"OUCH!!"

• Make sure you advise your coworker to comply with your employer's requirements for reporting incidents such as injuries. 
• Suggest they file a claim if they get hurt or sick doing their jobs. Some people do not even think of it, even though it is sometimes the only way to get an employer to take the issue seriously.
• Let them know that it is worth filing a claim late, even though it is supposed to be filed right away. They may be asked why they did not report the injury to a supervisor immediately; it may have been because they did not even realize they were injured.
• Make sure they understand that Workers Compensation does not only replace part of their lost income while they are out of work; it also covers medical costs related to the injury.
• Explain that filing a claim now could protect them in the event that the symptoms recur. If the claim is approved, and if there is a recurrence of the symptoms, workers comp may cover future lost time or medical costs.
• Tell them that workers comp may pay for a scar or other disfigurement caused by the injury, as well as for any loss of function, for example, if they cannot extend a finger all the way.