Reports indicate that roughly 25% of workplace injuries are the result of employees slipping and falling. While these injuries can seem minor at the moment, the effects they produce may be serious. Employees in New York should educate themselves on what to do after they slip and fall at work.
Seek medical attention
Even if you don’t see blood or apparent broken bones, you should seek medical attention following a slip and fall at work. Not only can a doctor look for injuries that may not be apparent to you, but getting medical attention can help establish that you were not injured before your slip and fall. Your employer might try to say that you were injured before you fell at work, but having medical documentation can combat those claims.
File a workplace report
Your employer will probably offer you the option to file a report but may also try to subtly discourage you from doing so. Watch out for comments like “Do you really think you need to fill this out?” and other phrases that try to downplay your accident. Get a written report of your fall on record so that your employer cannot try to get out of it.
Get witnesses
If any of your coworkers saw you fall, their statements can be incredibly valuable. As soon as you fill out your accident report at work, you should get the contact information of any other employees who were present at the time of your fall. Their validation of your claims can prove valuable when your employer tries to make the accident seem like it was your fault.
Finally, you should contact an attorney who is familiar with your state’s workers’ compensation system. Slip and fall cases are among the most prominent in workplace injury suits. Your attorney may review your accident report, your medical records and any other pertinent information to help you win your case.