Report Work-Related Injuries Early and Save

Reporting a work-related injury as soon as it occurs is as important for you as it is for your employees. Early reporting of work-related injuries helps control workers’ compensation costs, reduces lost time, speeds recovery, and allows for timely investigation.

According to a January 2015 study by NCCI*, injuries that aren’t reported for two weeks or more begin to linger, which often results in increased claim costs and lost time, plus a longer recovery period.

The sooner you are made aware of an injury, the sooner you can help ensure your employee gets appropriate medical care, which is your number one concern. A minor injury will often stay minor when the correct medical treatment is given right away. With immediate first aid or medical care, your employee may recover more quickly and return to work sooner. This is positive for you and your employee.

When an employee reports an injury, your investigation can begin. You want to investigate the accident right away so details are not forgotten with the passage of time. As soon as you are aware of the injury, have the injured employee and any witnesses write down accident details in their own words. Use of a report form will help you get the details needed for your investigation. This information is useful in developing corrective actions to help reduce or eliminate the potential for this type of injury to occur again.

Encourage your employees to report injuries right away by using positive feedback or rewards. Do not punish employees for late reporting. Instead, create a clear procedure and train your employees so they know and understand the reporting process.

Acuity helps its workers’ compensation policyholders with early reporting by offering the Maximum Acuity Service for Healthcare (M.A.S.H.) program. We partner with CorVel to provide 24/7 nurse triage services for nonemergency, work-related injuries. This service helps injured workers get the right care at the right time. M.A.S.H. is provided to all Acuity workers’ compensation policyholders at no extra cost. Best of all, when an injury is reported through M.A.S.H., you don’t need to complete the first report of injury paperwork!

With M.A.S.H., Acuity offers business cards, posters, magnets, and hard hat stickers so your employees will always know where to turn when a work place injury occurs.

*https://www.ncci.com/Articles/Pages/II_New_NCCI_Study_Examines_Relationship_Accident_Report.aspx