What to do when an occupational accident occurs

How to apply for compensation under the worker’s compensation insurance after an accident happens at work?

Employee: if you are in an accident at work

• Report the accident to your employer in accordance with the practices of your workplace as soon as possible. You can initiate a claim at your insurance company with a notice of occupational accident filed by your employer. Make sure that the description of the accident included in the notice matches your idea of what happened.
• See a physician immediately or as soon as possible if the injury causes symptoms that do not disappear within a few days. Many times you only need to contact a healthcare professional via an electronic service through which a healthcare professional can assess whether you should seek care and how urgently. Make sure that the physician records all information concerning the accident correctly and that the information recorded corresponds to the sequence of events and the circumstances of the accident.
• If you wait and see how your symptoms evolve and do not seek treatment quickly enough, you might inadvertently complicate the handling of your case at the insurance company. The probability of your case being granted a favourable compensation decision is decreased by a significant delay in seeking treatment after the accident occurred. The delay in seeking treatment may suggest that the initial accident was not as significant and harmful as it had initially felt, and that the prolonged or delayed symptoms are due to something else.

Your employer's insurance company can provide you with various healthcare services related to the treatment of the injury that can speed up the treatment process and your return to work.

Once your claim has been initiated, the insurance company will notify you. The insurance company also ensures that all the documents necessary for making a decision on the claim are at its disposal as soon as possible. The insurance company must on its own initiative pay you the compensation to which you are entitled to based on the reports received and in accordance with the Workers’ Compensation Act.

The insurance company must issue its decision on your claim promptly and no later than 30 days from the date when it has received adequate information to resolve the matter. If the time limit is exceeded, the insurance company will pay an increase for the delay.

You or the healthcare unit treating you can also file the claim with the insurance company by submitting a written notice. The notice must specify the name and contact details of the employer, details of the accident, and the injured employee's name, date of birth or personal identity code and contact information. In addition to these, the healthcare unit must submit the patient records on the treatment.

Employer: if your employee is in an accident at work

• Submit a notice of the occupational accident to your insurance company. Report in detail how the accident occurred. According to legislation, you must file the notice without delay and no later than 10 working days from the time you were made aware of the accident.
• If the accident resulted in death or a severe injury, you must report the incident to the occupational safety and health authority and the police. A severe injury is one that is likely to remain permanent and make normal functions more difficult for the injured person.