When your employee is injured while working, the steps you take are crucial. It’s vital to obtain more information about the accident to provide the employee with workers’ compensation benefits. To do this, you will need to conduct an investigation.
This guide discusses how you can do this.
Start immediately
It is best to start the investigation immediately after the employee reports the injury. This ensures you get adequate information before anything changes at the scene. If the employee is not seriously injured, you can take them to the scene to explain how it happened. If not, help them get immediate medical attention while you examine the scene.
You should secure the scene and not change anything until you have enough information, or take photos for future reference
Get witness statements
You need to know the people who were at the scene. The injured employee may inform you of this or you can get them at the scene. You will then collect statements from them in writing.
Examples of questions to ask the employee and witnesses are:
- What were they doing?
- Were proper equipment and tools being used?
- Were they qualified to perform the operation?
- Where did the accident take place?
Answers to these questions should help you know what happened and if the employee is eligible for benefits. You want to pay particular attention to claims without witnesses since those are rare in most industries and could be a signal of fraudulent activity.
Watch the video footage
Even after collecting witness statements, you should watch the video footage of the area in question. This will allow you to make your own conclusions. If cameras are not available at the scene, the employee’s and witness statements may be your primary source of information.
The tips discussed above can help you conduct an investigation effectively. You should also get legal guidance to make informed decisions.
