Should supervisors drive injured employees to the hospital or call 911?

It depends. Although it is up to the organization to make this determination, and there are pros and cons to both approaches, most employers would not allow supervisors to transport an injured employee to the hospital.

There are several reasons an employer might prohibit doing so. For example, the employee's injury could be more serious than originally thought, or he or she could have an underlying medical condition that the supervisor is not aware of, leading to medical difficulties during the transport. The supervisor, who likely does not have medical training, would then be in the position of having to deal with a medical emergency while driving.

Some employers have a policy that advises supervisors to offer to contact 911 for emergency transportation or get in touch with the injured individual's emergency contact to provide transportation to get medical attention. Obviously, the nature of the injury/illness should be taken into account when determining the best approach. Some employers will automatically call for an ambulance for an injury in the workplace unless the employee signs a release declining such transportation.