smallcrewworkerscomp.com

Updated September 2026 · For small New York employers whose worker just reported an injury

What to do when a crew member is hurt on the job

What should a New York employer do first when a worker is injured?

  1. Get the worker treated by a Board-authorized provider
  2. Note the date the worker told you about the injury
  3. Investigate the facts before any form is filed
  4. Decide whether the injury counts as minor
  5. File the Employer's First Report, form C-2F, inside the deadline
  6. Keep paying wages if the claim looks real, and track every payment
  7. Claim reimbursement from any award before the Board makes it

Treatment comes before paperwork

Get the worker treated first. The treating provider must be authorized by the Workers' Compensation Board, except in an emergency.

The worker should tell you or a supervisor when, where and how it happened, and then submit written notice within 30 days, under Section 18 of the law. That notice is the employee's job, not yours, but knowing the clock matters to you.

You may not steer the worker to a particular provider. The Board allows recommending a provider only if you inform the worker of the right to choose, using form C-3.1. Preferred Provider Program and Alternative Dispute Resolution participants have their own rules.

Anything written to the treating provider should be copied to the worker and any representative. The Board warns that attempting to influence a health care provider is interference with treatment, which is a misdemeanor.

30 daysAn injured employee should use a Board-authorized provider, except in an emergency, and should give the employer written notice within 30 days under Section 18. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

Employers may not direct employees to a particular health care provider, and any attempt to influence a provider may be considered interference with treatment, which is a misdemeanor. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

Investigate now, while the facts are fresh

The Board's own instruction is that all accidents should be investigated fully to ensure all facts are gathered. Do it the same day, with the supervisor who saw it.

You should contact your insurance carrier immediately and stay in contact throughout the claim. The carrier runs the claim; your job is facts, records and payroll.

The investigation feeds the form you will file. When completing form C-2F, the Board reminds employers that statements may be legally binding, and that you should note on the form if you believe the claim is questionable or fraudulent.

Filing is not agreeing. The Board says filing form C-2F is not an admission that you agree with the facts, only a statement that an employee reported a work-related injury or illness to you.

The Board instructs that all accidents be investigated fully for the facts, and that filing form C-2F is not an admission that the employer agrees with the facts. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

The minor-injury line you can handle in house

An injury is minor only if it needs two or fewer first-aid treatments and lost time is less than one day beyond the shift on which the accident happened. Both halves must hold.

For a genuinely minor injury, you may pay for the first aid directly. You still complete form C-2F, the Employer's First Report of Work-Related Injury or Illness, but you do not send it to the Board or the carrier.

Instead you keep it in your files for the statutory 18-year period, under Section 110. Eighteen years is the retention rule, and it is worth writing the date on the file folder.

Anything past the minor line goes to the Board. When in doubt, file. A late-filed report costs far more than a first aid kit.

18 yearsAn injury is minor only with two or fewer first-aid treatments and less than one day lost beyond the shift, and the C-2F is kept on file for 18 years under Section 110. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

The reporting deadline that runs whether you like it or not

For every injury that is not minor, the employer reports to the Board and the insurance carrier on or before the 18th day after the injury or illness occurred, or within 10 days after the employer learns of the event, whichever period is greater.

File form C-2F with both. The form can be filed by a third party you designate, but you remain responsible for making sure it is filed.

Missing the deadline is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine. On top of that, the Board may impose a penalty of up to $2,500, under Section 110 and 12 NYCRR 310.1.

If the first person the worker told was a supervisor, your ten days started then, not when you read the form. Calendar it the moment you hear.

10 daysNon-minor injuries must be reported to the Board and the carrier by the 18th day after the injury or within 10 days of the employer learning of it, whichever is greater. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

$2,500Failure to file the injury report on time is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, and the Board may impose a penalty of up to $2,500 under WCL section 110 and 12 NYCRR 310.1. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

Wages you keep paying during the claim

If you keep paying an injured worker's wages, or advance compensation payments, you can seek reimbursement out of any later compensation award, under Section 25, subsection 4, of the law.

The timing is the trap. The Board's own emphasis is that an employer forfeits the right to reimbursement unless the claim for reimbursement is made before the Board makes an award of compensation.

Make the claim in writing, keep a copy, and tell the carrier you are making it. Payments made voluntarily or as a negotiated benefit both qualify.

A small crew feels this differently from a big one: one worker off the tools is real payroll relief you are choosing to keep carrying. Do it deliberately, and paper it the same day. The cost breakdown explains how one claim then moves next year's premium.

An employer who keeps paying an injured worker's wages may seek reimbursement from any award, but forfeits it unless claimed before the Board awards compensation, under Section 25(4). — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

Where the injured worker goes from here

Your side is one form and honest records. The worker's side is a claim the Board processes, and the carrier controverts or pays it.

Two things remain yours after the C-2F is filed: keep the worksite records straight, and respond when the carrier asks for payroll. The claim's medical side belongs to authorized providers the Board lists publicly.

If a second injury follows, or a dispute breaks out over whether the worker was on the clock, the Board's evidence will be the records you kept. The Board's recordkeeping rules are the same ones the audit checks, so nothing here is wasted work.

If the worker was not actually yours, that is a different question entirely, and the subcontractors page is where it lives.

The Workers' Compensation Board's Advocate for Injured Workers provides information regarding injured workers' rights and helps resolve complaints. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29

Questions

Can I pay for first aid myself and skip the report?

Only for genuinely minor injuries, meaning two or fewer first-aid treatments and less than one day of lost time beyond the shift. Even then you complete form C-2F and keep it in your files for 18 years. Anything more must be reported to the Board and your carrier.

Who fills in the injury report form for my business?

The employer does, on form C-2F, the Employer's First Report of Work-Related Injury or Illness. A third party you designate may file it, but the employer is ultimately responsible for ensuring it is filed.

When do I have to tell my insurance carrier about the injury?

With the same report. Non-minor injuries go to the Board and the insurance carrier on or before the 18th day after the injury, or within 10 days of when you learned of it, whichever is longer. The Board advises contacting the carrier immediately and maintaining communication throughout the claim.

What if the worker never told me about the injury?

The employee is expected to give you written notice within 30 days of the injury under Section 18. Your reporting clock runs from when the employer learns of the event, so document what you knew and when, and file within 10 days of learning of it.

Can I be fined for reporting an injury late?

Yes. Late filing is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, and the Board may also impose a penalty of up to $2,500 under WCL section 110 and 12 NYCRR 310.1.