Falls at work can happen in any industry. You can suffer from a fall whether you perform manual labor, work at an office job or even work at home.
After you fall, some injuries might be immediately obvious, such as a broken bone, head injury or sprained ankle. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of five falls causes a serious injury.
Other injuries may not be apparent right away, but that does not mean you could not still be seriously injured. Some injuries could take days or weeks to become painful or cause you to be unable to perform your job or daily activities.
See a doctor
Therefore, there are some things you should do after a fall at work, no matter what. You should seek medical attention, even if you are sure you are not injured.
A doctor can perform a thorough checkup and diagnose any injuries. If the doctor finds no injuries, consider seeking a second opinion, especially if you are experiencing pain or hurt in a certain area.
Document everything
Document everything you can remember about your fall. Do this as soon as possible after the fall, to make sure you remember the details.
Write down the day, time and location of your fall. Document what you were doing before the fall and what caused you to fall.
Take pictures and talk to witnesses
Take pictures of what caused you to fall and the area of your fall. Talk to anyone who witnessed your fall and write down their observations.
Tell your employer about your fall. In New York, you must report a work injury to your employer within 30 days of the injury, or you could lose your right to workers’ compensation benefits.
After you have taken these steps, it is best to speak with a workers’ compensation attorney about filing for benefits.