As a business owner, you will eventually have an employee file a claim for workers’ compensation. In fact, the bigger your business is, the more common it will be. However, not every claim of workplace injury will be legitimate. You may be suspicious of a particular case of workplace injury that you believe is exaggerated or even completely fraudulent. When this happens, it is often a matter of documenting the injury. The following is how it is done with video surveillance.
Video Surveillance of Daily Activities
Unless a person’s claim of injury makes them bedridden, they will still have a daily routine, and some of this is likely to take place outside of their home. It is under these circumstances that an employee can be recorded doing something that is not possible given the injury that they claim to have.
This is why preparation work is so important, which is something a private investigator does well. We will do an exhaustive analysis of an employee’s injury, and compare it to what can be expected in regards to physical activity. Knowing their capabilities and their daily routine makes it easier for them to be recorded. If they are seen doing anything that shouldn’t be possible with their claim of injury, you will have evidence of fraud.
Video Surveillance of Driving
An employee may claim that their injury prevents them from driving, so all that is needed is to show them getting into a car and driving away. Or maybe they are not driving but can be seen walking to the car and getting in or out without assistance. If it is typical for their alleged injury to preclude them from doing this, then chances are their injury is fraudulent.
Video Surveillance of Errands Away from Home
This is a classic blunder many people make. They go grocery shopping or out running other errands, and are seen and recorded lifting more than they should be for their type of injury. What makes this such strong evidence is that what they are lifting can be readily identified, thus implicating them of the fraud. A person may also be seen using a hand or arm that they claimed was unusable.
Injured worker surveillance also includes doctor appointments. Amazingly, many people are caught on video coming out of a doctor’s office showing no signs of injury. They only appear injured while in the doctor’s office.
Video Surveillance of Extracurricular Activities
Away from the workplace, many people feel free to act naturally, thinking they won’t get caught. It is not uncommon to catch employees with an injury claim engaged in sports and recreational activities. People have even been recorded skiing, boating, biking, or any number of physical activities that are simply not possible for an injured worker to partake in.
Keep in mind that there are many laws regarding when and where you can record someone on video. This is one of the reasons to use a professional private investigator for injured worker surveillance. In cases where an injury is exaggerated for the purpose of filing a compensation claim, documentation can be tricky, but we have the experience and skill to accomplish this.
Bruce Robertson
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