Workplace Injury: How Do You Report It?

Nobody wants to have an accident at work. However, it does happen. If it happens to you, you need to report it immediately.

An injury at work may be covered by workers’ comp in Minnesota that employers provide. The benefits and the amount of coverage will depend on the severity of the injury and other considerations like a job’s occupational hazard.

In Minnesota, the series of requirements for workers’ compensation is triggered by an injury report. The injury report contains pertinent details of your accident and the resulting injury. It contains the time, place, parties involved, and what you were doing before the incident.

There are steps to follow when reporting your injury to your employer. These are as follows:

1. Knowing who needs to receive the injury report
2. Taking note of all your injuries and relevant information
3. Getting the right forms and filling them out
4. Submitting the injury report within 24 hours following the incident

Keep reading to learn how you can best report your injury in greater detail!

Step 1: Be Aware of Who You Should Report Accidents and Injuries To

While the law for reporting injuries in Minnesota applies to all workplaces, different companies will have different practices with reporting. In particular, what might separate the accident reporting practices of one employer may be the organizational chart.

In most cases in the state, accidents and injuries need to be reported to the following:

• Your immediate supervisor
• The clinic (if your company has one)
• Human resources
• The safety officer

Other workplaces may not have one of the above-mentioned positions. For example, there are workplaces in Minnesota that tie up with a physician’s clinic outside the premises. These companies do not have clinics within their areas of business.

Some companies may also outsource safety positions and have safety officers who are consultants. Whatever the case may be, know your company’s policy for reporting injuries and who you need to report to.

Step 2: Take Note of All of Your Injuries and Other Information

Being injured in Minnesota can be expensive if you do not have coverage. For this reason, if you have sustained multiple injuries following an accident at work, you will want coverage. This is why you need to take note of all your injuries.

Missing a single injury will lead to the injury’s omission from the incident or injury report. While this might look good for your safety officer or supervisor, it can cost you. After all, the workman’s comp in Minneapolis that companies offer covers only the injuries on the report. So, do not miss an injury if you have many.

Step 3: Secure the Right Correspondences and Forms

After you have taken stock of all your injuries and other details, you need to report them. You can file your reports on certain forms your company may have.

There are different ways of reporting workplace injuries. These reporting methods can vary from one state to another. In some states, an oral report can be used as supporting information for a personal injury claim. In others, it does not suffice.

The forms for personal injury in Minnesota that companies have can differ. Some require multiple copies of an incident report. Others do not require certain information like what you were doing at the time of the incident.

Once again, it can save you a lot of time (and pain) if you familiarize yourself with the forms your company has for reporting injuries. Ideally, this information should be part of your orientation. It should also be in an employee handbook or manual if your company has one.

Step 4: Include the Right Information on Your Report

One of the most common reasons employees are denied workers’ compensation is incomplete information. To avoid this, you need to place all of the required information on your form/s.

Again, the required information can differ. However, you can expect to provide the following details about your injury:

• Your name and position
• Any contact information
• The time your injury occurred
• The date your injury occurred
• Any information about what led to the injury (i.e., what you were doing or what task you were trying to complete)
• Your injuries
• Your symptoms

Step 5: Submit Your Injury Report Promptly to the Right People

Different states have different rules regarding when employees can submit their injury reports. For example, some states have a 30-day deadline, like in California. In the case of Minnesota, the deadline for written notices is much more immediate. Here is why.

Minnesota requires employers in the state to submit reports of work-related injuries. Your employer needs to submit reports of your injury and workman’s compensation to the Occupation Health and Safety Association (OHSA).

OHSA keeps these reports and collates them for reference. They also require these reports as part of an effort to monitor employer’s health and safety procedures. Also, they collate these reports for statistical purposes. OHSA requires employers to submit these reports within 24 hours following an employee’s injury.

To comply with the requirement, employers, in turn, require their employees to submit their injury reports 24 hours following their incident. By the time you submit your injury report, it should have all the necessary information.

In addition, submitting your injury report to the right people is critical to your claim. As mentioned earlier, you may submit the report to:

• Your immediate supervisor
• The clinic (if your company has one)
• Human resources
• The safety officer

Are You Reporting Your Personal Injury for Workers’ Comp in Minnesota That Employers Provide? Call Us Now!

The steps mentioned are indeed quite straightforward. In Minnesota, reporting your injury is essentially a matter of including all the necessary information in your report. After that, it becomes a matter of sending the report to the right people.

Of course, you might desire some legal assistance just in case things do not go your way. If this happens, do not hesitate to reach out to us at Osterbauer Law!