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This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.
Many have questions about what to do if an object strikes them at work. The answer depends on the injury’s seriousness, but you can take steps in all situations. In most cases, you should start by alerting your supervisor and contacting your human resources department.
In this blog post, we will detail what you can do if an object strikes you at work and how to react according to the severity of your injury.
If an Object at Work Has Injured You, Here’s What To Do
Find a clean place to rest and wait for medical attention. You may have a small cut that doesn’t require immediate treatment, or it could be a dire situation where you’ve sustained a traumatic brain injury that needs to be treated at the hospital. Regardless of your injury, first thing first: find a clean and safe place to rest. You don’t want to be moving around and causing further damage to your body, so find a good spot to lie down and wait for medical assistance.
Contact your H.R. department. In most cases, the injured party will contact their supervisor and human resources department first. They must be notified of the injury as soon as possible because they will be able to start documenting the incident. If it’s impossible to contact them immediately, start with #3 below.
Contact the police. Sit down and discuss what happened with your coworkers so you can describe the situation in detail. Depending on your work and the laws, you could contact your local police department if the incident wasn’t severe enough to merit an ambulance ride.
Contact your doctors, therapists, and other healthcare professionals. If you’ve sustained an injury with a high risk of permanent damage, you will want to contact your doctors immediately and schedule an appointment. They will be able to guide how you should treat the injury and how long you should wait before returning to work.
Gather information about the incident. Get in touch with the people around you and make sure they’re able to provide statements about what happened. Because it will be your word against the person responsible for throwing or dropping the object, you must have as much documentation as possible.
If The Object Was Dropped Or Thrown On Purpose
You probably won’t need legal assistance if it is an accident. However, regardless of the circumstances, you must contact your manager to explain what happened.
Legal action is guaranteed if they throw it intentionally on purpose and you sustain severe injuries. There are three essential things to keep in mind when you’re dealing with this kind of situation:
1. The Perpetrator Is Responsible for Whatever Happened
You would be an idiot not to take advantage of the situation and contact the police, H.R., and your insurance company to report what happened. You should also contact all the people present at the time of the incident and their respective managers to explain what happened so that you can get assistance from those who can provide some guidance about moving forward.
2. Accusations Can Create a Lot of Hate Between Parties
Even if it were an accident and you were hit by a flying object, you would still want to contact the police to report what happened because that would be your word against the perpetrator. It’s not unusual for someone who has been harmed by a third party to retaliate against that person by making false accusations.
That said, everyone present when the incident happened must agree on what happened before you decide on any legal action.
3. Document Everything
Getting hit by an object at work is no laughing matter, so if you sustain severe or permanent injuries, you must know what to do. Of course, that means alerting your insurance company, but it also means getting medical treatment and documenting your progress.
You may decide to hire an attorney later on to pursue a lawsuit against the person who injured you. According to a workers’ compensation lawyer based in Atlanta, Georgia, “The right to collect damages for accident-related injuries is one of a worker’s most important rights.
Hopefully, you have learned from this post what to do if an object strikes you at work and why you must contact your insurance company and your H.R. department.
These are common questions asked by many people who get hit by objects at work, but the solutions always depend on the facts of each case.
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