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Accidents At Work | Accidents In The Workplace

Your employer has certain obligations to inform and protect you in the workplace. However, accidents do happen and for a variety of reasons. If you have been involved in an accident at work, whether it was as a result of employer negligence or human error, read on to find out what you should do next.

Recording Accidents At Work

Unless you work for a very small company, your employer should have an accident book in which all injuries and dangerous incidents are recorded. It is important that you log your accident as it could act in your favour should you need to take time off work or decide to make a personal injury claim. Additionally it should also help your employer to take measures that mean the incident doesn’t happen again.

Reporting Your Accident To HSE (Health and Safety Executive)

There are a range of eventualities which your employer is obliged to report to the Incident Contact Centre of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Although this is your employer’s responsibility, it might be worth checking to see that the incident has been reported if you were involved. These incidents include:

Diseases
Broken bones
Dangerous incidents
Injuries which stop an employee from carrying out their normal duty for more than three days
Death

Sick pay

If you are unable to work as a result of an accident or illness, you may be able to receive statutory sick pay from your employer. However, this may differ from company to company and your employer may have a scheme in place which allows for more time off work if the incident occurred at the workplace, or perhaps additional pay.

Claiming Compensation For Accidents At Work

If you believe your workplace accident was the result of your employer’s negligence then you may choose to make an accident compensation claim. From the date of the incident you have three years in which to make your claim and you will need a lawyer to represent you. Your employer is also legally required to have an adequate insurance policy in place that covers them in the event of a successful claim being made against them.