Situation:
A person who suffers a work-related injury or illness is entitled to workers' compensation benefits as long as the injury or illness occurred in the course of the employee's work, and caused the employee to either seek medical treatment or become disabled for five or more days.
When an employee suffers a work-related injury or illness, they must notify the employer as soon as possible. Failure to provide timely notice to an employer of the occurrence of a work-related injury or illness can result in the subsequent denial of workers' compensation benefits to an employee.
Every employer is required by state law to either maintain a policy of workers' compensation insurance at all times or to qualify as a self-insurer. In instances where an employee suffers a work-related injury or illness which results in disability for five or more days, the employer is required by state law to send a form, called an Employers' First Report of Injury, to the employee, the Department of Industrial Accidents, and the employer's insurance company.
Insurance companies who carry liability coverage for employers also require detailed information when a claim is filed related to an injury on an organization’s property. Because customers, visitors, and employees can file lawsuits against property owners when injuries occur, insurance companies need documented information should legal issues or claims against the company arise years after the actual event.
Solution:
Global Compliance offers an Incident Reporting system that is available 7X24X365 to help employers immediately document information related to injuries and accidents that occur in the workplace or on their property. Reports can be submitted by telephone or Web, in up to 150 languages, to support the needs of all types of employees. The system also facilitates query, analysis, and trending of reports to identify repetitive injuries and illnesses for which preventative measures should be taken in order to prevent future occurrences.
Global Compliance also provides communications and awareness programs to educate employees as to the process of reporting workplace injuries in order to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. In order to validate the receipt and comprehension of information on the Injury Reporting process, we provide an online or interactive voice response (IVR) measurement tool. Managers are provided with real-time feedback on employee participation and scoring through a Web-based system that tracks and documents completion and comprehension.
Outcome:
With an Incident Reporting system in place, employers can provide a structured and efficient process for employees to provide notification of a work-related injury or illness in order to determine qualification of workers' compensation benefits. In the case of a disability of five days or more, the system provides the appropriate information to allow the employer to file the required Employers' First Report of Injury. Employers benefit from the inherent system data repository that archives reports of injury or illness and is helpful if legal issues or claims are brought against the company in the years after an actual event. Through a structured awareness and education program with measurement tools, employers protect themselves from employees that claim that they did not receive information on their organization’s injury, illness, or workers’ compensation processes.
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