“Safety is very important.” But what happens if you are hurt injured on the job or at work?
No matter how organized an organization is, no matter how safety friendly the working environment is, no matter how careful and safety-conscious employees are while working, accidents could happen, or injuries could be sustained in various forms.
It could happen in the workplace using the company’s equipment.
It could also happen outside the work if the employee is sent on an official duty to render services to a client. He could sustain an injury while working there or get involved in an accident on his way there.
An employee’s injury should be treated with all seriousness and diligence. Immediately, an accident or injury occurs to an employee on the job. The employer must be notified immediately.
There is usually a conflict between the employer’s duty and the employee’s professional and ethical code regarding an accident or injury while in the course of duty.
An accident in the job is treated and handled immediately by the organization, while subsequent treatment is based on company policy about employees’ care.
The affected staff could pay 30% of the treatment bills while the employer pays 70% and is placed on sick leave where he receives a monthly allowance while receiving treatment.
Another option is for the injured staff to forfeit his sick leave allowance while the company foots 100% of the medical bills.
Also, if the employee took up an insurance policy. with its employer, its the duty of the insurance policy to cover the staff’s medical expenses since the premium is always deducted from his monthly remuneration.
The employer also needs to determine if the injury sustained is life-threatening and for how long the patient will be off work. The organization also needs to consider a temporary replacement for the injured staff if he occupies a vital position whose duty should never be stopped for the smooth running of things in the organization.
The employee could return to work if it’s a minor injury that will take some days/weeks of absence.
But suppose it’s a very serious injury that has maimed the staff and makes it impossible for him to continue. In that case, the company should pay certain financial considerations to him as compensation based on the company’s policy.
The organization also needs to play its roles and responsibilities in taking care of its injured staff well, as it can either build or tarnish its reputation.
What happens to a staff who gets injured on the job depends on many factors ranging from company policy to insurance benefits to medical recommendations to professional occupational ethics (on accidents), as well as staff rights (concerning respective labor unions of the affected staff).
In some cases, litigation occurs when both the employee and employer are not in agreement with certain terms and conditions.
Also, organized associations of employers could wade into the dispute to reach an amicable agreement between both aggrieved parties to settle out of court.