2 Things You Need to Do When There’s Been an Accident at Work

Whether you’re working with heavy machinery or simply stocking the shelves, workplace accidents can happen regardless of the situation. Or maybe you aren’t even working, maybe you’re on a break and just so happen to slip and hurt your back – after all, accidents come whenever they want and however they want. Well, whatever the case may be, the main and almost inevitable consequences of workplace accidents are lost wages and medical bills.

Dreadful, right? Luckily, you don’t have to worry about it as the Workers’ Compensation Act mandates upon the employer the civic duty to cover the lost wages and medicinal cost of injured laborers. This protection is, however, not absolute as the employers are always, ever so vigilantly, looking for loopholes and exploitations that’ll let them opt out of this mandate. And don’t think that an organization as goliath as yours won’t care much about a single worker because they certainly do.

So, what are you supposed to do? Even when protected, you are vulnerable. Don’t worry, though; things aren’t as bleak as they seem. Because when there’s an accident at work, lawyers in Reading, PA, have got your back with these 2 tips.

Inform Your Superiors

Before we get started, let’s make one thing clear; each state has its own set of workers’ compensation rules and regulations. This means that each state will have allotted different periods for you to complete your legal obligations as someone who wants to avail of workers’ compensation. Failing to meet the obligations within the allotted time can lead to the complete forfeiture of compensation benefits.

One of the first legal obligations imposed upon injured workers is that they have to inform their superiors as soon as possible. This condition is of such importance that for accidents at work, lawyers in Reading, PA, recommend e-mailing the details of the incident and the injury to the superiors as soon as possible.

Immediately Ask for a First Aid Assistant by A Trained Professional

The main significance of workers’ compensation, or more precisely its beauty, is the fact that it eliminates the need for there to be negligence for you to get the benefits. This provision is, however, only applicable till the moment of the accident and the injuries caused by it. But what’s wrong with that, you ask; it’s that the law exempts you from negligence that caused the accident but not from the negligence of not trying to minimize the damage.

It’s quite complicated, isn’t it? Then consider this example where your employer occasionally arranges meetings and seminars on workplace safety and accident prevention. Now imagine that you get injured in a workplace accident and go to the doctor as soon as possible. However, your workers’ compensation gets denied because the employers argued that you could’ve prevented much of the damage if you had immediately administered first aid.

Don’t worry; such situations are quite rare. But they’re still significant enough that for an accident at work, lawyers in Reading, PA, recommend asking for immediate first aid assistance from a trained professional.

One Tip, Extra

Finally, in a conclusion, here’s the best advice you’ll ever get. No matter how trivial a situation may seem, call a lawyer for proper legal assistance – because try as you might, you’re not as familiar with the legal world as someone who practices law for a living. You trying to self-handle your legal vows is like a newbie saying to you that they can easily do the job that you’ve been honing for years. So, play it smart, alright – and hire a lawyer.