Timing Is Critical When Reporting A Workplace Injury

If you are injured at work, you may have other concerns other than letting your employer know you are hurt. While notifying your employer may not be the most important thing on your mind, it is critical that you do. Failing to report an injury in a timely manner may result in forfeiture of benefits.

Pennyslvania law requires employees to report workplace injury to their employers within 120 days. Even with these guidelines, some employers may impose even tighter notice requirements. One Pennsylvania man recently found out the hard way.

An employee of Cryovac hurt his back while on the job. After two days, the employee sought treatment from a doctor, who prescribed pain medication. The pain medication did not agree with the employee so he took more time off from work to recover from his injury.

For some reason, the employee did not report the accident to his employer despite the fact that the company policy required all employees to report any sort of workplace injury, even if it is minor. When a supervisor learned the man sustained his injury while at work, he fired the man.

Alleging wrongful termination, the man sued Cryovac. The court sided with Cryovac, stating that employers have the right to demand immediate reporting of injuries from their employees.

Work policies and requirements can be confusing for many people, especially when it comes to a filing notice of an injury in the workplace. People who have been injured at work may benefit from talking to a Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorney as soon as they are hurt to ensure their rights are protected.

Source: www.businessmanagementdaily.com, “Workers’ comp: OK to require immediate accident reports,” 6 September 2012