What to Do When a Catastrophic Injury Takes Place at Work

While catastrophic injuries (thankfully) account for a small portion of workers’ compensation claims, they represent a large portion of total workers’ compensation losses. Because serious injury rates have stayed fairly consistent over the last few years, employers need to understand what to do in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophic injury—and more importantly, how to ensure that the affected employee receives the care that he or she needs. Here are some simple, yet crucial steps to take whenever a catastrophic injury takes place in the workplace.

Report the Incident
When a catastrophic injury occurs at work, this action item might seem obvious. Unfortunately, far too many employers fail to report these injuries. In the first year of its serious injury reporting program, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that 50% of injuries went unreported because employers perceived the cost of not reporting to be worth the risk. In an effort to create safer workplaces across the country, the administration responded by levying an enhanced $70,000 fine on an employer that willfully failed to report. 

Aside from the potential financial penalties, the takeaway from OSHA's report should be simple: reporting a catastrophic injury is not only required by law, but it can help prevent similar cases from occurring in the future.

OSHA’s website provides some clear action items to know when a catastrophic injury takes place at work. Below is a shortlist of some of the most critical to remember:

  1. Report any fatalities that occur in the workplace within 8 hours

  2. In-patient hospitalizations, amputations, or eye losses must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours

  3. To report a catastrophic injury fill out this online form or call your nearest OSHA office during normal business hours or use the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).

Regardless of the channel you use to report a catastrophic injury, be prepared with the following information about the incident: 

    • Name of your establishment

    • Location and time of the work-related incident

    • Type of reportable event (i.e., fatality, inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye)

    • The name(s) of employees who suffered the event

    • The employee’s emergency contact and his or her phone number

    • A brief description of the work-related incident

Partner with Experienced Medical Case Managers
Once you have reported a catastrophic injury, many people are left wondering what's next. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Employers face an uphill administrative battle involving countless forms, procedures, and deadlines to know. 

But in addition to the administrative components of reporting a catastrophic injury, employers are oftentimes unsure of how to provide the level of care that enables a worker to recover and potentially return to work. This is where the importance of medical case managers comes into focus.

The best medical case managers design and implement individualized health care plans for patients according to their specific needs. In addition to a deep knowledge of insurance policies, medical case managers are responsible for maintaining dialogues between patients, families, doctors, and insurance carriers. 

We believe that effective case management is a combination of two things: a deep understanding of the red tape that prevents stakeholders from getting what they need, and more importantly, the one-on-one relationships we maintain to ensure that everyone stays on the same page and gets their needs met throughout the difficult process of a catastrophic injury claim.

Easy Claims Management, Employers, ALL RCDanielle HorowitzArticleComment