Accidents at work are more common than one will think. There are different types of accident at work. Being injured by one of the following is an accident that you can make an accident at work claim for. Just knowing and being sure that you have an accident at work claim is a step in the right direction to making a claim.

One big misconception is that people think that by making a work accident claim your employer will sack you or mistreat you after you made the claim. This is not true and even if it was, by law, it is illegal. You have the right to make an accident at work claim if you were injured due to the reasons listed below.

Your employer is protected by an insurance policy taken out just for things like these. The insurance company pays for your work accident claim and not your employer. This is why by law all employers, companies, organisations MUST take out and possess an Employers’ Liability Insurance policy. To protect its staff and the company itself from work accident claims. Just like car drivers must take out insurance for their car before they drive it, to protect the car and others if an accident occurs, similarly an employer takes out Employers’ Liability Insurance to protect the company and its staff from unfortunate accidents. Genuine work accident claims will be compensated to people who get injured maybe due to one of the types of accident at work listed below.

Slip accident at work

Wet floor
Damaged floor
Lack of warning signs to prevent a slip, trip or fall due to a hazard

Slip, trip or fall accidents do take place in the work environment. Falls can lead to many different injuries and some being worse than others. People can have broken legs, ankles or even back pains from a fall which can put them out of work. The injuries can last for any amount of period, form a few days, to serious injuries which can be life-long. Nevertheless they can be traumatic and for injuries that are persistent have a good cause to make an accident at work claim. You have to ask yourself if you have good grounds to make an accident work claim. You can read more about this in the Can I Make A Claim article.

If a floor is recently mopped, polished or cleaned where the surface is wet or slippery warning or hazard signs should be displayed to warn you about the potential hazard. Wet surfaces and liquids are extremely hard to see or be noticed so having warning signs displayed can make staff aware and avoid injury.

Regular maintenance should be carried out to make sure that the building, equipment, and work environment is safe to work in. An employer should provide a safe working environment for all their employees so making sure that any damage to the floor, doors, windows or other things that staff can come into contact with have been maintained properly. All defects and damages should be fixed as soon as possible by the employer to avoid any injury to its staff.

Malfunction of machinery or equipment accident at work

Poorly maintained machinery/equipment
Defective machinery/equipment

Same rule applies here. Regular maintenance and inspection of machinery or equipment used by staff has to be carried out. An employer has to provide safe working machinery and equipment to its staff. An employer cannot provide machinery or equipment where costs have been cut to compromise the safety of its workers. Extra measures should be in place to keep staff safe so adding additions where safeguards have been placed or extra protective equipment has been provided.

Lack of safety equipment accident at work

Lack of or inadequate safety equipment
Inadequate protective clothing
Improper tools to carry out a job safely

Safety is the key word. An employer has to ensure an employee carries out their duty safely by placing measures to avoid harm. Provide tools and equipment to correctly and safely carry out duties. They must provide things like: gloves, aprons, work shoes, helmets and or even torches depending on what type of employment you are in.

Lack of training accident at work

No training, poor training or lack of it
Being told to jobs that you have no training for

An employer cannot expect an employee to know how their business is run so having training to carry out the duties by the staff, the employer has to show them how exactly to do things effectively. By providing adequate training an employer shows its staff on how to properly carry out their role. From training on how to lift things to how to use machinery or equipment has to be provided even if an employee has had previous training. The employer will need to make sure that the previous training recieved is adequate. It is dangerous for an employer to instruct you to carry out a duty for which you require training but have not had. This can lead to accidents due to the lack of knowledge on how to properly carry out a duty.

Chemical Poisoning accident at work

Industrial disease
Lead poisoning
Benzadine poisoning
Mixture of substances such as paint or bleach can cause chemical poisoning

The law also requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to heath (COSHH). Employers can take steps to provide control measures to reduce harm to health. Employers need to carry out risk assessment and provide information, instructions and training to handle chemicals and if injury or harm is caused without these then you could make an accident at work claim. Consult an injury lawyer to see if you have a claim.

Safe working environment

Improper area to house staff
Lack of facilities to support healthy working environment
Comfortable and safe areas to work in

By enforcing a safe work environment policy and carrying out risk assessment employers can drastically reduce accidents at work.

Move away from the norm and select a work accident solicitor rather than another type of accident solicitor. There is no point in having an expert road traffic accident solicitor handle your work accident claim. Compare only work accident solicitors before appointing a team for your claim. Get the right expertise for your work accident claim.