This is an issue all of us small business owners and employers face: worker’s compensation insurance. Here in California as well as many other states, all employers are required to carry Worker’s Comp Insurance by law (even if they have only one employee). For a comparison of all the states that require worker’s comp insurance, see: http://www.nfib.com/article/workers-compensation-laws-state-by-state-comparison-57181/. If your business is here in California, you must know and adhere to the following information in the event of a workplace-related injury or illness in your business.
What constitutes the need to submit a claim in California?
By California law, you have to submit a claim for every occupational injury or illness, unless both of the following apply: 1- the incident does not require the employee to miss work for a full day or shift beyond the date of injury or illness, and 2- the injury or illness does not require treatment beyond the legal definition of first aid.
If an incident occurs, what should I do?
In the event of an incident resulting in injury or illness, here is what you must do:
- Provide a workers’ compensation claim for to them within one working day after the work-related injury or illness is reported.
- Return a copy of the completed form to the employee within one working day of receipt
- Forward the claim form, along with your report of occupational injury or illness, to the claims administrator within one working day of receipt;
- Within one working day of receiving the employee’s claim, authorize up to $10,000 in appropriate medical treatment
- Provide transitional work (light duty) whenever appropriate
- If the employee is the victim of a crime that happened at work, you must give notice of workers’ compensation eligibility within one working day of the crime
For more information on California state law on worker’s comp, California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has all the information you will need to know: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/faqs.html
