When Hurt On The Job!

stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
Attention UPS'ers

Whenever you get hurt on the job, you need to report this injury to management. The injury needs to be documented by management, even if Liberty Mutual is not called. I hurt my back in January of 2007, and reported it to my supervisor. He told me to take a few days off, to see if I would feel better by then. This is all well and good, on the part of management, as it may be something minor, that just needs a couple of days to heal.

The problem with this, though, is that sometimes things can feel better, but still need medical attention. From the day I hurt my back, (it felt like a pinched nerve), to now, the pain has gotten worse. I recently decided that enough was enough, and the I needed to call in the injury. I didn't have the exact date, so my supe told me to call it on that particular date, but to explain that it had happened quite some time ago.

I called it in, and went to the Dr, who referred me for an MRI. Turns out that I have a herniated disc in my upper back, due to the constant activity at work, (Runner/Gunner). Long story short, Liberty Mutual has denied my claim, due to the fact that I can't recall the exact date I was injured.

This experience should be a warning to all of you UPS'ers out there. Have your injury, no matter how "slight", documented. Date, how it happened, etc... Better to be safe, then to have your claim denied because you don't remember the where or when.
 

MC4YOU2

Wherever I see Trump, it smells like he's Putin.
Hey Stugs, you say it happened Jan 07. Could you have simply picked what you sincerely believed to be the correct date and stood by it? If you took a day or two off back when it occured it would be fairly easy to verify if you kept a record of your hours etc. Or do you think it was more to do with the time lapse, rather than anything else?
 

stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
Hey Stugs, you say it happened Jan 07. Could you have simply picked what you sincerely believed to be the correct date and stood by it? If you took a day or two off back when it occured it would be fairly easy to verify if you kept a record of your hours etc. Or do you think it was more to do with the time lapse, rather than anything else?
I'm not sure, I'm gonna ask tomorrow. When it happened, my supe said to go see the chirocracker (chiropractor), and I have the date that I saw him, so I think it was the day before. I'll let you know.
 

Braveheart

Well-Known Member
Repetative motion injury. Get a lawyer. Also for all those who never reported an injury that long ago, when it comes back then that is the day you hurt it and do not mention 3 months or 3 years ago when you took one for the team. This is just what UPS is trying to do, avoid their part in our injuries.
 

Dizzee

ɹǝqɯǝɯ ɹoıuǝs
.....Turns out that I have a herniated disc in my upper back,

20 years ago I herniated a disc in my upper back also, T-10, T-11. Time healed mine. Missed a year and a half of work. Took one year to get UPS to authorize an MRI. For that first year, it was treated as a muscle strain. It bothered me off and on, for about seven or eight years. I was very, very, lucky that UPS didn't deny the claim. They used to deny almost all of them, and, make you fight for it.

I worked with a guy that went years, without a dime from comp. He went to various United Way agencies for help when he was on the verge of losing his home and had no money for food. He was married with five kids. They all denied him, based on the fact he was not working, because of a comp claim. Needless to say, nobody says a word to him about donating, when United Way time comes around now.

On a side note: The back specialist, reportedly, one of the best in the country, was convinced that I had a skydiving accident, when he read my MRI results. Said he had only seen ten or so examples of disc injuries in that location, and, they were all from hitting the ground too hard while skydiving. :knockedout:
 

bubsdad

"Hang in there!"
I learned the hard way, also. I hurt my back at work, (before I was brown), called the guy who was filling in for my supe and he finished my route. Went to the chiropractor and he told me that he couldn't help me because it was a herniated disc. Called company and told them I needed to go to their doctor and they tried to say I never reported it so they were going to fight the claim. Guy who was filling in for my supe said he didn't remember me saying anything about my back. Got a lawyer, had back surgery, they had to cover it, etc., etc. Make sure when you do report an injury it is documented. It will save alot of stress and wasted time when the time comes to actually deal with the final solution. Hope you get some relief, stug.
 
