Businesses should always protect the health and safety of their employees. The pandemic highlighted the importance of ensuring the safety of the workplace. Aside from the virus, businesses should also protect their employees from work-related injuries to ensure their productivity.
But an accident can happen at any time, which means businesses should know what to do when it happens. They should have a plan to handle these incidents before they happen. This allows the business to act and help employees who get hurt while at work. Here are the things companies should do when an accident occurs at work.
Take Care of the Employee
When an accident happens at the workplace, businesses should take care of any injured employee and call an ambulance to bring him to the hospital. Companies should prioritize their immediate needs and give them proper medical attention to prevent the injuries from becoming worse.
Even if the injury does not appear to require medical assistance, businesses should still make sure to take care of the employee. Having a nurse or doctor at the facility will help in these situations. The important thing in these situations is the business should take care of its employees involved in a workplace accident.
Secure the Accident Scene
After the employee receives medical treatment or is brought to the hospital, the business should secure the place where the accident happened. They should prevent access into the area to ensure the safety of the other employees of the company. It also prevents another accident from happening until the business can implement measures to increase safety in the area.
Aside from preventing accidents, securing the area of the accident is also necessary for reporting purposes. Blocking access will preserve the scene of the accident. It also allows the business to get more information about what happened. This is only possible if no one enters the area until the company concludes any investigation that it will conduct due to the incident.
Create an Incident Report
After taking care of the employee, the business should notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) if the injuries of the employee are severe. The company should also investigate the accident and complete an incident report, especially if an employee got injured in the accident.
Businesses should have a record of all injuries and illnesses that happen in the workplace. They should complete a report about the incident within 24 hours. Due to this, they should interview witnesses of the accident. Businesses should gather the testimony of witnesses as soon as possible to ensure the incident is fresh in their minds.
Businesses should conclude the investigation as soon as possible and complete the incident report to process the insurance claims of their employees. This will ensure the employees will get the treatment that they need. Prompt completion of incident reports prevent delayed claims, which can result in higher premiums for the business. The business will also risk incurring penalties if they do not report the incident as soon as possible.
And when the accident causes long-term disabilities, businesses should help the employee connect with a lawyer specializing in disability insurance claims. The lawyer should have the knowledge and experience in dealing with insurance companies to increase the chances of letting the employee receive compensation for the accident.
Check on the Injured Employee
After completing the incident report and sending it to the insurance company, the business should check on the employee who got injured in the accident. Companies should create a personal connection with the injured employee to show that they care. They should check on the injured employee and ensure they are healing.
Checking on the employee shows that the business values him. It also enhances the retention rate of the company. Improving the retention rate is essential at this point since there are a lot of jobs available in the market. And if the employees think that the business considers them a statistic, they will look for another company to work for.
Evaluate and Strengthen Safety Protocols
Businesses should also evaluate their safety protocols and strengthen them to prevent future accidents that can injure their employees. They should use the incident report as a basis to know what they should change or modify to increase the level of safety at work.
If necessary, the business should retrain its employees and cultivate a culture of safety and prevent accidents from happening in the future. Additionally, the company should invest in equipment that can fill gaps in their safety protocols.
Businesses should make sure to implement measures. Doing so can protect their employees from accidents that can happen in the workplace.