What Warehouse Employees In Allentown Should Do After A Work Injury
Working in a warehouse is no easy task. Along with being physically demanding, warehouses are notorious for work injuries like slip and falls, equipment malfunctions, lifting injuries, and repetitive trauma injuries. If you work in a warehouse in the Allentown area, it is imperative that you act quickly and know what steps to take following a work injury to protect your rights under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act.
Seek Medical Treatment
Whether the injury is minor or catastrophic, the most important thing to do after a work injury is to seek medical treatment. Your health is always the top priority. Furthermore, waiting too long to receive treatment or failing to seek care altogether could jeopardize your entitlement to workers’ compensation benefits.
If the injury is substantial, go to the emergency room or call an ambulance. For Allentown warehouse workers with serious injuries, emergency care is available at Lehigh Valley – Cedar Crest, St. Luke’s – Allentown, St. Luke’s – Bethlehem, and Lehigh Valley – 17th Street.
If your injury is not life-threatening or causing severe pain, you may visit your primary care provider or an urgent care facility. Examples include St. Luke’s Care Now – Allentown, LVHN ExpressCARE – Tilghman, and Patient First – Allentown.
The sooner you seek care for your work injury, the better. Prompt treatment creates a record of your injury and helps future providers understand your condition. It is also essential to tell each medical provider that the injury occurred at work and to provide the date of injury. This helps establish that the injury is work-related and not caused by an outside incident or pre-existing condition.
Importantly, while many assume they must treat with their employer’s panel providers following a work injury, that is not the case in Pennsylvania. Injured workers may treat with any provider they choose.
Report the Injury
To be eligible for workers’ compensation in Pennsylvania, your employer must be notified of your work injury. Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, you have 120 days from the date of injury to report it to your employer. It is always best to notify a supervisor, manager, or safety officer as soon as possible.
When reporting your injury, provide the date, time, location, a description of what you were doing, and the body part(s) injured. Verbal reports may suffice, but it is always better to document the incident in writing. A text message, email, or incident report will help create a record.
Document Everything
Warehouse environments change quickly, and co-worker turnover can be high. If possible, take photos of what caused your injury, such as a puddle on the floor or malfunctioning equipment. Write down the names of any co-workers who witnessed the incident. It is also helpful to keep notes about medical providers you see and when you see them.
Hold onto any documents related to your injury, including incident reports and emails to your employer. Keep all work notes from your medical providers and give copies to your employer.
Understand Your Rights and Get Help
If you are injured in the course and scope of your employment, you are entitled to benefits under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. These benefits may include wage loss benefits, medical benefits, and specific loss benefits. However, your eligibility could be jeopardized if you delay reporting or skip any of the steps above.
Employers and insurance carriers may deny your claim or attempt to force you back to work in a position you cannot safely perform. In a warehouse setting, you may also feel pressure from supervisors or co-workers to return to work before you are ready.
If you have been injured at work in a warehouse in Allentown, you should seek assistance from a workers’ compensation attorney. You do not need to go through this alone. The attorneys at Stern & Cohen are here to help.
Our team has extensive experience representing injured warehouse workers in Allentown. We will guide you through every step to ensure you receive the benefits you are entitled to. If you suffered an injury from a work-related accident, contact us for a free consultation.