People who injure themselves at work often think “It’ll be right” or “It’s just a strain.” As a result the injury is not reported.
Ultimately, when the pain doesn’t go away and a workers compensation claim is lodged, problems can be experienced convincing WorkCover the injury actually occurred, or occurred at work, because there is no contemporaneous record of the injury occurring.
One of the most common defences insurance companies use to reject or defend compensation claims is the lack of reporting. The inconsistency or absence of an incident report can often lead to a claim denial.
So it’s very important to report an injury to your employer as soon as it occurs, regardless of how minor the injury may appear. If the injury occurs on a building site, then the injury should be reported to the site manager as well.
If you feel uncomfortable about reporting the injury to your employer, then an alternative is to see your GP or a physiotherapist, and make sure the injury is reported to them. At least that way there will be evidence of a contemporaneous report of injury, albeit to someone other than the employer or site manager.
Timely reporting of an injury at work can make the difference between a claim being accepted or not. If you require assistance or would like to discuss the process of reporting an injury at work then you can contact us for some free advice by completing our online advice form.
