Recently, I was involved in an incident where an employee sprayed air from one of the compressed tanks we use for the soda machines at my face, resulting in my loss of hearing for three seconds following.
I reported the incident as soon as I was able to get one of my managers one-on-one, and while the incident has been reported and a punishment issued (no idea how much further it’ll go for the other person), I have had a sore throat and a rather nasty cough for the last three days. For context, this happened on a Saturday evening.
I have an appointment to see HR this afternoon and provide more details and sign off on their report, but I don’t know whether I should mention my doctor’s appointment as well.
I will be mentioning this incident to my doctor since I feel there is a possibility it is related to my current condition. However, I cannot come to a decision as to whether to inform HR. It seems like I should, but I do not want to cast suspicions or otherwise alter anyone’s perspectives without knowing for certain or with a great deal of certainty that this current ailment is related to this incident, especially since I will be seeing the doctor for another issue that has been present since before Saturday.
My question is simple: Do I inform HR now or wait for the doctor’s conclusion to say anything?