Thursday, August 11, 2016

Reporting Workplace Injuries

Workers who get hurt in the workplace should try to report the accident immediately for several reasons:

(1) As time goes on, there are greater chances of additional non-work aggravations.
(2) It becomes more difficult to prove that the symptoms were caused by the workplace accident.
(3) With unclear proof, the workers comp adjustor is less likely to pay for the medical treatment I need.
(4) Without the medical treatment, I'm in too much pain to work hard and I get fired.
(5) Being hurt and without employment, I cannot pay my bills, and it will take the Utah Labor Commission about 18 months to process my workers compensation claim.  I cannot afford to be without income for 18 months.

The best practice is to go to WorkMed immediately following the accident because WorkMed knows how to file the Form 123 with the Utah Labor Commission.  Also, report the accident to your management and get a copy of the Form 122 when the Human Resources manager files it with the Utah Labor Commission.

If you think that reporting the injury will get you fired, then that is a difficult situation to be in.  Consider looking for a new job; but a new job does not heal your injury and the new workers comp carrier will likely not pay for the injury you suffered at the prior job.  If the injury is very minor, then you might decide to forget about it and just keep working.  You might want to talk with an attorney or with the Utah Labor Commission about your options.  For more information, call me at (435) 592-1235 or visit www.timothydanielslaw.com.