Most workers that are injured on the job are entitled to worker's compensation to cover their medical expenses and lost wages. While most people will be lucky enough to avoid these incidents, it is important to understand how you should proceed if this ever happens to you. More precisely, having these two common questions addressed will help you ensure your rights are protected following a job related injury.
What Is The First Thing You Should Do If Injured In The Workplace?
If you have suffered a serious on the job injury, your first reaction should be to alert your employer before seeking medical care. After you have been treated, you should document the injuries that you suffered by taking photographs that have the date clearly visible.
In addition to documenting your physical injuries, you will also need to document the area where the accident happened and what you were doing at the time of the injury. This can also largely be done with photographs. If you do not own a traditional camera, your cell phone may be a suitable alternative if the camera is good. If you are unable to take pictures of the site, you will be entitled to access to the security camera footage from the site, and if this is also not available for any reason, you will need to get statements from any witnesses that were present.
How Do You Proceed If The Workplace Safety And Insurance Board Denies Your Claim?
To start the process of being compensated for these injuries, you will need to file your claim with the Workplace Safety And Insurance Board. This is the government body that is tasked to oversee these benefits. Unfortunately, this board can make mistakes that deny eligible claimants their compensation.
If your claim is unfortunate enough to be denied or challenged by the board, you should immediately seek legal counsel. You are allowed an appeal from the original ruling by the board, but you only have a single appeal. By retaining an attorney, like the ones at Yormak & Associates, for this phase of the process, you can ensure that your case has the greatest odds of success possible. Lawyers that specialize in these disputes will have the expertise needed to help you build the strongest case possible for why you deserve these benefits, but if you are concerned about paying these individuals, you should not be because these attorneys are only paid if they are successful in getting you approved for your compensation.
Knowing how you should act or what to expect following a workplace injury can be challenging. However, knowing the importance of documenting your injuries and how the appeal process works will help you to protect your rights throughout this process.
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