If you get hurt at work you should give notice to your employer as soon as possible. If you wait more than a month, you may lose your benefits.ย
How do I report an injury at work?
You simply need to report your injury to your supervisor at work. Although Georgia law does not say exactly what you must include when giving your employer notice of your injury, you will want to be specific. In addition to telling your employer about your injury (what you hurt and any pain), give them the date and time the injury happened, what you were doing when you were injured and the names of anyone who saw you get hurt.ย
How do I know if my injury is work-related?
People commonly think of workplace injuries as being limited to labor jobs, like a fall off a ladder or an injury with a power tool. This is not always the case, they can include anything from physical altercations to repetitive use injuries and more. To see a more comprehensive list, check out our article on Common Types of Job Injuries.
How long do I have to report the injury?
Georgia workersโ compensation law gives you 30 days to report your injury. Basically, adequate notice to your employer just has to give your employer the opportunity to investigate your injury to see if it’s related to your job or not–you don’t have to report that you’ve had an injury that arose out of, and in the course of, your employment. Just letting your supervisor know you are injured can be adequate.ย
What if I didnโt give notice of my injury within 30 days?
You should still consider pursuing your claim. Georgia workersโ comp law provides some exceptions to the notice requirement. For example, an appellate court in Georgia has held that, even when an injured worker told her employer that her back injury was not related to work, when she later determined through her doctor that she did have a back injury related to work, she was able to win her case despite her boss’s attempt to use an inadequate notice defense.
For more nuances in the law regarding a “notice defense” in Georgia, contact our law offices to speak to a knowledgeable Atlanta workersโ compensation lawyer about your claim at 404-354-5432.
Editorโs Note: This post was originally published in November 2013 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.