Workplace Safety 101: What to Do When you get Hurt at Work

Injured While at Work and Have Questions?

Despite the best of safety practices in place in the workplace, there are times in which a person can become injured while at work.

When this happens, there are certain things that you need to do to ensure that you are not only getting the best medical care for the injury but for your personal protection as well.

When a person is hurt at work, they are not only dealing with the physical pain of being hurt, they may also find that they cannot do their job and are laid off from this position until they are healed.

This means that they are dealing with lost wages, as well as mounting medical wages.

Woman clutching at radiating pain in shoulder

What is a Workplace Injury?

What qualifies as a workplace injury? This is defined as any type of injury you get while at work.

This can be industrial accidents such as those that happen on a construction site. It can also be something like a slip and fall in a retail setting. Other types of workplace injuries can be:

  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Severe cuts
  • Broken bones
  • Burns

And basically, anything that results in harm to you, the worker.

Most people are not going to claim a workplace injury on a papercut or something along these lines.

In most cases, workplace injuries are those injuries that result in pain and emergency care needed to help the person get back to one hundred percent.

Are There Fields More Prone to Injuries?

There are certain fields that are more prone to injuries simply because these fields are more high risk.

For example:

  • Blue collar workers are more likely to be injured than white collared workers
  • Those who work longer hours are more likely to be injured
  • Those in physically hard labor jobs like machinists or construction workers are more likely to suffer an injury

In addition, statistics have showcased that young men are at a higher risk of becoming injured than older men. In 2003, it was estimated that around half a million Canadian workers were injured on the job. This means that for most people, they are at a risk for getting injured.

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What to Do When Injured

When you are working and you do suffer an injury, there are certain rules that you need to follow to ensure that you are protecting yourself.

  • Notify your supervisor or employer of the injury if you can. In situations in which co-workers must call an ambulance, these co-workers will address the supervisor or employer about this injury. Why does the supervisor need to be one of the first people contacted? There are certain rules that each employer has in place for workplace injuries that need to be followed. The employer will want to ensure that they are doing what they need to do under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.
  • Once you have received medical attention, then be sure that you are filing a claim with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Your employer will also need to file this claim. Why file it? If you end up having medical bills or lost wages from an injury, it all needs to be documented.
  • Be sure to follow up with your doctor and ensure that he or she knows that this was a workplace injury. They too will need to fill out forms for the WSIB to document this injury and all that is being done to get you back on your feet.
  • Apply for long-term disability insurance if you qualify. This type of insurance is available for those who are hurt on the job and can no longer work. This is something to apply for only if the doctor believes that you will not be able to return to work for some time. You will want to work with the human resources of your employer to determine what forms to fill out.

How Your Employer Can Prevent Workplace Accidents

Every employer is required to provide employees with a safe working environment in order to minimize the number of workplace-related injuries that occur. What type of requirements are in place?

  • Employers must ensure that they are adhering to the safety standards that are put in place by the government.
  • They need to provide employees with the proper training to work on the floor that results in fewer accidents.
  • They must provide employees with any type of safety materials that are meant to protect them. For example, safety glasses or gloves to prevent work injuries.
  • The employer must also ensure that everyone is working within these standards. If someone were to be putting everyone else in danger, then they would need to be terminated.
  • The employer may require courses from time to time in order to go over safety information and what to do in the event of an injury to ensure everyone knows what to do and what to watch out for to avoid injury.

Your employer has the responsibility of ensuring that workplace accidents are not happening due to the environment.

Client and lawyer shake hands.

How You Can Prevent Workplace Accidents

You, the employee, can also do your part in preventing workplace accidents. How can you do this? By following these steps:

  • Be aware of your surroundings and report anything that is considered unsafe to the employer. If the employer does not fix this, then be sure to report this to the Ministry of Labour right away so that action can be taken to correct this.
  • Ensure that you are aware of where the first aid station is at so that you can provide relief to yourself or a co-worker if they become injured.
  • Always pay attention during safety briefs and courses at work so that you know exactly what to do in an unsafe situation.
  • Never be quiet about an injury thinking that this is nothing. Always report it so that you can get the help you need, and also ensure that no one else has the same accident as you.

Be sure that you are using your five senses to identify anything that could be hazardous. Slowing down and taking the time to be aware of your surroundings is one of the best ways to avoid an injury.

When is a Personal Injury Lawyer Needed?

For those who suffer a workplace injury, they often wonder whether they will need a personal injury attorney on their side.

In some cases, the workplace is going to cover the cost of their accident and long-term disability does kick in to help the person make ends meet.

However, there are times in which a person is denied everything, and they are lost. This is when you need to contact a personal injury lawyer that deals with workplace accidents, and can help with the disability forms, lost wages and mounting medical bills that you are experiencing.

Here at Conte Jaswal, we have experience in working with those who have been injured while at work.

From those temporary injuries to those long-term injuries that are going to affect the rest of your life, we can help.

If you have been hurt at work, don’t wait to get help. Contact us today about your case…we look forward to helping you.
Contact us today for a FREE Consultation.

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