This is a collaborative post
An accident in the workplace can be an extremely difficult thing to endure. Suffer one, and you may experience significant pain and discomfort, as well as having your income disrupted.
Getting the best from the situation, and optimising your recovery, often means taking a few essential steps. Let’s run through them, and see how you might approach the road back into work.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
To begin with, as soon as the area has been made safe, and the source of the injury has been removed, you’ll want to seek medical attention. Even if the injury itself appears non-serious, getting treatment will create an official record that it has actually been suffered. This will help substantiate any claim you later come to make.
Report the Incident to Your Employer
For your employer to take action, they’ll need to be made aware of the accident. If the employer is sufficiently large, it’s legally required to provide an accident log book, which can be used to report the accident and its causes. If you don’t report the problem, then you’ll prevent it from being fixed – which might cause others to suffer a similar problem to yours.
Document the Details of the Incident
When you’re making your report, you’ll need to include as much relevant information as possible. Make sure that you include the time, date, and place of the accident, this will help your case later if you make a claim for an accident at work. If there were any witnesses, obtain their testimony straight away. This is where a video recording from your phone can be extremely useful. If there are any special circumstances worth considering, you’ll also want to make a note of them.
Understand Your Rights and Responsibilities
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Workers are entitled to a safe working environment. Where this environment is not provided, the employer in question could be vulnerable to a personal injury claim. Another piece of law worth bearing in mind is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), which obliges employers to report any injuries, deaths, or ‘dangerous occurrences’ that occur in the workplace.
Consider Workers’ Compensation and Support Services
If you’ve suffered an accident at work, then you may be entitled to damages, which can be extracted from your employer through the court system. Many employees will hesitate before taking legal action against their employer, but rest assured that you’ll be legally protected against any backlash you might suffer.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post