Before you are hurt at work, find out where you are supposed to get treatment if you are hurt at work or hurt on the job.

Obviously, if you need emergency medical treatment, your employer should call an ambulance immediately to take you to the nearest emergency room.

For non-emergency work injuries, it is important that you know, BEFORE YOU ARE HURT, where you should go for medical treatment.

Often, an injured workers' case becomes complicated because he or she did not go to the correct medical provider for treatment of their work injuries.

I recommend that you ask your supervisor. If he or she does not know, then I recommend that you contact your human resources department or the department that handles workers' compensation cases for the employer and ask where you should go for medical treatment if you are injured at work.

In most cases, employers have a specific medical provider that injured workers are supposed to see for treatment of their work injuries. Alternatively, the employer will tell the worker to go to the medical provider of their choice.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: the employer must tell you one or the other. It is the law.

If the employer tells you to choose your own doctor, find one before you get hurt. The time to try to find a doctor IS NOT WHEN YOU ARE INJURED AT WORK.

If you need a list of possible workers' compensation doctors, contact me.

SO BASIC #2: FIND OUT WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GET TREATMENT IF YOU ARE INJURED AT WORK BEFORE YOU GET HURT AT WORK.