How to Report a Work Injury to Your Employer

Filing a workers’ compensation claim requires you to follow several steps, including the first step that involves reporting a workplace injury to your employer.

Knowing how to report a work injury goes a long way towards determining the value of a workers’ compensation claim. The first thing to consider is to act with a sense of urgency.

You have just a limited amount of time to file a claim and if you fail to meet the deadline, you can expect your workers' comp claim to come back denied.

When to Report a Work Injury

Each state has established a deadline for reporting a work injury. For example, Iowa gives workers 90 days to report a work-related injury, while California has set the first deadline for reporting an injury at 30 days.

Some states provide workers with a small window to report a workplace injury. You have just four days to report a workplace injury in Colorado and 10 days to do the same in Maryland.

The clock starts running on the date when you suffered a workplace injury. If you fail to meet the deadline for reporting a work injury, you might not qualify to receive workers’ compensation benefits.

Physical Injuries on the Job

Physical injuries can happen in virtually every type of workplace. For instance, office workers can develop a debilitating case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome that prevents them from working a desk job.

On the other hand, workers at construction worksites are vulnerable to suffering from serious injuries, some of which can be life-threatening.

Common physical injuries sustained in the workplace include torn muscles and tendons, as well as fractures to the feet, legal, and arms.

Lacerations to the face, head, and neck can result in severe bleeding that requires emergency medical care. Back strains and a degenerative spinal disc often lead to long-term painful side effects.

Considered one of the most serious types of physical injuries on the job, brain trauma can last a lifetime.

Who Should I Tell?

You should report a workplace injury to your employer right away, preferably to your manager or the head of the human resources department.

Workers employed by small businesses should inform the owner of a business about the workplace accident that caused one or more injuries. Some states require workers to submit a written description of a workplace accident that produced injuries.

A written description of a workplace accident can be done by hand or sent digitally via email.

Reporting a workplace injury involves more than simply submitting an incident report that includes just your name and contact information.

You also have to submit the date and time of the workplace accident, as well as the location where the workplace accident took place. Next, you write a detailed explanation about how you sustained your injuries.

Make sure not to embellish your story, as it can lead to a denied claim or a claim valued at less than what you deserve. Finally, describe the symptoms that are associated with your injury.

Submit the names of the witnesses that verify your version of events. If you sustained one or more injuries at work, you must file an incident report in a timely manner. Submit the free case evaluation form to start the process for reporting a workplace injury.