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What To Do When an Injury Occurs

You must take several steps in response to a reported illness or injury on the job. This section discusses each step.

What to do When an Injury Occurs OverviewWhat to do When an Injury Occurs Overview
Take these steps in response to a reported injury or illness.

Provide Medical CareProvide Medical Care
When a work-related illness or injury occurs, provide emergency medical care when necessary.

Give the Employee a Workers’ Compensation Claim FormGive the Employee a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form
Give the employee the Workers’ Compensation Claim Form - DWC 1. You must provide this form if the injury results in medical treatment beyond “first aid” or in any time lost beyond the injury date. You must provide this form within one working day of finding out about the injury or illness.

Report the Incident to the Insurance CompanyReport the Incident to the Insurance Company
You must file the Form 5020 - Employer’s Report of Occupational Injury or Illness for every workplace injury which results in either: Lost time beyond the day of the incident (employee misses more than one day of work); or Medical treatment beyond first aid.

Notice of Employee Death to the Department of Industrial RelationsNotice of Employee Death to the Department of Industrial Relations
Employers must notify the Administrative Director of the Department of Industrial Relations of the death of any employee regardless of the cause of death by use of DIA 510 - Notice of Employee Death.

Cal/OSHA Recordkeeping ObligationsCal/OSHA Recordkeeping Obligations
Record keeping for Cal/OSHA compliance is a separate issue from the reports and records you keep for workers’ compensation purposes.

Report Serious Incident or DeathReport Serious Incident or Death
The Labor Code requires that every employer must immediately report by telephone or email any serious injury, illness or death of an employee occurring in a place of employment or in connection with any employment.

Investigate and Take Preventative MeasuresInvestigate and Take Preventative Measures
Conduct an investigation into the surrounding circumstances and document any findings.

Communicate With the EmployeeCommunicate With the Employee
Communicate with the employee, focusing on his/her recovery from the injury and return to work.

Privacy of Workers’ Compensation Medical RecordPrivacy of Workers’ Compensation Medical Record
Laws that limit the amount and type of medical information that you can receive from claims administrators and physicians can make it difficult for you to administer workers’ compensation claims.

Promote Prompt Claim ClosurePromote Prompt Claim Closure
The goals of medical treatment are to restore the injured employee’s condition to as close to pre-injury function as possible and to return the employee to gainful employment.

Returning Permanent and Stationary Employee to WorkReturning Permanent and Stationary Employee to Work
An employee declared permanent and stationary may be capable of returning to his/her pre-injury job without limitation.

Offering a Modified or Alternate PositionOffering a Modified or Alternate Position
A modified position is the employee’s former position modified to permit the employee to work within the work restrictions.

Return to Work IncentiveReturn to Work Incentive
For injuries on or after January 1, 2013, the Legislature has created a fund to separately compensate injured workers who are disproportionately affected by their injury because they cannot return to work.

Supplemental Job Displacement BenefitsSupplemental Job Displacement Benefits
A supplemental job displacement benefit is a nontransferable voucher that an injured employee can use for retraining, skill enhancement or both at state-approved or accredited schools. It is in essence a four-page instruction form mailed to the employee explaining how to seek reimbursement for these costs. The amount available to the employee depends upon the date of injury.

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