You never want to see someone get injured while working for your small business, but workplace injuries do occur.  That is why workers' compensation insurance exists.  It not only protects your business, but can provide employees with compensation if they were to become injured while working for you.  When an injury occurs, be sure to follow these 4 things.

Get All The Facts Right Away

You'll want to make sure that you have all of the information regarding the injury, and it's best to do that immediately after it happened while the incident is fresh in everyone's mind.  Start by recording the location, time, and date that the injury occurred.  If other employees witnessed the accident, make sure that they write down their personal account about what happened.  You should also interview the injured employee after they receive immediate medical attention.  Not getting the facts right away could lead to people not remembering events as clearly.

Report The Incident Immediately

It's important that you get the workers' compensation claim started ASAP, since the insurance company, like Divers-Savage-Mcpherson Insurance Agency, will want to do an investigation about what happened.  The insurance company may even offer a hotline that you can call at any time to notify them of the incident.  Your goal should be to report the incident within a day of it occurring.  The faster a case is resolved, the faster the injured employee can receive their compensation. 

Prevent Future Incidents From Occurring

You should evaluate why an injury occurred so that you can prevent anything like it from happening again.  This could involve a thorough inspection of equipment that was used that could be faulty, procedures that need to be followed, or other work conditions that resulted in the injury.  Not only will this prevent another injury, but it will show employees you care about their safety.

Prepare For The Employee's Return To Work

If the injury caused a permanent or temporary disability, it's possible that the employee may not be able to work the exact same job that they had prior to the incident.  You should prepare yourself for this, and arrange for them to work in a new position at your company that they can do.  For example, if they are unable to do heavy lifting for a while, find a desk job that they can perform that doesn't involve physical labor.  By thinking about their new position during their recovery period, you'll be ready for when they are ready to return to work.