There is one thing you really need to tell your boss: that you have had an accident on the job. It is very important for you and your family that you tell your employer, period, no exceptions, and no excuses, just report it.

More often than not when people have an accident on the job they just ignore it and keep working. Most people just figure the pain will go away, and why make a fuss. In fact there are many reasons people do not give notice to their employers. I have also found that some employers affirmatively discourage their people from reporting accidents. Ignore all that. You report the accident anyway. You report the accident even if the injury is small. Report the accident even if you are not hurt at all, or even if your boss frowns on reporting accidents. Just do it.

Here’s why.

Sometimes you simply do not know the nature or extent of your injuries, and you may not know for some time. Let me illustrate. I know of one rugged man, of strong character who wasn’t going to whine about a little discomfort. He would just brush it off and moved on. Sure his back was a little sore the next day, but he’s had sore backs before, no big deal. He actually thought he was doing himself and his employer a favor by not reporting the accident. In the back of his mind, he thought, if things get worse I can always ask for treatment later. Wrong. Finally the pain grew so bad he was forced to ask for medical treatment. Sorry. Too late: the workers compensation insurance company refused to pay for any medical treatment because he had reported the accident after the deadline. Here is the kicker: When he turned the medical bills into his health insurance, they also refused to pay because it was supposed to be paid by the workers compensation insurance! Now he is paying large medical bills out of pocket, with his family suffering financially, just because of a technicality.

So report the accident. You only have 20 days, 10 if you no longer work there, for accidents after April 25 of 2013.  If the employer has designated in writing that a certain individual should get the notice then notice to anyone else is insufficient. Otherwise give your notice to a supervisor or manger.

We are Workers Compensation lawyers who will help you through the system and help get all the benefits the law allows. Call us for a free conference on how we can help you with your injury claim at 785-273-4330.