Employee Injury Care Basics: A Guide on Helping Injured Workers Recover
Want to know how you can take better care of your employees?
It’s an important aspect of your job as an employer to find more ways to help your workers flourish. When untoward incidents happen, injured employees must get the best treatment possible.
So, how do you administer injury care?
The simple answer lies within our guide. Make sure to read everything to learn how to manage the worst:
1. Formulate an Emergency Plan
Injuries are easier to deal with if you already have a plan and work with safety consultant services. After accidents occur, every staff member must know what to do. It applies to everyone, from managers and supervisors to normal employees.
Your employees must know where to go and who to call. Emergency protocols must be part of your company’s culture. Don’t leave the details rotting on a shelf. Learn about the 4 phases of emergency management before it’s too late to make sure everyone knows what to do when an emergency actually happens.
Make it a point to remind your workforce about the right process of injury care. Your workers must have a concrete idea of your workplace safety procedures. Go the extra mile with regular fire drills and other emergency simulations. Also, training your employees on the type of equipment they might need in the event of an emergency is very important. For example, in the case of severe blood loss, understanding the types of tourniquets can be very useful.
Post your accident reporting process in easy-to-access areas around your office. It need not be complex since all they need is to tell a supervisor about it. Call for medical care, especially for extreme situations.
After that, ask your employees to help supervisors with details. It makes the job of filing the incident report easier. Injured parties need to finish their treatment plan before returning to work.
As part of your plan, partner with a medical provider. Your provider must have a clear understanding of the company’s situation. This is also a good time to start talking with an injury lawyer to devise the best course of actions for everyone involved.
It’s best if they also know your workplace injury management process. They may even give professional advice to make your emergency protocols more effective.
The more plans and practice runs you do, the process of caring for the injured is timelier and easier. It makes your employees feel that you care. With this, their satisfaction with their job increases.
2. Seek Medical Help Immediately
The injured worker must get medical attention as soon as possible. If it’s a life-threatening injury, bring them to an emergency room. Call an ambulance when necessary, especially during after-hours.
Otherwise, send the employee to your healthcare provider. Pick one that focuses on occupational medicine. If you can’t go with them, make an authorization form to ensure they get treatment.
Employees must get treatment within 24 hours. The sooner they get treatment, the sooner the recovery process can start. Often, employees resume work within a week or less.
Giving your employees immediate medical attention can protect your business from legal action. Legal settlements can not only hurt your brand’s expenses but also your image.
It’s good practice to start investigating the accident after the treatment process begins. This helps you identify vulnerabilities and other risks on your premises. It will allow you to update your company’s safety procedures.
3. Maintain Communication
Regardless of the duration of your employee’s recovery, you must maintain communication. Everyone must receive updates regarding the following:
- Treatment plans
- Claim status
- Injured employee’s condition
- Process of returning to work
Communicating with the injured employee is important when managing workplace injuries. It’s already stressful enough for them since they’re afraid and confused. It makes them anxious because they have no idea what happens next.
Let them know you support them in these trying times. Ensure that their injury isn’t their fault and won’t harm their position. This gives your employee some peace of mind, in turn allowing them to recover faster.
4. Inform Key Stakeholders
When workplace injuries happen, it’s likely to involve Workers Compensation Insurance. The process can get complicated, so ensure to inform all key stakeholders as soon as you can.
In case of workplace injuries, make sure to inform the following parties:
- Employer
- Injured worker
- Workers’ comp payor or third-party administrator
- Healthcare provider
Managers must file a report to the insurance carrier within 24 hours after the incident. OSHA may give additional requirements. Talk to your provider to get some help with those details.
When sending the employee for treatment, don’t forget to include an authorization form. It must contain all information related to the incident. Avoid skimping on details to ensure your employees get the treatment they deserve.
Get one capable person to coordinate all activities related to claims management. It includes all key stakeholders listed above. They may also address concerns and deal with any impediments to the worker’s recovery.
5. Transition Employees Back to Work
The process of going back to work will differ depending on the injury. However, your support will make the employee’s transition more manageable. Work with your insurance and healthcare providers to plan a safer work transition.
Think about the necessary accommodations for your injured worker. You may need to make adjustments for their work hours or workload. Whatever the case is, their recovery is your priority.
Among these, it’s best to offer employees a transitional-duty program. Ensure that you put a lot of thought into it beforehand. It will boost their morale while keeping them connected with your workforce.
As the transition progresses, talk to your key stakeholders to keep them updated. Your employee might need follow-up visits or physical therapy to aid their recovery. The claims process may still be ongoing during this process.
With the proper status updates, the process of closing the case becomes easier. Once it concludes, test your plan’s goals against your company’s performance. It will help you notice trends that improve risk management strategies in the future.
The Best Way to Handle Employee Injury Care
These tips are essential if you want to make your workplace safer. With better injury care, your employees feel cared for and satisfied with their work. It will also keep them from suing your company for neglect.
Proper health and emergency protocols are crucial to any workplace. If you found this guide helpful, consider checking out our other blog pots. We have lots of different articles for workplace improvements.
