What to Do When an Injury Occurs
Medical Care
When an employee reports an industrial injury/illness, it is important that medical treatment is provided without unnecessary delay. Supervisory staff should refer the employee to a medical facility listed in the Initial Treatment Center directory applicable to their department (available here). This information can also be obtained from your department’s Return-to-Work unit.
Two exceptions follow:
Industrial Injury/Illness Reporting Paperwork
An employer must provide an employee a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form (DWC-1) within one working day of receiving notice of an industrial injury/illness. Additional paperwork is required to ensure the full investigation and expeditious delivery of benefits.
Alternative Work
The offer of transitional modified or alternative work is a very important cost saving tool. Departments are encouraged to develop an aggressive early-return-to-work policy that works closely with the injured worker, treating physician, and workers’ compensation third party administrator to return injured employees to work as soon as practicable. In many cases, the exploration of transitional modified or alternate work should begin upon notification of the industrial injury or illness.
Evaluate Your Workplace
Use each workers’ compensation injury claim as an opportunity to evaluate your workplace. The Supervisory Investigation Report can be a useful tool in preventing “like type” injuries from occurring in the future. Any ongoing hazard or exposure should be corrected immediately. Reporting supervisors and managers should identify any third party whose actions may have led to the injury/illness. This will assist the County in pursuing subrogation recovery.