Treatment for Work-Related Injuries: ER or Urgent Care?

Although business owners and managers try to do everything in their power to protect employees from injuries, accidents can still occur. In many cases, physical injuries can occur as a result. But even if those injuries may not seem serious, it’s essential that employees receive immediate medical attention to ensure both they and the employer are protected. However, it’s not always clear where these injured employees should go to receive medical treatment. Is it an emergency situation, or should the injury be treated as soon as possible? Does the ER always provide the highest quality of care, even when the injury isn’t life-threatening? In today’s post, we’ll provide some information pertaining to the most common workplace injuries and how to assess the right course of action to take after sustaining a work-related injury.

Common Causes of Workplace Injuries

Understanding the causes of some of the most prevalent workplace injuries can allow you to take preventative steps within the workplace to minimize their likelihood and gain further knowledge into how these injuries should likely be treated.

The most common causes of workplace injuries can include…

• Slips and Falls: Slips, trips, and falls are incredibly common and constitute a huge portion of personal injury claims. Wet surfaces, liquid spills, inclement weather, loose or uneven flooring, bad lighting, obstructed views, and other floor hazards can all lead to these accidents. Subsequent injuries can include everything from minor sprains to major back or head injuries and broken bones.
• Machinery or Handling Incidents: Mechanical hazards and accidents do happen, despite attempts at proper training and equipment maintenance. Exposure to moving parts or a failure to wear proper body protection can result in some grisly injuries. Even lifting or pushing too heavy a load or operating a piece of heavy equipment in poor repair can cause harm to employees. These injuries may range from tissue damage to crushed or severed limbs and major vision problems.
• Repetitive Strain Injuries: Repetitive stress or strain injuries (known as RSI) can occur among employees who aren’t responsible for highly physical work. In fact, they can take the form of carpal tunnel syndrome in employees who sit in front of computer screens all day long. However, overexertion and repetitive strain injuries can also impact employees who lift heavy objects improperly or who are given no breaks for their bodies to physically recover. While these injuries might not seem as serious as others on the list, they’re likely a lot more common — and they can severely impact your quality of life without proper treatment.

Emergency Care Vs. Urgent Care Clinic: Which is Best For Work Injuries?

Ultimately, your choice to pursue immediate treatment with an emergency room visit or with a trip to the walk-in clinic should come down to the severity of the injury itself. First, you must evaluate by asking: is it an emergency that could be life-threatening? If there is even a slight chance that the answer could be yes, it’s best to head to the ER right away. Especially when there may be a worker’s compensation claim involved, it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s important to note, however, that for less serious injuries (like an RSI, a minor sprain, or even a non-serious break), it may be advantageous to go to an urgent care clinic. Because the wait times will be reduced, which means the employee can receive faster treatment without compromising on quality. If you’ve answered “no” to the “is it an emergency?” question, your local urgent care clinic may be the superior choice.
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