The procedure for reporting work-related injuries should be included in your employee handbook. You can also distribute a printed copy of the policy to each employee and place a signed receipt in the personnel file. The burden of reporting an injury is on the employee because if the employer doesn't know about it, medical care will not be authorized, a claim will not be started, and bills for services may be denied. All work-related injuries should be reported, no matter how minor. This doesn't mean that a claim will be opened each time an injury is reported, because minor injuries usually don't require medical attention or lost time from work. However, one of these injuries could flare up a few days later. An employee may pull a muscle, for example, but the pain gets worse as the days progress, and he then needs to see a doctor.

There should be a contact person for all employee injuries, with a few alternates in case that person is unavailable when an injury occurs. Companies that operate in the evenings or on weekends need to have people authorized and trained to handle workers' compensation injuries during those shifts. Accidents are not limited to normal business hours.

An injured worker may request to see a physician even if you feel that medical care is not necessary. It's probably a good idea to go ahead and authorize the trip to the doctor. An employee who requests medical attention should not be denied if the injury is questionable. The reverse may happen as well; an employee may decline medical attention but you, the employer, feel that it is necessary. In this case, send the employee to your medical provider. If he refuses to go, get something from him in writing stating that he is not accepting your recommendation or find someone to witness his refusal and notify the insurance company immediately. If you do not feel that it is safe for him to work, send him home. Call a taxi or arrange for an escort if you feel that he should not drive. The safety of the injured employee and those around him should be your first concern.

Keep the lines of communication open with an injured employee and follow up with him regularly. He may be anxious about his medical bills being paid, lost wages, or if the injury will affect his performance at work. Keep him informed from one phase to the next and don't let his only means of communication about the accident be with the insurance company. He shouldn't feel isolated or inapproachable during this period. Yet, don't put too much emphasis on the injury. Show your concern and check in periodically to make sure that the claim is being handled to his satisfaction.

If you receive a bill from a physician's office that treated an employee who claims to have been injured at work, do not pay it if a workers' compensation claim was not filed by the employee on or before the date of service. Ask the employee if he has a work-related injury to report and go through the usual procedure from there. Forward the bill to the insurance company. Since the charges occurred before the claim was filed, the bill may be denied by the insurance company. Your company may not be obligated to pay a medical bill for unauthorized treatment.