1. Make notes

If you’re injured when you’re away from your workplace, make detailed notes, as you would for any other work injury.

Include information like:

• exactly what happened and how, for example, you were bending down to put boxes on a shelf
• who was there when it happened
• anything unusual about the work area or conditions, for example, the floor was wet and slippery
• what time or how long into your shift it happened
• what parts of your body were injured
• what you felt when you were injured, for example, a sharp pain or a burning feeling
• whether you got medical treatment

You should also make notes of any conversations you had about your injury with others, like your supervisor, manager, or boss.

You should describe your work day, including when you were:

• doing work
• doing personal tasks or errands

Also, include details such as:

• why you were doing something that took you away from the work site
• whether your supervisor gave you any instructions
• whether your employer was providing the transportation when you were injured
• whether the travel or work you were doing was required to do your job and why
• whether you were paid for travel time
• whether you were travelling for your employer and also did some personal errands, why you needed to do the errand at the time you did, and how much time it took

It’s a good idea to make notes soon after the accident and include dates.