01
Report it in writing the same day
Verbal reports vanish. A dated written report is the document the entire claim is built on.
Legal playbook · 9 tactics
9 Steps After a Workplace Injury
Compensation is automatic. The claim worth several times more is not.
02
Get medical attention even if you feel able to continue
A gap between injury and first treatment is the argument used to dispute causation months later.
03
Photograph the equipment, the guarding and the site
A defect claim against a machine dies the moment it is repaired, replaced or scrapped.
04
Send a preservation demand within days
Site footage, maintenance logs and inspection records are overwritten on short retention schedules.
05
Identify everyone on site, not just your employer
A subcontractor, equipment owner or property owner can be sued where your employer cannot.
06
File the compensation claim regardless of fault
It is a no-fault system and pays medical costs and partial wages while everything else is investigated.
07
Get the impairment rating from a formal evaluation
It is multiplied by statutory weeks to produce the permanent award. A second opinion frequently changes it.
08
Do not give a recorded statement to the third party's insurer
You must cooperate with the compensation carrier. That is a different obligation from helping the defence.
09
Expect a lien and negotiate it
The compensation carrier will claim against any third-party recovery, and those liens are routinely reducible.
Put it to work
Calculators for these tactics
Legal & Injury
Work Injury & Comp Calculator
Estimate temporary disability, permanent impairment and total workers comp exposure.
Legal & InjuryConstruction Accident Claim Calculator
Workers comp plus the third-party claim that comp does not cover.
Legal & InjuryOil Rig & Offshore Injury Calculator
Jones Act, LHWCA and platform claims — the three routes have very different values.
Legal & InjuryLost Wages Calculator
Work out past and future income loss, including benefits and reduced capacity.
Estimates, not advice. Every figure here is produced from the inputs you enter and the formula printed on the page. Rules differ by state, carrier, lender and contract, so use these numbers to prepare for a conversation with a qualified professional rather than to replace one. See our full disclaimer.