If you currently own a business with several employees, understanding the laws and policies around human resources can be helpful for keeping everything going smoothly. This is especially true when emergencies, accidents and other unexpected misfortunes develop. For situations such as workplace injuries, knowing about the workers’ compensation claims process can be useful. To learn more about scenarios that often lead to claims, check out these eight common claim types.
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Common Injuries
Even when you are careful, there is always the potential for things to go wrong. As a result, there are many types of injuries that end up qualifying for workers’ compensation. With that said, processing workers’ compensation claims and pharmacy benefits can be unnecessarily complex and confusing. As such, many workplaces invest in injury claims and pharmacy benefits management programs such as myMatrixx that can offer professional support. Knowing more about possible work-related injuries can help you prevent them in the future, but if you do encounter any of these scenarios, having extra support can make a major difference in positive outcomes for all parties.
Lacerations
If you have ever cut yourself at work, you are far from alone. Lacerations, or deep cuts and tears in the skin or flesh, are one of the most common types of injuries that lead to claims within workplaces. Having a clearly-marked first-aid kit on the job can help employees who encounter minor cuts at work, but for anything beyond what a bandaid can help with, you should expect a possible compensation claim.
Sprains and Strains
Another common injury happens when employees stretch or tear ligaments, also known as a sprain. Similarly, strains are also common. These occur when you stretch or tear muscles and tendons, often due to the same causes. Something to keep in mind with sprains and strains is that the pain can be long-term, so care may be necessary for a longer amount of time than for some other injuries.
Burns
Burns are injuries that are especially common in food service environments where there are frequently fire ovens and other hot food preparation devices. However, they can happen anywhere. Because most burns are minor in nature, this is one more situation where having a first aid kit on hand can be extremely useful (and often legally required), but more serious injuries should go through the claims process.
Bruises
In workplaces where there is a lot of moving and lifting, bruises are common. Whether employees drop heavy objects, run into things or lift improperly, it can lead to the crushing of small blood vessels. Sometimes, bruising occurs for unknown reasons, however, you should encourage your employees to report any bruises that they suspect came from a work-related cause.
Eye Injuries
Does your workplace present dangers to employees’ eyes? If your business frequently works with chemical, environmental and radiological hazards or mechanical irritants, eye and face protection is necessary to prevent eye injuries. Depending on the nature of your work, you may also consider installing an eyewash station for emergency situations.
Cumulative or Continuous Trauma
Although there are numerous workplace trauma types to consider, cumulative or continuous trauma is a catch-all phrase that refers to the degradation of a body part, joints, muscles or tendons over a significant period of time. This is another injury that can occur almost anywhere and may also include mental health in some situations.
Fractures
Broken bones are also common. Again, this is one more injury that can happen nearly anywhere, but it is most common for employees to experience fractures due to forced trauma or overuse. Factory settings and construction zones are two of the most common environments for these injuries to happen, but all types of business owners should look out for possible risks that may lead to them.
Common Injury Causes
Now that you know about some of the most common injury types, it can be helpful to consider how they occur if you want to prevent them in the future. With all of these injuries in mind, how do they most often happen? Truthfully, there are many work-related injury causes that lead to workers’ compensation claims, including:
- Faulty machinery
- Vehicle accidents
- Extreme temperatures
- Loud noises
- Toxic chemicals
- Electricity exposure
While this list offers a glimpse into common causes, there are many others. Talking to your company’s management and employees can give you insight into ways for preventing these types of accidents from happening.
If you or one of your employees encounter any of these situations, knowing what to do ahead of time can make recovery much easier for everyone. Reaching out for professional input sooner than later can save you significant hassle down the road.
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