In an ideal world, the best situation for both employers and employees is to have no workplace injuries or workers comp claims. But, unfortunately, on-the-job injuries do happen, and how employers handle them can make all the difference in the outcome of the claim.

When an employee is injured, the accident report forms are the most important documents to get completed and submitted to the insurance carrier. But what is even more vital is that all the facts are straight in the initial injury reports. Getting the details down accurately in writing by both the employer and employee helps to get the claim off to a right start.

Some business owners do not realize how important it is to get the facts right in the first report of injury. Many feel that someone will contact them if more information is needed, but that really isn’t the approach you want to take. In the initial workers compensation insurance report, employers have an opportunity to fully describe the accident. Don’t just offer a one sentence answer to what happened. Add an additional attachment to provide a full account of the incident.

Some factors to add to the report if they are pertinent to the situation include:

• Are there any other employee claims pending? Meaning did the employee also file for disability, unemployment, discrimination or retirement? Even if other claims were filed weeks or months before the injury, these facts help claims adjuster fully assess the incident.

• Was there a record of poor worker attendance? Prior to the claim, especially if it is contested, did the employee miss a lot of work?

• Did employee have another job? Another fact to jot down is whether the employee had more than one job and place of employment. Include the other company’s name and contact details along with any wage information, if available.

The most important thing to remember when accidents happen is to openly communicate with all parties – employees, insurance agents and the workers comp company. That way claims can be handled more efficiently, which can ultimate lead to better outcomes for everyone concerned.