Workers Comp Accident Management By Restaurant Manager
One of the more popular articles published recently covered the workers comp accident management by the restaurant manager of a slip-and-fall accident by a waitperson. The article went viral, well, viral for a very specific-subject website.
I received a few emails with questions on how the restaurant manager handled the incident. You can check out that article here.
The manager performed well at the busiest time of the day for the restaurant – noontime rush. After growing up in a restaurant family, there is no comparison to the noontime rush as it is so compacted and everyone is in a hurry to get back to work.
Workers Comp Accident Management Questions and Comments
The questions and comments that I converted to questions are:
- Why did the manager not let the assistant manager do the Workers Comp Reporting (FROI)?
Most smaller restaurants (even chains) have the assistant manager as the manager running the shift. As far as I could tell, only one manager was available – likely the assistant or shift manager.
- Why did the manager not have the Workers Comp injury and reporting folder on a tablet or her phone? The carrier likely had provided a Workers Comp accident management app.
Workers Comp runs approximately 10 years behind on technology. The carrier likely only provided a folder. The pen and paper system worked well in this instance. I was more surprised that the shift manager had been trained on what to do and followed the instructions.
- Should the manager have called an ambulance?
No, the injury was not that series unless you count the plates that hit the floor in a loud BANG!
- Should the manager have given the injured employee a slip to take to the correct medical provider?
From what I could tell, the shift manager used the folder and called the nearest medical provider to tell them that an employee was coming to see them and reported what happened to the clinic. As it was Saturday noon, the medical provider was likely a walk-in clinic. Some people call them a Doc-In-A-Box. I call them huge workers comp premium savers that I have used for over 30 years to cut WC costs. Medical control while supplying the best treatment available is the key.
- Why was no one sent with the injured employee to drive them to the appointment?
You may be correct on this one. The injured employee, even though in his early 20s was in pain and he may have decided to go home or seek medical treatment elsewhere besides the walk-in clinic. I presume the shift manager called the clinic to see if the injured employee showed up and likely called the employee to see how he did after the appointment. Those two recommendations are in most Work Comp insurance carrier’s accident manuals or folders.
I can tell you from experience that losing medical control at the outset of a claim can cost a large amount of premium and not have the injured employee receive the best industrial medical care available. If there was one area where I think the workers comp accident management slipped, it was at this point.
Also Read: Combined Ratio Difference Debate – Calendar vs. Accident Year
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