Workers compensation claims can put your company out of business if you don’t take them seriously. While injury prevention should be your primary concern, workplace accidents do happen and must be dealt with quickly. Disregarding the importance of injury management can be disastrous, resulting in increased premiums, decreased worker productivity and an adverse effect on your bottom line.
Make no mistake – this issue should be viewed as injury "management," since you can actively govern employee care and get your employees back to work quickly.
When employees are hurt on the job, creating a full report of the incident immediately is essential, since even minor injuries can balloon into major medical crises if not treated properly. One person, an injury manager says, should be in charge of documenting and following the injury from initial report to final disposition. All information and documentation should flow through this person, including communication with the injured employee, the insurance adjuster, medical professionals and the company itself.
Employees should be notified when hired that the company has an approved panel of medical providers they are to see in the event of work-related injuries. While insurance carriers have a panel of approved physicians, hospitals and medical facilities, your company should have input into which doctors and facilities are listed on the panel.
Should an injury require medical attention, the injury manager has the right to, and should, accompany or meet the employee at the hospital or medical facility. The injury manager should then speak with the doctor in charge to determine what additional treatment is needed and what aftercare may be required.
Unfortunately, work-related injuries in our industry do occur, but managing them quickly and properly will keep your company’s premiums low and boost your bottom line.