An estimated 33 million work-related injuries occur every year, making it a major risk for many. If you’ve been in a workplace accident, you might feel unsure what the proper protocol is. Depending on the severity of the accident, you may feel you need to see a doctor. In fact, this may happen even weeks after the accident takes place.
Fortunately, there are many options for treatment after a work accident. It may be advisable or even necessary to go to the hospital after an accident. Consulting a healthcare professional at a quality hospital can give you more information about their methods for treating workplace injuries.
This article explores what you should do and how to decide whether or not to go to the hospital after an accident.
Dealing With Workers’ Comp
If, after a workplace accident, you feel you need emergency medical care, your workplace’s workers’ compensation plan should be able to cover the cost. It’s important to be informed on what injuries are and aren’t covered by your employer. In fact, only certain injuries are covered by workers’ comp, and you could end up with an unexpected charge if you haven’t done your research.
You need to notify your employer immediately about the accident in order to make sure that your medical needs will be addressed appropriately. Even if you’re not injured too severely, your employer will want to know what happened so they can conduct an investigation into whether or not they could have done anything differently.
In some cases, you may be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before any information is disclosed to anyone else. This type of agreement states that if you tell anyone that you’ve been involved in an accident, you’ll also tell them about any injuries. Your employer may want to request copies of medical reports from the hospital before clearing you for returning to work.
When you arrive at the hospital, present your employer’s workers’ comp information rather than your personal health insurance information as it’s illegal for a hospital to charge you for something workers’ comp should cover. Similarly, if you have to go to the hospital sometime after the actual accident, you should have an insurance adjuster and claim number from the accident. You should also ensure your family or loved ones know who your employer is so that, in case you’re unconscious after an accident, the hospital can still process their workers’ comp information.
If you experience long-term health issues as a result of your job, you may be eligible for a settlement. Depending upon the complexity of your case and the severity of your injury, you may consider hiring a lawyer to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve.
Workers’ compensation claims, like other types of claims, can sometimes be denied due to reasons such as missed deadlines, improper accident reporting, or inaccurate medical records.
Fortunately, legal assistance can be instrumental in enhancing the chances of having your claim approved. A lawyer can thoroughly evaluate your workplace accident, assist with the necessary paperwork, and ensure the claim is filed within the required time frame. This support can facilitate your recovery from workplace injuries.
There may be other scenarios when a lawyer’s assistance is invaluable. For instance, if you find yourself dismissed from your job while you’re on workers’ compensation and believe the grounds for this are unjustifiable, you may have grounds for a case against your employer for violating certain employment laws.
It’s important to note that an employer generally cannot terminate an employee solely because they’ve filed a workers’ comp claim, which can be considered discriminatory or unlawful retaliation. For a termination to be valid, the employer needs to gather sufficient evidence and adhere to necessary procedures.
If you suspect you’ve been unfairly dismissed due to filing a workers’ comp claim, it’s advisable to consult with an experienced lawyer promptly. They can help collect concrete evidence to establish a link between the termination and your workers’ comp claim, potentially proving it as an act of discrimination or retaliation. To help you find a lawyer, visit this website or check other reliable resources online.
Judging The Gravity Of Workplace Accidents
In the era of COVID-19, many companies have instituted new comprehensive safety protocols to keep their workplace accident- and virus-free. Still, accidents can happen at any time; many of these result in injury and some are even fatal.
Physical injury from a workplace accident can range from simple bruises and scrapes to broken bones and permanent injuries. An estimated 20% of all workplace accidents are caused by the mishandling of equipment or products. These injuries usually happen while performing job duties, either on the property of the workplace or outside of it.
Physical injuries can be either temporary or long-term, such as those resulting from a fall or sprained ankle. Other common work-related injuries include strains, sprains, tears, and other injuries from repetitive motion. These injuries are often caused by the use of equipment, chemicals, equipment failure, or misuse of work materials.
It’s also possible to sustain psychological injury from a workplace accident. Psychological or emotional injuries are different from a physical injury in that they’re not usually caused by a defect or flaw in the product or equipment used by the employee. They’re more often caused by an event that causes mental and emotional trauma to the worker, such as the handling of dangerous substances, poor training, a lack of supervision, or equipment failure. The injured employee may become fearful, depressed, anxious, in a state of shock or trauma, or even suicidal.
How Can The Hospital Help With Your Recovery?
There are a variety of methods and resources available to help recover from a workplace accident, including therapy, counseling, and therapy options to help cope with the trauma. Hospitals will have resources to handle time-sensitive emergencies, as well as longer-term rehabilitation needs.
If you need physical therapy to recover from a workplace injury, some hospitals should be able to provide this service, and it may be covered in your employer’s workers’ compensation plan. Remember that psychological or emotional injuries may take longer to recover from than physical injuries, so it’s important to take all necessary steps to ensure that you fully recover, whether you heal at home or in a rehabilitation facility.
You shouldn’t return to your job until you’ve had a chance to heal completely from your injury. It’s easy to exacerbate injuries from performing the repetitive motion, and returning to work too early could very easily cause the injury to resurface. Once you feel well enough to return to work, it’s important that you begin to rebuild your life by returning to your normal routine as quickly as possible
Recover From A Workplace Accident… And Land On Your Feet!
It’s easy to feel blown off course by a workplace accident. Unexpected, unpleasant, and potentially costly, you may worry about whether or not you should go to the hospital and what treatments are available to you. Fortunately, your employer’s workers’ comp plan should be able to cover your treatment to help you get back on your feet and back to work in no time! Remember that getting involved in a workplace accident isn’t the end of everything. You can obtain support and proper treatment to help you recover as quickly as possible.
If you have any health issues related to the accident even long after it has passed, you should see your doctor promptly. The sooner you begin treating your injury, the faster you’ll be able to get on the road to recovery
