What is the #1 thing you should do when you are injured?

REPORT YOUR CLAIM!!

I cannot tell you how many calls we get on a daily basis from potential new clients who say that they did not report their claim. Sometimes they didn't report it for several days and sometimes they even go a couple weeks before saying anything to their supervisor. You jeopardize your chances of being covered under Workers' Compensation by not reporting your injury.

The reasons vary. Sometimes it's because they didn't want to get in trouble, sometimes it was because they didn't know who to report it to and sometimes because it happened outside normal business hours when the office staff was not available. But the number one reason why people say they didn't report their claim was because they didn't think it was a big deal and they believed that whatever they were feeling would go away in a couple days with some ice or rest.

No matter how small you believe something is, you should always report it immediately to your supervisor. Even if they do not fill out an injury report, you have told somebody in charge what is going on. If that pain in your back that you think is from lifting something wrong doesn't go away in a few days and it turns out to be a herniated disk; you reported it. If that knee that felt stiff from going up and down the ladder to many times today turns out to need therapy or possibly surgery; you reported it.

An injury isn't always a slip and fall, a laceration or something that is immediately apparent and requires emergency medical attention. An injury can be from repetitive motion, lifting incorrectly, bending over wrong or stepping out of a vehicle to quickly.

So whatever you feel, report your claim.

Blog posted by April Snow, Business Manager for the firm at Snow, Carpio & Weekley, PLC. 

For a free consultation, please call 602-532-0700 or 1-855-325-4781. Visit us on the web at www.workinjuryaz.com

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR INJURED WORKERS

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR INJURED WORKERS

Your doctor releases you to light duty work. You must go back to your employer where you were injured and see if they have light duty work available for you. If your employer does not have light duty work, you must look for light duty work within your work restrictions in good faith. Look for 3-4 jobs per month and keep a record of them. Most employers will not hire you, but the law requires you to look for work. Remember to ask your doctor each time what your work restrictions are, if any.

When you are seeing a doctor, don’t exaggerate your symptoms. For example, never say your pain is 10 out of 10, or that you never get out of bed. If you over-exaggerate your symptoms, the doctor is not likely to believe you. It is o.k. to say that you have good days and bad days, and that sometimes you are able to do more things than other times. This includes filling out questionnaires in doctors’ offices. Never indicate that your symptoms affect you to the most severe level possible. If they move you, pull you, touch you and it doesn’t hurt do not say it hurts, if it hurts then say it hurts. There is no need to exaggerate your symptoms. Simply be honest.

Be aware that occasionally insurance companies do surveillance of injured workers. You do not need to become paranoid and think that you are always being followed; just do not act one way in the doctor’s office and another way in public. If you tell the doctor you cannot do certain activities and you are caught doing them on surveillance, a judge will probably not believe you. Remember your work restrictions, if you do not know your work restrictions you will not know what you can or cannot do. Knowing your work restrictions is essential to your case.

Keep our office informed. If you move, tell us. If your phone is disconnected, let us know how we can get a hold of you. If AHCCS or your private healthcare insurance will pay for your surgery because the workers’ compensation carrier is failing to authorize, under Arizona law we must provide the insurance carrier adequate notice in writing of your upcoming surgery for them to be possibly liable for it in the future. Do not have a surgery without telling us first. If you see a new doctor or are treating with another doctor please tell us. We must be aware of all the doctors that are treating you. We can represent you best when we know everything about your case.

Your attorney is always willing to meet with you to discuss your case. However, just like with your doctor, you need to make an appointment first. We are usually busy throughout the day going to court, depositions, and meeting other clients. Make sure you let our staff know the purpose of your appointment so the attorney knows what your meeting will be about.

Be careful what information you put on public social media sites. Insurance carriers have become very skilled at getting negative information about injured workers from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or MySpace. Be aware that information you put on public social media sites can be used against you in court even if your profile is set to private.

You can reach any of our staff anytime at their e-mail address, which is (the person’s first name) @snowcarpio.com. For example, Mr. Snow’s e-mail is chad@snowcarpio.com, Mr. Carpio’s is alex@snowcarpio.com – the same for everyone in the firm. This is often the best way to get a hold of us and get a quick response. You can also see all of our services at Snow, Carpio, and Weekley. However, if it is something complicated or you do not have access to email please call us to set up an appointment.

Ever wonder if those Ergonomic Keyboards really make a difference?

According to a CDC report, "....there is little information to assist

people interested in purchasing alternative keyboards. While the scientific evidence about whether alternative keyboards prevent musculoskeletal disorders is inconclusive at

this time, this document provides basic information about common alternative

keyboard designs and their effects on work posture".

I tried out one of these funny looking keyboard awhile back and it brought nothing but frustration. It slowed down my typing, cause me to making numerous typing errors and in the end; I put it away in the supply closet and brought back out my old, flat, nothing fancy keyboard.

If your curious about all the different types of ergonomic keyboards and what they are supposed to help with, check out this article: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/97-148/pdfs/97-148.pdf.

Snow, Carpio, Weekley

Blog posted today by April Lang, Business Manager

in the absence of Chad Snow, Attorney.

