How to Handle a Workplace Injury: A Quick Guide to the Workers’ Comp Process

  • Published Feb 05, 2019

You’ve worked hard to train your employees so they’re safe on the job. But snowy weather, a busy morning at the salon, an unexpected lunch rush or even a routine day on the delivery route can shake things up and accidents can still happen. That’s when having a process in place for handling a workplace injury can provide peace of mind, ensuring things are managed as smoothly and safely as possible.

1. Get medical treatment immediately
When an employee is injured on the job, it’s important they receive medical care quickly. For emergency situations, such as those that are life- and limb- threatening, please call 911 to ensure your employee is transported to the closest emergency room. Less serious injuries may simply require treatment at a medical facility, like an urgent care center or with the employee’s medical provider.

  • Not sure what to do? Cerity maintains a 24/7 hotline at 1 844 423-7489 for our s to discuss non-emergent injuries with a registered nurse. This service is free to use and can help reduce overall claim costs by triaging the injury and guiding your employee to the right level of care.

2. Report the injury ASAP
As soon as your employee is safe and being cared for, it’s time to report the injury. If you haven’t already reported the injury before treatment of the injury, Cerity s can call to report the injury after treatment. We’ll take care of everything from there, while walking you through the claims process every step of the way.

3. Communicate early and often
In the days or weeks that follow a workplace injury, promote open communication between everyone involved – your employee, their supervisor, co-workers, medical provider, etc. – to help support their recovery (however, be sure to protect your employee’s private information as required by applicable law).

4. Work with your claims adjuster on a return-to-work program
One of the quickest ways to promote a healthy recovery is by offering injured workers something called ‘modified work duty’ that comes in the form of a return-to-work program. This can be created by working with your claims adjuster and nurse case manager where applicable to create a return to work program in the event you have an employee out of work for a protracted period of time due to a workplace injury.

5. Evaluate potential safety updates
When you understand what caused the accident and why, it may be time to evaluate making changes to your safety program and procedures to help prevent something similar from happening in the future. We’ll be sure you know what’s going on throughout the entire claims process, keeping you aware of all updates as they arise. Once your employee is back to work or the situation is resolved, we’ll take care of closing the claim by working with you and the employee’s medical provider.

6. Safety and injury prevention are key
We’re all about safety here at Cerity because we know creating a safe workplace is the number one thing you can do to prevent accidents, reduce workers’ comp claims and lower costs. Check out some of our quick reads in our Learning Center for helpful articles & resources and answers to frequently asked questions.

At Cerity, we help guide our s through the worker’s compensation claim process and we are available to answer any questions to help ease your worry about a claim. Not yet a Cerity ? Find out how you can get a quote today and be protected tomorrow – all in five minutes or less.

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The information provided is intended to provide a general overview. This information is not legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Cerity® makes no warranties for the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of the information provided, and will not be responsible for any actions taken based on the information contained herein. If you have legal questions or need legal advice, please consult an attorney.