If you suffer a minor injury on the job, you may not feel like it’s necessary to report the incident to management, especially if the injury isn’t going to prevent you from doing your job. We understand this logic, but we always recommend to clients that they report any and all injuries to human resources, even if they can continue working through the injury. In today’s blog, we explain why it’s in your best interest to report your minor work injuries to management.
Reporting Minor Work Injuries
Even if you can continue working after receiving medical attention, it’s imperative that the injury is reported to management. Here’s why:
1. Creates A Paper Trail – Once you report the injury to management, an official report will be created noting your injury. Having documented evidence of a work injury, however minor it may be, can be essential for a number of reasons. We’ll touch on some of these individual reasons in the following points, but the creation of documented proof of injury is helpful in case anything changes down the road.
2. Your Injuries Worsen – You may think that a small cut is no big deal, but if that cut becomes infected and you need additional medical care, you may find it difficult to collect compensation for your medical expenses since you never reported the original incident. Again, you may think “what are the odds this cut gets infected or this injury gets worse,” but there’s really no downside to reporting the minor injury. Trying to collect compensation for a work injury that wasn’t reported in a timely manner is a major pain, so save yourself the trouble and report it just in case it worsens.
3. Protects Others – It’s also helpful to report your minor injury so that your company can review safety practices and take steps to prevent a similar injury from occurring to another employee. Help protect your co-workers by reporting your injuries so that any safety issues can be addressed by management
4. You’re Protected – Some people are worried that they may face repercussions from management for filing an injury report, even if it’s just something minor. Know that it is against the law for a company to take retaliatory action against an employee who reports an injury or files an injury claim. Workers are a protected class of people, and companies can’t hold it against you for reporting an injury. If they do, we’ll happily help you file a lawsuit against your employer, because those actions are clearly illegal.
At the end of the day, there’s really no downside to reporting your injury, but there can be major problems if you don’t inform your employer and you end up needing proof that your injury occurred on the clock down the road. Don’t be too proud to inform your employer of an injury to protect your best interests and to ensure any safety hazards are addressed to help keep other workers safe.
If it turns out that you do end up needing for file a workers’ compensation claim because your minor injury worsened, or you feel that your employer is retaliating against you for reporting an injury or filing a claim, know that you need to have a legal expert by your side. For help in the greater Twin Cities area, reach out to the team at Hey Workers today at (844) 439-9675.
