Because the employer does not have a plant nurse, the employee is sent to a physician for removal of a foreign object from the eye. Which action best applies?

• A. Create a medical only file
• B. Treat the incident as first aid and do not set up a claim
• C. Create an indemnity file
• D. None of the above

Answer: (B)

In California workers’ compensation, injuries that are treated with only first-aid care and involve no lost time or ongoing medical management are not set up as formal claims. The scenario describes a one-time visit to a physician to remove a foreign object from the eye, with no indication of time off or recurrent treatment. This fits the idea of first aid: simple, non-routine care that resolves without ongoing medical treatment. Therefore the appropriate action is to treat it as first aid and not open a workers’ comp claim.

Creating a medical-only file would imply ongoing medical treatment beyond first aid; creating an indemnity file would imply wage loss or a compensable claim, neither of which is indicated here. If later problems or time off occur, a claim could be opened at that point, but for this isolated, uncomplicated incident, no claim should be set up.