This is the fifth in a series of five regulatory compliance posts that highlight major challenges for companies. If you’d like to have all the posts in one easy read, please download the complimentary Five Toughest Challenges of Regulatory Compliance whitepaper.

Count workplace injuries among the inevitable challenges of running a successful enterprise. Business owners and managers must ensure that they are up-to-date with changing federal, state and county regulations; workers compensation laws; and OSHA compliance standards in order to properly manage these critical workplace safety issues.

The biggest pitfall with worker’s comp is not knowing where losses are coming from and not being able to pinpoint areas that would benefit from loss-control programs. Of course it is imperative for those managing risk to collect and analyze data to aid in the prevention of worker injuries. The best “worker’s comp” plans take every step available to make sure no accidents occur in the first place.

If health and safety training measures are in place and an employee injury still occurs in the performance of a task, the process of reporting and tracking the injury becomes vital to both the employee and the employer. Initial orientation must impress upon employees the significance of following procedures for reporting injuries on the job.

Failure to report injuries in a timely fashion can be costly to a company. States have rules as to how employers must report worker injuries. Once the injury has been reported, then the tracking process begins. Having in place a systematic approach for assisting the employee from the injury incident through the return to work is the mainstay of a well-prepared company. Documentation and tracking every turn in the process is the only way to make sure that everybody’s interests are protected.