Going to work can be difficult enough day in and day out without being worried that you have caused an injury to yourself. Employers, especially those who employ people in manual labor jobs like construction or mining, have a direct responsibility to look after their employees. This includes providing correct and suitable equipment and not putting their employees in harm’s way.
Sadly, this is not always the case. It is worth thinking about if you have had an injury at work whether this was down to your employer’s negligence and if you can seek compensation.
Injuries at Work
Experiencing an injury can vary from something minor like a cut or a bruise to the major such as suffering a heart attack at work. These can come from a variety of different causes. Poor practices and regulations set out by your health and safety department can mean that you are injured in the process of doing your job.
If you have an accident at work, you have a right to report and record what has happened. Regardless of how serious it is, you should always report the accident. Under regulations, some injuries should always be recorded such as fractures, amputations, and serious burns. Even if the injuries are non-fatal it is important to record them in case you have health issues later in life.
Employer’s Responsibilities
Your employer has a legal responsibility to protect your safety and health in the workplace. They need to ensure as much as can be reasonably considered practicable to ensure the welfare of every employee.
This can relate to keeping the workplace and systems safe by eliminating or reducing risks, ensuring adequate and suitable training is provided and supervised by an experienced member of staff, and creating a working environment that comes without unnecessary risk to health and safety.
If your employer has failed to take reasonable action to protect you then you have the right to claim compensation from your employer. You can make a claim from multiple injuries or illnesses that you have experienced that are suffered because of them at work.
Time Limits
You should attempt to report your accident as soon as it is practical to do so. This means that the area can be made safe, and the employer can ensure the injury is not repeated. More serious injuries should be reported within ten days.
While you have the right to claim compensation from your employer there is a time limit on how long you have to claim. This can differ depending on your age, when the injury was discovered and how linked the workplace environment and your injury is. You should always act as soon as possible but if you are running out of time then your injury lawyer can launch protective proceedings to ensure you don’t lose out.
Injuries
Sometimes injuries cannot be avoided in the workplace. If your employer has done everything they can to ensure your safety, then you may have to chalk your injury up to bad luck. However, if you feel that your employer willfully ignored health and safety protocols and because of this you were injured then you may have a case to earn compensation. Speak to an injury lawyer who will be able to answer your questions.
