When an employee is injured at work, you as the employer need to fill out the Employer’s First Report of Work-related Injury/Illness and forward it to your workers’ compensation insurance company.
First, let’s look at what to include in the report.
The employee’s information
The report should include the employee’s name, gender, contact information, Social Security number, date of birth, date of hire and occupation description.
Claim administrator information
Your report should provide your insurer’s or claim administrator’s details. This is the party that will administer the workers’ compensation claim.
Your information
The report should also include the employer’s information. You will provide your name, employer identification number (EIN), manual classification code, contact information and other information.
Injury details
It’s crucial to provide your insurer with in-depth information about the injury your employee suffered. These include accident location, witnesses’ information, time of injury, the date you knew about the injury/disability, cause of injury and accident/injury description. Thus, before filling out the for, you should have investigated the accident scene, obtained witness statements and watched video footage if available.
How long do you have to file this report?
You should report an employee’s injury to your insurer within ten days. If you don’t do so, you may pay a penalty of up to $2,500.
What if you believe the injury is fake?
If you believe your employee is lying, perhaps their story is inconsistent, you should still report the injury. You can request your insurer to challenge the compensability of the claim, but not reporting the injury may be unlawful.
It can be helpful to seek legal guidance to make informed decisions and help if you have concerns or questions. This can help you avoid potential litigation.
