I Have Been Injured at Work
What to do if you are injured on the job abroad: getting medical care, reporting the injury correctly, and protecting your right to compensation.
If you are hurt while working, your health comes first. Most destination countries require employers to provide medical care and, in many cases, compensation for a work injury. This page explains how to protect yourself after an injury.
What to do now
- Get medical treatment immediately, even if the injury seems minor — some injuries get worse if untreated.
- Report the injury to your employer or supervisor as soon as possible, and ask for it to be recorded in writing.
- Keep copies of medical records, receipts, and any accident report.
- Take photos of the injury and, if safe to do so, of the workplace conditions that caused it.
- Call the ILSI helpline to open a case, especially if your employer is slow to help or disputes that the injury happened at work.
What not to do
- Do not sign any document accepting a payment or waiving your rights until ILSI or a lawyer has reviewed it.
- Do not agree to be sent home immediately after a serious injury without medical clearance and, where possible, ILSI's involvement — see returning home if this happens to you.
- Do not assume you have no right to compensation because you are a foreign worker — most countries' injury compensation laws apply regardless of nationality.
What ILSI can do
ILSI can help you understand your rights under local workplace injury law, support your claim for medical costs and compensation, and refer you to a lawyer for formal proceedings — see find a lawyer. If your injury has left you unable to work and you need to return home, see return home.
If your employer disputes the injury happened at work
Some employers dispute that an injury is work-related to avoid paying medical costs or compensation. This is why documenting the circumstances immediately — photos, witness names, and a written report — matters so much. Even without perfect evidence, ILSI can still help you make a claim; do not assume a dispute means you have no case.
Long-term or serious injuries
For injuries that may affect your ability to work in future, get a clear medical assessment before agreeing to any settlement, and seek legal advice through our lawyer directory before signing anything that might limit your right to future compensation.