Attorney Brenda Moses discusses what you should do immediately after a work injury.
Report your injury immediately to your supervisor, that day or the next day. Even if the injury is minor, make sure you report it. If you wait any length of time, the insurance carrier may question whether your injury actually happened at work or somewhere else. If you need medical treatment, tell your employer and ask them for a list of three or more physicians, which is called a panel of physicians, from which you can choose a doctor. If your injury is severe, tell your employer you need to go to the nearest emergency room and go. Make sure you give the emergency room the history of how you got hurt at work so that there is no question your treatment is work related.