There are some occupations that put you closer to other people's animals, such as post office workers, utility meter readers, package delivery individuals, plumbers and any other individual that has to go to someone else's home in order to conduct business. Going to people's homes and interacting with their pets puts people in these occupations at greater risk of getting bitten by a dog. If you are even bitten by a dog while you are at work, make sure you know what to do.
#1 Get To A Safe Place
The first thing you need to do is get to a safe place. If the dog bits you and then releases you, don't stick around for another encounter. Get outside the fenced area or get inside of your vehicle. If the dog holds on, try to pry their jaw open while also yelling for someone to help you.
#2 Evulate Your Injuries
Once you are to a safe place, take a look at your injuries. Ideally, you should carry a first aid kit with you. If you have a first aid kit with you, pour hydrogen peroxide over the wound to clean it. Dogs carry lots of germs inside of their mouths, and you don't want those germs infecting the fresh wound on your body. Then use an antiseptic on the wound.
#3 Call For Assistance
After you have cleaned the wound a little bit if you can, call for medical assistance. Even if the wound doesn't look that bad,you want to have the report from the ambulance to back up the injury that you sustained. You also want the police to respond so they can take a report.
If the dog is still out, let emergency services know when you call. That way, they can take precaution to protect themselves from the dog as well. You don't want anyone else to get injured.
#4 Take Pictures
If you have a camera phone, take pictures of the injury site. This will help back up your case latter when you work to get compensation from your workers compensation policy or through a personal lawsuit against the owners of the dog. If you are able to, take pictures of the place where the attack occurred as well.
#5 Get Identify Information
If you are able to, try to get the address of the dog owners and any other identifying information. If you are not able to due to the seriousness of your injury, the police should be able to obtain this information for you.
Once you can, let your work know what happened. Their workers compensation should cover your medical bills and needs as you recover. An attorney can help you with the workers compensation process.
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