Employers have to follow certain safety standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Unfortunately, the unexpected can always happen and an injury or injuries can occur despite the measures put in place to prevent this.
If you can act quickly and according to plan, you can help to minimize the consequences of the injury for the employee and protect yourself from added liability.
- Plan ahead
As an employer, you need to know ahead of time what to do in the event of an emergency. This is why you must it is so important to have risk and response plans in place. You also need to train supervisors and employees to put these plans into action.
You must have emergency contact names and numbers readily available and keep first aid kits stocked and at hand. For really dangerous jobs, safety officers must be assigned.
Posters are part of OSHA compliance and failing to meet the requirements can result in fines of up to $7,000 per violation. Resourceful Compliance offers all the labor law posters you need in one place and helps you to stay compliant by keeping you up-to-date on all changes in legislation.
- Respond speedily
If an accident occurs, you must have the injured worker moved to a safe area. Find out what caused the accident because you don’t want more workers to get hurt.
If the injury is not that severe, handling it with first aid may be all that’s necessary. Just make sure gloves are used when handling blood.
In the event of a severe injury, you will need to try and make sure that the injured party is stabilized and call medical emergency services at once. Not responding quickly can result in more severe consequences and higher costs.
- Gather details
Gathering witness testimonies and writing down details of the incident is important. You should also take photos of the scene and document the injuries. Ask the victim to write a statement including all the details about the accident.
He or she may feel fine at the time but may seek out medical treatment at a later stage for injuries that show up over time. Review any video footage if this is available and keep any physical evidence secure in case a dispute arises.
- Proceed with paperwork
OSHA requires you to immediately report an injury or death to the nearest office.
You will need to provide the injured employee with a claim form to file a worker’s comp claim with the company’s insurance provider. This allows the employee to receive funds to pay for treatment.
You must report the injury to the workers’ compensation insurance company and complete an Employer’s Report of Accident form. This documents all the information about the accident. Once you’ve completed your portion of the form and signed it, it goes to a claims administrator who continues with the process.
You should stay on top of the process and make sure it’s going ahead as expected by maintaining communication with the injured employee, the claims adjustor, insurance agent and doctor.
- Prevent future issues
Assessing the accident can provide you with the knowledge to prevent future accidents of the same kind. Communicating with your employees can give you ideas on how to make improvements.
It also gives you the opportunity to make sure employees know that you are committed to their safety and wellbeing. They need to know that you are doing everything you can to make sure the workplace is as safe as possible for them.