The Importance of Documented Injuries In Workplace Accident Claims

A construction site accident may affect your life adversely. It might give you catastrophic injuries that may require lifelong medical attention and care. Such accidents involve collapsed ceilings, chemical exposures, falls, and other life-threatening injuries. You are going to deal with a lot of things, including doctor’s visits, filling prescriptions, reporting the injury to the employer, etc. 

Employers have a duty to keep their workers safe at the construction sites since there are numerous hazards to employee safety. If the company fails to keep its employees safe at the workplace, they might be held liable for the injuries sustained by the employees. If you get involved in such accidents, file for workers’ compensation benefits as early as possible. Make sure to speak to an attorney to get help with workers’ compensation benefits.

How to document your accident.

After a construction site accident, take photos and videos of the accident site and gather information from all the witnesses. However, you will not be able to document the accident scene if you are immediately rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. Document as much as you can about the accident scene as soon as you have the opportunity. If you are in a hospital or not in a condition to do so, seek the help of an attorney. While documenting the accident, try collecting information such as contact information from the witnesses, incident reports, pictures of the accident scene, any video of the accident that your co-workers recorded, and so on. 

The importance of documentation. 

In order to support their claim, the employees must follow these crucial steps:

• Notify the employer: A worker injured at the construction site must notify the employer or the manager about the accident as early as possible. This will allow the employee to protect his rights. Employees must report their employers about the accident within 30 days. Otherwise, they will risk denial of workers’ compensation benefits. 
• Gather medical records: Victims must visit a healthcare facility promptly after the accident. This safeguards the worker’s health and the medical records serve as documentation of the injuries. 
• Take photos: The injured worker must take pictures and videos of the scene of the accident immediately. They should also take photos of the machinery or other equipment that resulted in the accident. 
• Keep a journal: Victims must maintain a record of the medical visits and their symptoms. This will provide relevant information about the impact of injury on the victim’s life. 

Establishment of a safe work environment. 

Documentation not only benefits the injured employee but also the business owners. By maintaining records of injuries and accidents, business owners can identify recurring issues or patterns that need immediate attention. This will help the owners to take preventive measures to avoid future accidents and improve workplace safety.