It is largely recognized that being at work is good for your general health. Stats show that workplaces are becoming safer with a decreasing number of work-related injuries. But, accidents can still happen often causing serious injury.
Accident types
Accident types tend to vary according to the industry involved. Certain job roles clearly present more risk than others with forestry, agriculture, and fishing jobs considered among the highest risk.
Reporting an accident
Your employer is legally needed to report serious work-related accidents, dangerous accidents, and diseases to the health and safety executives, there are under a duty to report cases involving.
- Major injuries
- Diseases
- Dangerous work incidents
- All the other injuries which cause the employee to be sick for a few days
- Death
Employer duty
Your employer has the responsibility to protect you at work and tell you about safety issues that affect you. They should also report certain injuries and accidents to the health and safety executives, record your accident in the book, pay you sick pay and give you time off work should you require it.
Sick pay
In many cases, if you need time off due to an accident at work you will only have the right to statutory sick pay. But, your employer may have a plan for paying more for time off work caused by accidents.
You should do the following if you have an accident at work
- Record an injury in the book
- Ensure your employer has reported the accident to the health and safety measures if suitable
- Check your contract for information regarding accident pay or sick pay
- Make a list of the names and contact details of any witnesses
Making an injury claim
If you have been injured or got damaged in an accident at work and you think your employer is at fault you may want a claim for compensation. Any sort of claim should be made within 3 years of the date of the accident and you will generally require legal representation. If you belong to a trade business you may be able to use their legal services, otherwise, you should speak to a personal injury lawyer as early as possible.
In addition to your personal injury claim you can claim for losses such as loss of earnings, travel expenses, prescription charges, private medical appointments, and out-of-pocket expenses.
Things you should do when you have an accident
Report an accident at Work to your leader
You should tell your leader or manager about the accident following your organization’s accident reporting processes. If you have suffered a serious accident at work, then your employer is legally obliged to report the accident to the HSE and the time that you need off work.
In addition, in many organizations, you could be in breach of the staff procedures if you do not report your accident at work reasonably.
Focus on your health
This is one of the most necessary things that you should do. In the quick aftermath of the accident, you must have been treated by your workplace’s first-aider. If not, this could represent a failure on your employer’s part as every workplace is legally accountable to have a first aid kit and a selected first aider.
You should then get a full review of your workplace injuries from a suitably qualified medical practitioner as early as possible after the accident. Some types of injuries can seem minor at first but later develop into something serious. And in the worst cases, even a little injury can become a life-threatening injury without proper treatment.
Make a record of your accident
Every organization must have an accident book. Some employers may be reluctant to record an accident in the accident book generally because of performance targets to recede workplace injuries and accidents.
It is important that you do not allow an accident to go unreported in this way. Whilst some workplaces may brag about the number of days in which has not been an injury, you must not let this put pressure on you to let your accidents go unreported because reporting an accident is an essential duty and it might help to avoid similar injuries from happening.
If your employer refuses to record the accident in the book, then you must write to or email, your employer so that written confirmation of your trying to report the accident. Your employer can’t delete one of your emails sent to him mainly if it is from your personal account.
If he/she still refuses to record the accident in the accident book, then this may be sufficient grounds to resign and claim constructive dismissal. But, before resigning and taking any further action, you should get legal advice from a law solicitor because resigning is a major step.
Take pics or videos to proof
Pics and videos of the accident location, as soon after the accident can be compelling proof. It can support a compensation claim, if you later choose to make one, or could help you to defend yourself from any fake charges a wretched employer may make.
Tell other colleagues about the accident
If you were alone in the event of an accident, make sure your colleagues are made aware of the accident. Tell the co-workers in particular whom you trust the most about the accident.
Record your expenses and losses
The main goal of compensation in an accident at work claim is to put you back in the position you would have been in if the incident had not occurred. Each scenario is different, then you can recover all lost pay. Similarly, if you have lost the chance to earn a bonus or a promotion, then all those future losses should also be recoverable.
Recording your losses as they happen means that you don’t forget about any of them. A Personal injury solicitor for an accident at work may last many years, so it is great to note down anything you have paid or lost due to your injuries or accidents.
If you are currently making a claim through a firm you are not content with. Try Invicta legal which has a history of successful personal injury claims taken over from other lawyers who were not doing the right job.
