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Being injured is something that can be detrimental to your career and future. Depending on how serious the injury is you could miss time at work and valuable pay. In addition, your future performance may be affected, meaning that you may be less valuable to your company in the future. Not to mention the medical bills and fees you might have to deal with while all of this is going on. With this whirlwind of events going on, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and not know what to do. So what exactly should you do if you get hurt on the job and can no longer work? Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your career, and get out of a horrible situation relatively unscathed.
Medical Attention
The obvious first step you should take is to receive the necessary medical attention that you require. Being hurt on the job can have serious negative side effects on your career and productivity down the line. Ignoring necessary medical attention or treatment can enhance these negative effects and leave you out of work for longer or can even ruin your entire career. That is why it is extremely important that you receive proper medical care after your injury. Proper medical care will help you recover faster and will allow you to get back to work as soon as possible. Even if it doesn’t, receiving proper medical care will show both your employer and the government that you are trying your best to get through your injury, and aren’t just faking it for the benefits.
Alert Your Higher-Ups
After receiving the necessary medical treatment and receiving a diagnosis, it’s time to alert your higher-ups in management about what’s been going on. Ideally, you should alert managers and supervisors as soon as possible, but your health and safety should still take precedence. Alerting management of your injury as soon as possible will allow you and your employer to work something out while you recover. If your employer is unwilling to work with you through your injury, alerting your employer early will show the court that you were acting in good faith. Failure to alert your employer about a work related injury could result in forfeit of the right to worker’s compensation or other benefits. Don’t let this happen by simply alerting your employer to your injury as soon as possible.
File A Claim
The next thing you should do is file a worker’s compensation claim in order to collect benefits while you miss time from work. Worker’s compensation can provide a replacement to your lost wages as well as medical benefits. If you’re going to miss time from work, then worker’s compensation can allow you to recover some of your lost wages. In addition, you may receive some help paying your medical bills that stem from your work related injury. Filing a claim as soon as possible is very important, as you don’t want to miss out on any benefits. In addition, make sure you are open and honest in your claim, and ensure that you include all details related to the accident. You want to be as transparent as possible, so that the likelihood of your employer or the government withholding benefits from you are as small as possible.
Hire A Lawyer
Hiring a lawyer isn’t always necessary in a work injury case, but it can be a great help. Workers compensation lawyers can be a great help in ensuring that you receive all the benefits you are entitled to. Employers typically have a team of lawyers at their disposal, meaning that they already have an advantage when it comes to interpreting the law. Employers could exploit this advantage and attempt to limit the amount of benefits you receive, or may even try to avoid giving you benefits at all. Protect yourself by hiring a lawyer and evening the odds a bit. A lawyer can make sure you receive all the benefits you are supposed to, and can help ensure that you are not cheated. In addition, a lawyer can handle the entire legal process while you focus on resting and recovering in order to get back to work and continue on with your career.
