If you get hurt on the job, you must notify your injury to your employer as soon as possible. In the state of Pennsylvania, an injured worker must understand the 120-day rule of duty to notify his or her employer of any work injury. Under Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation laws, an injured worker has to report his or her employer of the injury within 120 days of the injury. The clock starts ticking from the date of the injury. Failure to inform your job within this deadline will strip the injured worker of valuable compensation rights.
Whom Do You Notify?
The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act requires the injured worker to notify certain people of the injury. Informing a co-worker about your accident is not enough. You must notify a supervisor or manager.
The notice does not have to be in writing. In fact, the requirement in some cases can be fulfilled if your supervisor or manager witnesses your work injury accident. Every situation is different, so it is critical to consult with an attorney.
Duty to Notify Timeline Exceptions
There are special circumstances and situations that warrant an exception to the 120-day rule. That’s because certain injuries are not immediately noticed, while other injuries develop over time. Examples include:
- Hearing loss
- Repetitive motion injuries for which there may not be a distinct “date of injury”
If you are unsure of when your injury occurred, we can go over your rights and obligations for your specific case.
Contact Us for Guidance on Workplace Injury Notification
For more information about your duty to notify an employer of an injury and what happens after this point in the workers’ compensation process, talk to an experienced attorney at Krasno, Krasno & Onwudinjo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We help workers with all types of injury claims, and our lawyers will guide you in seeking full workers’ compensation benefits.
This is not the time to hesitate or wait to make a decision. There is a deadline that must be met, and you may have already exceeded the time limit. Email or contact us today at (800) 952-9640 to talk to an experienced attorney. Our lawyers handle workers’ compensation cases on a contingency basis. We only get paid if we help you obtain compensation, prevent an insurance company from stopping or altering your benefits, or if you settle your case.