Always always always report your injury! No matter how minor. A lot of people think, “Let me see if it will get better.” This is the wrong idea. I have had clients get a scratch, and think nothing of it, until they are in the hospital weeks later due to an uncontrollable infection requiring amputation of the affected body part!
By law, you have THIRTY (30) days to report your injury to your employer from the date that you realized you sustained a work related injury. So the sooner the better, since one of the first issues that will arise is “What took you so long to report it?” If you do not report your injury to your employer within 30 days of knowing about it, you will be barred from filing a work comp case. There would be nothing an attorney could do to help you at this point.
What and how should you go about reporting your injury? You must report it to someone that is higher-up than you. Not a co-worker. It must be a foreman, boss, supervisor and even HR. Keep proof of when and to whom you reported the injury to. If it’s verbally, you can always have the employer that comes back and says “Nope, you never told me about it, ” and then it becomes a spitting contest as to who said what to whom, and there is no proof!
Here are some ways to report your injury (no matter how minor):
- Notify your employer in writing in a way that you have proof that they were notified (via fax, email, hand delivery…anything with confirmation)
- Notify your employer in person but make sure that there are other people present to “witness” it.
- Of course, if necessary, go to the doctor and bring the doctor’s note to your employer if applicable.
When you do notify them, you must clearly indicate that you suffered an injury from work. Merely stating “my back hurt this morning, I am going to see the doctor” or calling in sick the next day, does not work! You must be specific and notify them of when, how and what happened. Never assume that they “knew” what you meant.
These are just a few ways to be sure you effectively notified your employer. If you have questions, please always keep us in mind, as we are always here to help!
Contact Us
As you can see, a year worth of driving to your doctor’s appointments can certainly add up! To set up a free initial consultation, contact us online or call us at 844-402-2992. For your convenience, we answer our phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will meet with you