Safety Tip of the Day:



Safety Tip of the Day:

 

Don’t eat at your workstation and in front of your computer.

Eating in the workplace saves time but, be sure though that it is not done near computers and other electrical equipment.

Accidents caused by water must be avoided at all cost.

Snow, Carpio, and Weekley

Most Common Safety Violations



I was trolling around the Industrial Commission Site and I cam across the 20 most common citations for safety. It's pretty interesting if you look at some of them because it is very easy to be in compliance and yet so expensive to have an accident.

Most cases that we see here in our office could have been prevented. Whether it's lack of fall protection that prevented the roofer from falling off a roof  or a simple Lock-Out/Tag-Out procedure that takes a few moments but can save somebody from being electrocuted or losing a finger.

Safety is so important. Both as an employer and an employee.

Here's the list for you to check out.
The 20 standards most frequently cited by ADOSH

Note: 1926 indicates a violation of a construction standard, 1910 a general industry standard.

Standard Description Citations

1910.1200 Hazard Communication 338

1910.305 Wiring methods, components 209

1910.157 Portable fire extinguishers 179

1910.134 Respiratory protection 138

1910.178 Powered industrial trucks 131

1910.303 Electrical, general requirements 131

1910.212 Machine guarding, general requirements 93

1910.215 Abrasive wheel machinery 86

1926.501 Duty to have fall protection 73

1910.179 Overhead and gantry cranes 72

1910.132 PPE, general requirements 63

1910.213 Woodworking machine guarding 62

1910.1030 Bloodborne pathogens 59

1904.01 Recordkeeping 52

1910.22 Housekeeping 49

1910.219 Power transmission guarding 47

1904.32 Annual summary, 300 log 46

1926.451 Scaffolding, general requirements 46

1910.23 Floor/wall opening guarding 44

1910.37 Exit route maintenance 39

Now, as a previous business owner and employer, I can tell you that there are a few items on this list that require little/no effort. For example; PPE (general requirements), that means Personal Protection Equipment and is referring to safety devices for your employees such as safety glasses to protect eyes, ear plugs to preserve hearing, gloves to protect hands from materials and/or equipment and also the red vests that should be worn if your employees are in an area where there is forklift activity so they will stand out and the forklift driver can easily identify and see them. These very inexpensive items all flow into the PPE area and there is no reason why an employee should not be providing these safety tools for their employees. The citation fine is probably 5x the amount they would have spent in the first place.

Another example would be the Annual Summary. There is no fee associated with this unless you employ a full time Safety Director, in which case this should be a simple task that he/she should be completing as part of their job. But on the norm, for small-mid size companies, the owners are probable handling this task and it doesn't cost you a penny to complete your OSHA 300 log. Yes, it takes a little bit of time but, if you are recording everything as it happens through the year, it's a very easy and simple task to complete.

Employers need to get out of the mindset that ADOSH and other safety entities are here to make their lives more difficult and instead understand they are around to ensure the safety of the employees. I remember having a sinking feeling every time they would walk through the door because I knew it would mean some sort of fine or write-up; but in retrospect, they weren't that difficult to deal with and most of the things we needed to bring up to par were very simple things that because we did not stay on task, it cost us in both time and money.

For employees; I know that the biggest complaint I used to get from my manufacturing employees was that it was too hot to wear the safety glasses in the summer and that the gloves made it hard to grip sometimes. But in the end, these Personal Protection Equipment and devices are put in place to ensure your safety.

I can tell you from my experience working here at the Snow and Carpio Law Firm over the last 2 years that most of our clients would love to go back to when their injury happened and rewind for just 2 second so they could have a do-over and not get injured. Whether it's a minor injury that does not result in loss of time at work or a major incident that leaves a person unable to return to their job and even their career; not one of them would give up the chance to go back and have that accident and injury go away.

So take a look around you and see if there are safety issues. whether you are an employer or an employee, point things out, make sure to talk about safety.

If you are injured or know of somebody who has been injured; the attorneys at Snow, Carpio, and Weekley PLC are glad to sit down and speak to you at no cost about your case. For more information regarding this topic or general questions regarding a Workers' Compensation Claim, you may reach Chad Snow and the firm of Snow and Carpio, PLC at 602-532-0700 or 520-647-9000.


In the absence of Attorney Chad Snow, blog posted today by: April Lang-Snow, Business Manager @ Snow and Carpio, PLC.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Workers' Compensation Tip of the Day:

The injured worker must apply in writing to the ICA requesting permission to be out of the state of Arizona for any period exceeding fourteen days. The ICA issues an award either approving or disapproving the request. If approved, the claim continues to be processed in accordance with Arizona Workers’ Compensation Law.

If you fail to get approval prior to leaving the state, the insurance company may suspend your benefits

For more information regarding this topic or general questions regarding a Workers' Compensation Claim, you may reach Chad Snow and the firm of Snow, Carpio, and Weekley, PLC at 602-532-0700 or 520-647-9000.


In the absence of Attorney Chad Snow, blog posted today by: April Lang-Snow, Business Manager @ Snow and Carpio, PLC.