Ideally, your employees will let you or a supervisor know right away any time they are injured at work, even if it’s a minor injury.

But what if they don’t? Can you be legally required to report an injury that was never reported to you?

In many states, the answer is yes. If you become aware of an injury by seeing it occur, or even suspecting it, it can be considered “constructive notice.” In other words, you should have known.

This matters because there are state deadlines that limit how much time can elapse between the time you become aware of an injury and when workers’ compensation benefits must be paid or denied.

This means that as soon as you’re aware of an injury, it’s important to report it to SFM so your claims representative can investigate and make a determination on whether workers’ compensation benefits are due.

Following are a few things you can do to make sure work injuries are reported right away at your organization:

• Train your supervisors to watch out for work injuries and report them immediately. Make sure they know it’s their responsibility to report all injuries as soon as they learn of them. It’s not up to the employee to decide whether to report.
• Help supervisors remember how to report injuries through the SFM Work Injury Hotline by hanging posters and through other communications.
• Make sure supervisors and employees know that all work injuries, no matter how minor, should be reported immediately.
• If you suspect that the employee was not injured as reported, it’s still important to report the injury right away. Let your claims representative know your concerns. We have the resources to investigate fraud.