The first 24 hours following a workplace accident are critical to your injured employeeand to you. In almost all cases, reporting an injury immediately helps employees recover and returnto work faster. By reporting the injury early and actively managing the claim, claims costs canalso be lowered. Getting familiar with the following four steps will help you prepare for anemployee injury, in the unfortunate event that one should occur:1. Get medical treatment for your employeeIf your employee’s injury is life-threatening, go to the nearest hospital emergency room. Get himor her stabilized – that’s top priority. In all other cases, give your employee your DesignatedProvider List Notification Letter, have him or her select a provider from your list and take youremployee to the doctor. Your employee will appreciate your concern and you will gain importantinformation about the injury, recommended treatment and an outlook for returning to work. It isbest to document that you have provided the injured worker with this information. (Wheneverpossible, we recommend having your employee sign and date the letter. Give the employee one signedcopy and keep one signed copy for your records.) If the employee is initially taken to an emergencyroom, the designated provider will step in afterward to manage all related follow-up care.2. Investigate the accidentUse an Accident/Incident Investigation Report and an Employee Accident Report to thoroughly investigate any accidents.Complete your investigation immediately, before memories fade and evidence is lost. Conducting anAccident Investigation is an important prevention tool which can help you further mitigateaccidents and enhance your safety program.3. Report the InjuryProvide all information requested on the First Report of Injury form, but don’t wait to report ifyou don’t have all the information. Be sure to relay any questions or concerns about the injurywhen you report it.4. Complete the wage history form and plan for modified dutyIf your employee is unable to return to regular duty work, provide an accurate average weekly wage with the Wage History form. Start thinking about what modified duty tasks the injured employee may be able to assist with. In addition to helping the injured worker stay connected at work, returning an injured employee to work at modified duty can also decreases claims costs. or information on modified duty.Planning ahead is crucial to both your employees’ safety and to effective claims management. Proactively understanding what to do in the event of an injury can help you prevent an accident and react quickly in the case that an injury occurs. Don’t forget to make sure your managers, supervisors, foremen and employees also know about and understand what to do if an injury occurs. For more information on injury reporting and the claims management process.