People, let these stories be a lesson for us all. When (not if) you are injured on the job, no matter how severe or minor it seems at the time, demand they call it in to the insurance company that day/night. Liberty Mutual's report line is open 24/7 for a reason. None of this taking a few days off to "see if it gets better" crap. Management is just trying to keep their reported injury numbers down, it has absolutely nothing to do with YOUR well being. This is truly one game you can not afford to play with them. What seems to be a mild muscle strain can easily turn into a career end injury and between UPS and Liberty Mutual you have two innities that are doing their dead level best to deny you the treatment you deserve simply to save money.
Even comapny policy states that you have to call them in the day of the injury, if a supervisor or manager tries to get you to "wait a few days" are hoping it isn't bad enough to require treatment and they can hide your injury from OHSA and save money. The company's concern for you stops when it does not illeffect them.
I would be willing to bet a month's of pay checks there is not one Doctor working in our centers as a supervisor/manager, don't let them make you diagnosis.
 

ups1990

Well-Known Member
Steve, hope and pray all turns out well.

This story should serve as an example to all of us. We work extremely hard for this company, to the extend that UPS is towards the top of the Fortune 500 list. Our bodies health, is of importance. Steve's, current situation, makes me ponder more on this matter and what to do if I, injured myself.

What does UPS, tell its drivers when in a car accident? Or if you hit something? No matter the slightest of accident, involving their property? Report it! A driver could be terminated for not reporting.

In turn, employees, should do the same when it involves their health.
 

City Driver

Well-Known Member
i agree, always report injuries right away to cover your own ass

i wish we had light duty, back when it was overnite they would let you work in the office but we cant do that anymore
 

Ms Spoken

Well-Known Member
To make a long story short I fell on the ice and busted my knee. I took every step that I needed and even noted it in remarks in the diad that I fell.
UPS sent me to their Dr. who said that this injury is from a preexisting condition. So needless to say LM and UPS hung me out to dry. Found out that after surgery that I had fractured my knee and it never showed up on the MRI. And UPS wonders why some of us DO NOT bleed brown anymore.
Can you say I'm OVER IT and pissed off.
 
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stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
Steve are you on light duty now or have any work restrictions? PM sent.
Not on light duty, anymore. Didn't have any work restrictions, which was weird. I received a letter in the mail, saying I was denied, but I was already back to full time driving.

Steve, hope and pray all turns out well.

This story should serve as an example to all of us. We work extremely hard for this company, to the extend that UPS is towards the top of the Fortune 500 list. Our bodies health, is of importance. Steve's, current situation, makes me ponder more on this matter and what to do if I, injured myself.

What does UPS, tell its drivers when in a car accident? Or if you hit something? No matter the slightest of accident, involving their property? Report it! A driver could be terminated for not reporting.

In turn, employees, should do the same when it involves their health.
AMEN!!!

To make a long story short I fell on the ice and busted my knee. I took every step that I needed and even noted it in remarks in the diad that I fell.
UPS sent me to their Dr. who said that this injury is from a preexisting condition. So needless to say LM and UPS hung me out to dry. Found out that after surgery that I had fractured my knee and it never showed up on the MRI. And UPS wonders why some of us DO NOT bleed brown anymore.
Can you say I'm OVER IT and pissed off.
Ms, you need a lawyer, now! You should fight this, with all the info that you have, you have a very strong case, even if you decide you don't want this job anymore. JMHO
 

UPSNewbie

Well-Known Member
During my training, the safety sup did the training while the newer training sup was out. The center manager was in the room looking over his new inmates. The safety sup said "no matter how small you think the injury is, report it. It could come back as a bigger beast." The center manager then left the room and slammed doors all throughout the hall. (I told DS of how heartless this guy is)

When I sprained my ankle, I hobbled down from the unload as the center manager and safety sup walked by. The center manager said "walk it off dude. Get back up there."

So once I got sat down to report it to Liberty Mutual :-)happy-very:), my boot had to be cut to get it off. (Too bad I didn't get a picture of it. Talk about gnarly.) The safety sup luckily had my back. I still have the claim number in my phone and on my computer in case I have trouble with it again.
 

stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
During my training, the safety sup did the training while the newer training sup was out. The center manager was in the room looking over his new inmates. The safety sup said "no matter how small you think the injury is, report it. It could come back as a bigger beast." The center manager then left the room and slammed doors all throughout the hall. (I told DS of how heartless this guy is)

When I sprained my ankle, I hobbled down from the unload as the center manager and safety sup walked by. The center manager said "walk it off dude. Get back up there."

So once I got sat down to report it to Liberty Mutual :-)happy-very:), my boot had to be cut to get it off. (Too bad I didn't get a picture of it. Talk about gnarly.) The safety sup luckily had my back. I still have the claim number in my phone and on my computer in case I have trouble with it again.
Careful, because Liberty has a way out. It's called the 365 day Statute of limitations.
 
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