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Employee Refuses Medical Care
Question:
An employee suffers a hand laceration on the job and refuses medical evaluation or first aid treatment. Weeks pass by and the employee reports that the wound is now infected and that it requires surgery. The employee still refuses treatment from the company and pays the surgery bill directly out of pocket. The employee will miss four days of work. Is it recordable?
Answer:
YES. Even though the company never directed medical care, or even paid for medical treatment, the injury still occurred in the work environment and resulted in medical treatment and lost time.
1904.7(a) You must consider an injury or illness to meet the general recording criteria, and therefore to be recordable, if it results in any of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. You must also consider a case to meet the general recording criteria if it involves a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.