with your insurance company or your H.R. outsourcing company, you want to make sure you have open communication with your employee.
 
Be in contact with that employee, especially if they are off work. Stay involved. Let them know that you are concerned with their well-being and you want them to come back to work. They need to know that you are taking their claim seriously.
 
If fraud is an issue, then you need to trust your gut. 
 
If something doesn't feel right, listen to that feeling. For example, Monday mornings are the most common time for employees to make fraudulent claims. They hurt their back on a Sunday moving something at home, then come in on Monday morning and make a fraudulent claim in order to get paid for lost wages they will suffer due to their injury.
 
Someone who may be faking an injury should be investigated thoroughly. Tell your insurance company or H.R. outsourcing company right away if you suspect fraud. 
 
Employers need to take workplace accidents seriously because an injured-at-work claim will impact the employer for the next 3 years.