When it comes to work-related injuries, it’s important to always report your injuries, no matter how small they may seem.
When you hear about work injury claims, you may imagine life-altering injuries or conditions that render a person unable to sustain themselves. While these claims are not an easy thing to go through, they aren’t reserved only for extreme cases.
When it comes to work-related injuries, it’s important to always report your injuries, no matter how small they may seem. If you worry that your report will not be seen well by your employer or if you question its utility yourself, here are the pro arguments.
Your Employer Should Pay the Medical Expenses
Whether it’s a small or a serious injury, your medical expenses should generally be covered by your employer’s insurance company if the accident happens while you were performing work duties. Worker’s compensation exists to protect you from financial struggles due to work injuries. It also makes your employer responsible when it comes to workplace safety and protecting their staff, so knowing and demanding your rights is the best thing to do.
You May Get Complication in the Future
You might not think your injury is worth filing a report for if you get a puncture or a backache, let’s say. However, if your minor injury aggravates (gets infected or turns out to be something more serious), not filing a report can affect your workers’ comp claim.
Covering Time off Work
Whether it’s at the time of the injury or later (due to complications), taking time off work for treating your minor injury should generally be covered by worker’s compensation. If you don’t report your injury, your employer might ask you to still go to work, which can aggravate your medical problem.
File a Report Immediately
Filing a report right after (or as soon as possible) the incident occurred makes your employer acknowledge the injury and thus you can prove that they are aware of it. If you don’t file an official report (preferably a written one), your employer can deny ever knowing about it or even it happening at your workplace.
You Will Make Your Workplace Safer for Everybody
If you think that a minor injury is not worth pursuing, imagine that you just got fortunate. Many times, small work-related injuries are a symptom of poor risk management from your employer. If you don’t file a report on your small injury, the risks are still going to be there and the next time someone might not be as fortunate. Filing a report is the responsible thing to do and it should not get you in trouble.
If you believe that filing a work injury report makes your employer treats you differently, get in contact with a St. Louis work injury lawyer 24/7 at (314) 361-4300.