Injuries should be reported immediately – within 24 hours. When in doubt – report. Every complaint needs a First Report of Injury form filled out followed by investigation forms as back up to start the paper trail.
The injury report is submitted to the carrier to get a claim number. If the incident turns out to be minor, it is marked IRO (Incident Report Only) or medical only for the records. But it stays in the system in case something comes up later on the claim. If no other action is taken within a year, the claim is closed.
Some employers don’t report what they think are insignificant claims for fear it will affect their insurance rates, but high dollar claims are more significant in damaging MODs now than small claims. It’s always best to report.
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