What should you do after a workplace injury?

When you go to work, you expect to do your job and then come back home without incurring serious harm. However, a workplace accident can render you unable to go back to work and your normal life temporarily or permanently.

Workers’ compensation benefits can provide you with financial coverage for medical care, wage loss benefits and other benefits following a workplace accident. But you must take certain steps after the accident to ensure your right to these benefits.

Seek Medical Care

Immediately following the workplace accident, seek medical care either from your company’s onsite provider or from an outside source. Tell your treating physician that your injuries occurred due to a workplace accident.

Report The Injury

As soon as possible, let your manager know about the injuries you incurred and the workplace accident. You also need to provide written notice about your injuries and provide a description of the accident to your employer within 30 days of it occurring, states the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

Continue With Treatment

Even if you proceed with the recovery process quickly, follow all of your physician’s orders for medical care, therapy and other forms of treatment. This will improve your chances of returning to the position you held before the workplace accident happened.

Even if you take all necessary steps to obtain workers’ compensation benefits following a workplace injury, your claim can still get denied. If this happens to you, take additional steps to obtain workers’ compensation benefits and protect your rights as an injured worker.