Report Work Injuries or Illnesses to MCIT
As soon as you learn that an employee has been injured on the job, report the incident to MCIT using one of the below methods. If the situation is life threatening, call 911 immediately or get the employee to an emergency care facility before reporting to MCIT.
Once an employer knows about the injury, the workers’ compensation determination and other timelines begin. MCIT has 14 days from the time the employer is aware of the incident to determine whether coverage applies. When a supervisor becomes aware of a work injury, the employer becomes responsible for reporting it to MCIT. This notice can include:
- Being told about the incident verbally or in writing
- Seeing the incident occur
- Suspecting that an injury occurred
Connect injured employees to medical advice regarding their injuries right away by calling the Workplace Injury Hotline at 1.833.523.0277. The hotline nurse assesses the situation and provides care recommendations, as well as notifies MCIT of the incident. The employer does not need to take further action to submit the claim to MCIT.
If the injured employee seeks medical care before placing a call to the Workplace Injury Hotline, members should not call the hotline. Rather, report the incident to MCIT directly through the member portal (click orange button at top or bottom of page) following the member’s internal reporting procedures.
Some work-related injuries require notification within specified timelines. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry requires notification within 48 hours of occurrence of all work-related injuries involving death or serious injury, including those that later result in death. Ideally all injuries should be reported within 48 hours of occurrence.
To avoid fines and penalties, members must notify MCIT sooner than 48 hours after serious injury or death so that MCIT can submit notification to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry on behalf of the member within the 48-hour timeframe.
Member Must Report Serious Incidents to Minnesota OSHA
Members must notify Minnesota OSHA of all work-related:
- Fatalities within 8 hours.
- Hospitalizations, amputations and losses of an eye within 24 hours.
Members can contact Minnesota OSHA at 1.877.470.6742 during business hours or after hours by calling the federal OSHA hotline at 1.800.321.6742.
MCIT does not report incidents to OSHA on behalf of members.
Members Responsible for Fines, Penalties
Missing any of the above deadlines can result in penalties and fines for which your organization may be held responsible.
Provide Forms to Employee When Medical Care Is Needed
If the employee needs medical care, provide the employee:
- Report of Work Ability form
- Temporary Prescription Form so employee can receive necessary medications to treat the injury with no out-of-pocket expense at participating pharmacies.
- Letter to treating physician that your organization provides light-duty work
- Mileage Reimbursement Form so employees can receive cost reimbursement for traveling to receive necessary medical treatment.
Be sure that the treating health care provider knows that you offer light-duty/transitional work and ask the employee to return the Report of Work Ability form to you after each visit with the provider.
Employer’s Responsibilities After Reporting an Injury
Reporting an employee injury to MCIT is just the first responsibility of the employer. Follow these four steps to help control and manage an injured employee situation.
Employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace. After an employee injury or illness, you should investigate the situation to determine its causes and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
While investigating:
- Interview witnesses
- Review the scene of the incident
- Take photos and save equipment involved
- Determine if video is available that captured the incident
Learn More About Investigating Employee Injuries
Browse Resources for helpful articles and tools to assist in conducting effective employee injury investigations.
Injured employees who need to be away from work while recovering may become disconnected from the workplace and may fear losing their job. Reduce their anxiety by staying in touch and letting them know you care about their recovery and have plans to return them to the workplace.
- Direct the employee to the Employee section of the website for answers to common questions and resources.
- Remind the employee about the Employee Assistance Program. It may be able to provide support for circumstances that arise due to the employee’s injury, such as support for family caregivers, financial counseling or assistance in securing day care.
Look for ways to bring the employee back to the workplace, even if he or she is not able to return to his or her pre-injury job due to medical restrictions. Consider these options, among others:
- Temporary light-duty positions
- Reduced hours
- Adjusting the employee’s regular job to accommodate restrictions
Learn More About Return to Work Programs and Their Benefits
Browse Resources for more information and tips about Return to Work Programs.
Inform the MCIT claims representative right away if an injured employee’s situation changes, such as needing to be off of work for treatment and/or recovery. This gives the claims representative time to determine whether the injury is covered by workers’ compensation and pay wage-loss benefits before the state’s deadline. Other information that should be reported to MCIT includes new details you learn as you investigate the incident.
Handling Medical Data in Compliance with Privacy Laws
Minnesota law grants employers access to injured employees’ medical records to learn of restrictions ordered by treating medical providers. This information must be secured according to several privacy laws, including the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Keep these issues in mind when handling medical records:
- You cannot combine medical records with an employee’s personnel file. Keep a separate medical file.
- Never give medical information to a third party without the employee’s written consent.
Employers Entitled to Medical Information
Generally, HIPAA allows employers to discuss an injured employee’s medical status related to a work injury with the employee’s treating health care provider. Providers may be unclear about what they can share with employers and be reluctant to provide information. In these situations, call your MCIT claims representative at 1.866.547.6516.
Prepare for Worker Injuries
Follow these steps to be prepared in the event an employee is injured at work.
1. Assign Duties for Reporting, Managing Employee Injuries
This person should be tasked with reporting incidents to MCIT; and to stay in touch with MCIT, the injured employee and the treating health care provider.
2. Make Information about Reporting Incidents Visible, Available
No one can predict when a workplace injury will occur, so keep visible reminders around the office about how and when to report incidents.
MCIT offers posters, magnets and user guides for the Workplace Injury Hotline.
3. Implement Internal Procedures for Reporting Injuries, Train Supervisors
Make sure that you have established steps for how supervisors are to report employee injuries internally. These should be written, accessible and explained to all supervisors.
4. Have Information Kits Readily Available for Injured Employees
When an employee is injured, they are often focused on the injury and its treatment, not how to coordinate coverage with the workers’ compensation provider. Have an information kit readily available to provide them with details and forms they need to ease the process, such as:
- Temporary Prescription Form
- Report of Work Ability
- Letter informing health care provider about availability of light-duty work
- Mileage Reimbursement Form
5. Establish Light-duty, Transitional Work List
A list of light-duty work or transitional jobs helps facilitate injured employees’ return to work. To create this list, ask department heads, managers and supervisors for ideas.
6. Create a Return to Work Program
A return to work program progressively returns an injured or ill employee to full duty, minimizes the economic and emotional costs of a workplace injury to both the employee and employer, and contributes to employee retention.
