SafetyPolicy Podcasts

In this episode we are going to talk about how to properly submit an E1 form, commonly known as the First Report of Injury or Illness, or even shorter a FROI.
Once an accident has been reported by an employee, employers work with their insurance carriers, or if self-insured or in a self-insured group, their third-party administrator. The Employer’s First Report of Injury or Illness form will need to be submitted. This is separate from the employee’s Notice of injury (NOI form) they are required to fill out and turn into the employer if they have a work-related injury.

Unfortunately, accidents happen and if we are lucky, it’s only minor, let’s start with that. Let say your employee Johnny, cuts his finger. We are not doctors and we can’t tell if it needs stiches. So, we send him to the emergency room or an Urgent Care to get checked out. Regardless, whether or not he gets stiches, you need to submit your FROI immediately.

Here’s why, let’s say in 12-days Johnny comes to work complaining of pain and his hand is swollen and red, and you can see it is severely infected. Had you not filed your FROI initially because it didn’t require stiches, it would have been considered a late submittal. There are penalties for not promptly reporting accidents to the insurer, so it is important to submit it immediately.

There are some important things you need to know and remember; If the injury didn’t get infected, the FROI would have been considered a notice only. If the employee had refused to get checked out, the FROI still needs to be submitted in the event the injury results in further attention. This prevents late submittal. If further medical attention is required having submitted the FROI prevents being late.

The FROI is admissible in a court of law, should this claim end up in court. There have been claims with information provided which related to the emotions an employer was feeling at the time he completed it. You do not want the claimant’s lawyer to have access to this type of information, so stick to the facts as it relates to the incident, only.

Should the incident result in a severe injury of an employee or employee’s, we understand that not all the facts will be known initially. If it’s during normal business hours, call Builder Trust immediately. In these circumstances, having the injured worker’s name and SS# is all that we require to get the claim started. If it’s after normal business hours, you would notify the medical provider and let them know you are covered by Builders Trust. You can call our claims dept. @ 505-332-9867 or notify us by email to Claims@builderstrust.com and we will get back to you right away. What’s most important is that the injured worker receives the best care immediately to ensure their recovery.

If you have questions or need assistance obtaining this form, please call Ethan LeCam, VP of Claims @ 505-934-3555 or Nicole Simon, Claims Manager @ 505-917-0027.

You can also check out our instructional videos on this topic with our builder’s trust mobile app that you can download at the Apple store or google play store. And visit us on our website at www.Builderstrust.com.

Thank you again for joining us, hope you all have a great day and be safe!