More than four million people are injured on the job every year. In 2018, 5,250 of those injuries were fatal. If you’ve been injured on the job, there are some very important steps you should take to protect yourself and you should always remember that you should talk to a workers compensation lawyer for professional legal advice.

We’ll walk you through the process, so you know exactly what to do and when if you’re ever hurt at work.

Seek Medical Attention Immediately When You’re Injured on the Job

Your health is the most important thing to take care of. If you’re seriously injured at work, the first thing you should do is get medical attention. If you fall and hit your head or suffer a serious cut or burn, get help immediately.

Call 9-1-1 or have someone take you to the emergency room if your work injury is that serious. That’s especially important for head injuries because it isn’t always obvious if it’s life-threatening.

Report the Injury

If your job injury is minor or you feel you can wait to see a doctor, then report the injury to your supervisor as soon as you can. Follow your company’s procedure.

Some states require a workplace injury to be reported in writing. Others allow for a verbal notification. Rather than spend time tracking down the law in your state, go ahead and report your work injury in writing. Your company should have a form for you to fill out.

It doesn’t matter how insignificant you feel the injury is. Report it. The most common injuries in the workplace are falls, bruises from banging into equipment, and overexertion.

Gather Evidence

You’ll need to provide evidence that your workplace injury happened through no fault of your own. So, document anything that may be relevant to your claim.

For example, if a machine malfunctioned and hurt you, try and take a few pictures of the equipment. Be sure to show the part of the machine that wasn’t working properly.

Jot down the names of anyone who witnessed your injury. The insurance company may want to verify what happened.

File a Worker’s Compensation Claim

A worker’s compensation claim is simply an insurance claim. You’re not taking legal action against the company. You’re filing a claim with your employer’s insurance company rather than your own.

By law, your employer must give you the claim form to fill out. You’ll fill out all the information requested in the “Employee” section. Then, give the form back to your supervisor for him to fill out. Make sure you keep a copy of the form once it’s completed.

If your employer doesn’t have the claim form or won’t give it to you, contact your state Workers’ Compensation Office. Click here to find the office in your state.

It typically takes about two weeks to hear back from the insurance company about your claim.

According to Mike Morse, if you’re injured at work and you don’t feel that your rights are being protected, you may want to seek professional help from someone like this personal injury attorney.

Be Truthful

If you’re injured on the job, it might be tempting to exaggerate the situation or withhold information you think might hurt you. But, that will only cause more damage in the long run. Remember that a lot of companies have security cameras in place that might prove you wrong.

We hope you found this article helpful. Please browse our blog for more great business-related information.