No one wakes up in the morning and decides they will sustain an injury in the workplace before the end of the day. Fortunately, events of this type are less likely to happen these days thanks to governmental regulations and the various safeguards employers put in place to protect employees. Even so, the potential for a workplace accident is still there. Here are some tips on what needs to happen the moment such an accident takes place.
The first order of business after a workplace accident is to take care of the injured party. If the business has medical professionals on staff, a manager or other trusted employee should notify that individual at once. In the interim, any employees who are trained in first aid procedures should administer help that is in line with the type of injury sustained. In some cases, this will mean moving the injured party into a prone position and slightly elevating the head. At other times, moving the individual could cause more harm than good. In the best-case scenario, the medical professional will be on the scene within a minute or two, quickly assess the situation, and do what’s needed to stabilize the individual and make preparations for transport to the emergency room.
If there is no nurse or other medical professionals present, calling for medical assistance at once is the only thing to do. Once the call is made, do whatever is necessary to clear a path from the entry to the injured party. This may mean moving furnishings or otherwise removing anything that would interfere with the use of a gurney or other medical equipment. In the meantime, a compress to help slow the bleeding and monitoring the general condition of the injured party is a wise move.
Gathering Information
Once the injured employee is on the way to a medical facility, gather information about what transpired. That data will be necessary to fill out the forms submitted to OSHA and also to forward to the insurance company. Copies should also be sent to the company attorney in case some legal action results.
Remember, on-the-job injuries are serious matters. Visit Eblawga.com and learn more about how to deal with the legal ramifications, especially if there is a reason to believe the proper actions were not taken.
