How To Protect Your Business When An Employee Has Filed A Workers' Compensation Claim

If you are an employer, finding out that one of your employees has been hurt on the job can be devastating news. After all, not only are you probably concerned about your employee who might have been injured, but you might also be concerned about how the workers' compensation claim is going to affect your business. These are a few tips that can help you protect your business during this serious time.

Document Everything

First of all, it is important to document everything that you can about the injury and the case. Keep any surveillance footage that you might have that might show the accident, and talk to your employees and others who might have witnessed the accident so that you can document their statements about what happened. Make sure that you save any documentation that you might have that is related to the accident and subsequent injury. Then, you can help ensure that you can prove your case later on.

Abide by the Law

One thing that you should do to protect your business is to make sure that you abide by all laws when it comes to handling the case. For example, firing an employee for reporting an injury and filing a workers' compensation case is not legal and is something that you should avoid. Additionally, trying to convince or threaten your employee to come back to work before he or she is medically cleared to do so by a doctor is also something that can get you in trouble. Learning about federal and state labor laws related to accidents and workplace injuries and avoiding breaking any of these laws can help you protect your business from serious fines and other potential consequences.

Hire an Attorney

Lastly, if you have not yet hired an attorney to represent your business, now is the time to do so. There is a good chance that the employee who was injured might hire an attorney of his or her own, so it's important to make sure that you are protected. A good lawyer who is experienced in helping businesses to defend and protect themselves in these situations should be able to provide insight and assistance.

As you can probably see, there are a few things that you can do that can help you protect your business during this difficult time. Then, you can help ensure that your business isn't seriously affected by a workers' compensation claim. Contact a workers' compensation defense attorney for more information and assistance.