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A workplace injury can happen unexpectedly, whether it is lower back pain after lifting, an ankle injury following a fall or discomfort that develops while completing repetitive work.

Beyond the physical symptoms, a workplace injury can affect your confidence, everyday activities and ability to perform your usual job. Knowing what to do early can make the recovery and return-to-work process easier to navigate.

If you have experienced a workplace injury, these three steps can help you document what happened, seek appropriate advice and work towards a safe return to your usual duties.

1. Record Your Workplace Injury as Early as Possible

After a workplace injury, write down what happened while the details are still fresh.

Even when an injury initially appears minor, keeping an accurate record can be useful if symptoms change or you later need to provide information to your employer, healthcare provider or workers’ compensation insurer.

Useful details to record include:

• the date and time of the injury
• what you were doing when it occurred
• how the injury happened
• which area of your body was affected
• any symptoms you noticed at the time or afterwards

For example: “Lower back pain developed after lifting stock boxes at approximately 2 pm during work.”

You should also report the workplace injury to your employer or supervisor in accordance with your workplace’s reporting procedures.

Keeping brief notes about changes in pain, stiffness, sleep, movement and activities that aggravate your symptoms can also give your healthcare provider a clearer picture of how the injury is progressing.

Why Recording a Workplace Injury Matters

Accurate information can help your healthcare provider understand the circumstances surrounding your workplace injury and assess how it is affecting your function.

It may also be relevant if you make a workers’ compensation claim. In Queensland, a claim requires information about the injury or illness and how it happened.

The goal is not to create an exhaustive diary. A simple, factual record is usually much more useful than trying to remember the details weeks later.

2. Seek Appropriate Advice After a Workplace Injury

If a workplace injury is affecting your ability to work safely or comfortably, seeking appropriate healthcare advice can help determine what should happen next.

Depending on the injury, this may involve assessment of your symptoms, movement and function, as well as advice about treatment and your capacity for work.

If you are making a workers’ compensation claim in Queensland, WorkSafe Queensland advises seeing a doctor and obtaining a work capacity certificate. This certificate provides information about your work-related injury or illness, treatment requirements and whether time away from work is needed.

Importantly, having a workplace injury does not automatically mean you must stop working completely.

A Workplace Injury May Require Temporary Changes at Work

Some people can remain at work or return to work with temporary changes while their workplace injury recovers.

These changes are often referred to as suitable duties. Depending on your individual capacity and job, they might involve different tasks, altered hours or temporary restrictions. WorkSafe Queensland describes suitable duties as alternative work an employer may provide when the normal tasks, hours or days are not currently safe or possible.

The appropriate level of activity varies from person to person, so work restrictions should reflect your particular injury, symptoms and job demands rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.

Where appropriate, physiotherapy may form part of the management of a musculoskeletal workplace injury, with rehabilitation directed towards movement, strength, function and the physical demands required for work.

3. Communicate Clearly About Your Injury

Good communication can make the return-to-work process following a workplace injury much easier to coordinate.

Keep your employer informed about any medically recommended restrictions or changes to your capacity. Depending on the injury and the requirements of your job, temporary adjustments might include:

• modified duties
• reduced or altered hours
• limits on lifting or repetitive tasks
• changes to prolonged sitting or standing
• additional opportunities to change position or move

These adjustments should be based on what is appropriate for your workplace injury and current work capacity.

A return-to-work plan may also be used to document rehabilitation information and goals during a workers’ compensation claim in Queensland.

What About WorkCover?

If your workplace injury occurred in Queensland and you are considering a workers’ compensation claim, WorkCover Queensland or your employer’s self-insurer can provide information about the claims process.

A work capacity certificate is one of the documents used to help WorkCover or a self-insurer assess and manage a claim.

Because eligibility and entitlements depend on the individual circumstances, it is better to check the current requirements rather than assume that every workplace injury will automatically be covered.

A Workplace Injury Does Not Have to Mean an Immediate Return to Full Duties

Recovering from a workplace injury is not simply about becoming pain-free as quickly as possible.

The aim is to work towards a safe and sustainable return to the activities your job requires. Depending on the injury, that may mean temporarily changing duties and gradually rebuilding your capacity before returning to normal work.

Recording what happened, seeking appropriate healthcare advice and maintaining clear communication with your workplace can all make that process easier to manage.

Take the Next Step After a Workplace Injury

If a workplace injury is affecting your movement, comfort or ability to complete your usual duties, an individual assessment can help clarify how the injury is affecting you and guide an appropriate rehabilitation and return-to-work plan.

Book a session with one of our physiotherapists online at M Physio Australia or call 1800 992 999.