Accidents happen. However, some accidents are more preventable than others and if you suffer an injury at work the first question you have to ask yourself is whether it could have been prevented.
In this article we’re going to look at the steps you should take when you suffer an injury at work so that you can concentrate on getting better.
Are You OK?
First and foremost, are you OK? Is your injury being dealt with properly? Depending on the severity of your injury you may have to go to hospital to get looked over, especially if it is an open wound or a head related injury. Hopefully one of your work colleagues will have taken control of the matter, or if not every company should have a first aid officer for instances such as this.
In some cases however, the injury may not be apparent straightaway, for example you may have fallen off a ladder or dropped something onto your foot. It hurt at the time, but there was no obvious injury and so you forgot about it and carried on. But then when the pain keeps coming back a week, a month later and you realise that actually perhaps your little accident has caused more problems than you first thought, then it’s time to seek help. Your first port of call should of course be your GP, who will give you the once over and tell you whether you require any further assistance. You may also like to take matters into your own hands and contact a physiotherapist or a specialist in the area in which you think you’ve injured yourself. Taking our earlier example of dropping something heavy on your foot, you might want to take the advice of a chiropodist, like The Toe Bro, who can help work out why you’re experiencing prolonged discomfort.
Keep A Record Of Your Injury
If a workplace consists of more than 10 employees it is a legal requirement that any accident that occurs on site needs to be recorded in the accident book. This is as much for the company’s benefit as it is yours – it is to make sure that the details about what happened are as accurate as possible should further action be taken. If you work for a smaller company, or if you suspect the accident hasn’t been recorded then you should think about keeping your own personal record. Now obviously when the injury first happens you might not be in any fit state to go grabbing a notebook and pencil and start jotting things down. This is where your fellow colleagues and potential eyewitnesses come in handy. Ask someone you get on well with to write down what they saw, making note of the time, place, what happened etc. and if they are able to get them to take photos too.
If a report has been written in the company accident book make sure that it matches your version of events before signing anything, as this could impact any claim you make, should you decide to take that course of action.
Question What Happened?
Whether you decide to make a claim against your employer or not will depend on the severity of your injuries, how much it impacts your ability to return to work and also on how at fault they are.
If you suffer an injury at work because you weren’t given the correct personal safety and protective equipment, then that is their fault. If this is the case, before you seek legal action, you might want to tell them about Ca.brockwhite.com so that the same thing doesn’t happen to somebody else in future. If you weren’t given adequate training to carry out certain procedures and you suffer an injury as a result of this gap in your knowledge, this is their fault. If the company hasn’t regularly serviced the machinery they use which resulted in it not being safe and thus causing you injury, then that too is their fault. If however, you fell off of some scaffolding because you were larking about with your fellow colleagues and you accidentally leaned too far over the edge, then that is clearly your fault and you quite literally won’t have a leg to stand on.
Make Sure You Are Financially Covered
When you suffer an injury at work and it is bad enough to keep you from being able to return you may start to worry that your employer won’t pay you because you’re not there. Speak to your manager or HR department about whether you are entitled to sick pay and if so how long you will be entitled to receive it.
If you have followed the points above and there is no question in your mind that the injury you have suffered is as a result of some kind of negligence of the company then you may want to think about making a personal injury claim against them. However, make no mistake, this is a lengthy process and there are of course no guarantees. Seek advice from a solicitor or your local citizens advice bureau.
Hindsight is a glorious thing, but if you don’t have it already perhaps now is the to think about some kind of health or life insurance. Financial advisers like those over at Volpefinancialsolutions.com will be able to discuss your options with you and make sure that should anything like this happen in future you are at least covered by something.
Your Return To Work
If you have had to take time off work to recover from your injuries you may be worried about your return to work and how you may be treated by both your colleagues and management. It is important to make sure you are fully recovered before you attempt to return, but it easy enough to stay in contact with your team to keep in the loophole of what’s going on.
Depending on what action was taken when you had your accident, the atmosphere could potentially be a little frosty when you first go back. However, you cannot be fired for doing what was right, and you will just have to swallow your pride and get on with things. Just remember, it won’t be like that forever and before long people will be talking about something else anyway.
Thankfully, injuries at work are largely few and far between, but hopefully by reading this article if you ever do suffer an injury at work you’ll be a little more equipped at knowing how to deal with it.
