4 Tips For Handling Work Place Injuries Effectively
Workplace injuries can be very serious and very expensive. In fact, direct costs associated with workers' comp is estimated at about $1 billion dollars a week for employers. These costs can include medical services, legal fees, and even workers' comp payment to the employee. In order to help keep the costs at a minimum, the company must remain organized an efficient when dealing with workers' comp cases. Here are four tips to better manage your worker's comp cases and avoid paying high fees that could cost the company lots of money.
1. Start with the Supervisors
Your supervisors are your first line of defense when an injury occurs. When an accident happens, the supervisors should be at the scene helping to facilitate it all. They should direct employees where to go, investigate the validity of the accident, seek appropriate counsel, and monitor employees' activities afterwards. In order to feel confident that your supervisors are going to handle accidents appropriately, they have to be trained to do so. You want to be sure that your supervisors undergo consistent training. With ongoing training, you can keep them updated on new laws surrounding workers' comp claims.
2. Report Claims ASAP
When a claim is submitted from an employee, it needs to be attended to right away. As soon as the claim is submitted to the company, it needs to be passed onto the insurance company so they can begin working on it. At this time, you also want to have the employee sign a medical release form so you are able to retrieve medical records. This will help during the investigation and provide compensation quicker to the injured employee.
3. Facilitate the Return to Work
Once the employee has been released to come back to work, you need to understand at what level they can return. Not all injured employees are able to return in the same capacity they once worked at. If they cannot come to back in the same full capacity, you need to find them alternatives to their position. You want to focus on the employee's other skills they have that could be useful to the company. You should work with their direct supervisor to see how the employee could help in the department even while recuperating.
4. Investigate the Injury
There are two reasons why you want to investigate an injury thoroughly: to find out if the claim is completely valid and to understand what the company could have done differently. The quicker the investigation begins, the more evidence is preserved surrounding the accident. Keeping notes will help ensure that all parties are aware of the details of the accident. Visit a workers' compensation lawyer like http://leifericksonlawoffice.net for more information.
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