Work accidents are not common as there is a huge impact from Health and Safety. Checks are carried out periodically to ensure a workplace is free from hazards, to prevent accidents. If however, they do occur, the cause of the accident is investigated and future prevention is carried out. So there is always a big helping hand from the Health and Safety Standards.
If an accident at work does occur, it's embarrassing. Colleagues can't believe it happened to you and become more precautious with their role. They feel sorry for you for now, not being able to competently complete your role. So they give you a hand. Initially there's remorse all around... it becomes an understanding culture.
After a while it becomes a pain, especially for your colleagues who keep putting a halt to their job to help you. Frustration arises and in their heads they'll be thinking. 'Now he's taking the ****!' But you're NOT! You are the one that had the accident at work and your body welcomes injuries in different ways to others. After a while tension gathers in the atmosphere and by now you're reported to the supervisor and disciplinary action is just round the corner.
You feel let down. In a workplace environment, business is business, no matter who you are. You have your own targets and deadlines to achieve. If they're not met, you will jeopardise your position. This is the game for any business. Each worker has a family to feed, so they need work to fulfil that criteria.
Also an accident at work can possibly jeopardise your position. It could prevent you from carry out your 'full' responsibility. Initially everybody understands, but after a while they'll be thinking 'it was only a small fall'. But only you know it wasn't just a small fall. It's not only made an adjustment to your working life, it also messed up your social and family life. You can't sleep, shower properly, play sports or even have sex. But only you see that side of the picture, your colleagues don't. They only see you at work.
Back to your working life... over time, the supervisor now reports you to the person above and you're just waiting for your name to be called to see the manager. Now it's going to hit you. You're either, get laid off, get demoted, or transferred to another department. This is where it hurts the most. The managers can't do anything but take necessary actions to ensure your position is 'fully' meeting its targets.
But he's your best friend... so, it's not his company and even if your best friend doesn't take action against you, someone above his ranking will take action against him. So either way something will happen to your role. Remember, if a business does not fulfil its role to provide product and services to its' buyers or users, then the definition of business is not fulfilled.
So now what... are you thinking of an accident at work claim? It's been 11 months since your injury and now you're thinking of you an injury claim!? If you took action at the early stages of your accident, by now you would have been in a better position.
Nevertheless it happens all the time. Workers 'think', been with the company for so long, they won't do anything outrageous. Well you can't predict the future and neither can they. But what they can predict is your work performance, past, present and future. They forecast the future of their business and you should forecast your work future.
However you're scared thinking who'll be the bread earner if you lose your job. Let's worry about that in a minute, but first let's put the cards on the table...
Making mistakes is common practice as you know, nobody's prefect. Everybody learns from mistakes and ensure they don't make the 'same' mistake again.
Anyway, you make a mistake at work, you get told off, make another, you get told off again. Now if you keep making mistakes over time, what the hell do think is going to happen. Your supervisor is going to start looking over your record and start taking disciplinary action against you. First verbally, then in writing. Theses aren't the same' mistakes, but they're made according to your supervisor. Think about it this way, what happens if your supervisor makes a mistake, what will he do? Remember you can only report to the supervisor, there is no contact between you and his supervisors!
Back to the making mistakes... what happens if the company makes a mistake...?
Stuck aren't you... you can't think of much besides making a complaint.
If an accident at work occurs, it gets logged and depending on how serious you look in the eyes of the company, you'll be 'kindly' given days or weeks off. Being compensated for sick pay, which you know isn't much!!! The injury affects your 'life', not just your work and the company gives you a couple of days to recover. Now that's a joke!
No matter what action is taken against you need to make an accident at work claim. Why? This is the only 'powerful' solution you have over the company if they make a mistake.
Now you're both sailing in the same boat.
Accident At Work Solicitor
1) Record your injury in the accident book
All employers, other than very small companies, are required to keep an accident book. As an employee, it is in your interest to record any work injury in this book, as it can serve as evidence if you need to make a work accident claim at a later date. The accident book also enables your employer to keep track of problems and to make any changes necessary to prevent future incidents.
2) Make sure serious accidents are reported to the HSE
If an employee suffers a serious injury at work, their employer is required to report it to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The type of incidents that should be reported include major injuries like broken arms and ribs, as well as any other injury which prevents an employee from doing their normal work for over three days.
The responsibility for reporting the injury rests with your employer, but if you have suffered a serious injury it is best to make sure this has been done.
3) Find out about your rights to accident pay
Your contract or written statement of employment will contain information about sick pay or accident pay. Usually, employees are entitled to statutory sick pay for any time off work due to an accident or sickness. However, your employer may have a scheme for paying extra, or may decide to pay more, according to the nature of the injury you have sustained.
4) Address any health and safety issues
If there is a persistent health and safety issue at work which led to your accident, it is important to make sure it is rectified so that the same thing will not happen to somebody else. Point out any health and safety issues to your employer, or to your employee safety representative. If problems are still not dealt with, you should call the HSE Infoline.
5) Consider making a work accident claim
If you have been injured at work and it wasn't your fault, it is a good idea to initiate a work accident claim as soon as possible, and it must be within three years of the incident (there are some exceptions to this, such as asbestos poisoning).
You will need a personal injury lawyer to represent you. Personal injury claims can be made through specialist solicitors on a ‘no win, no fee' basis, meaning that if you lose the case, you will not have to pay any money.
Your employer will be insured against compensation claims, meaning that, if they lose, it is their insurer who will pay out your compensation. It is against the law for your employer to sack you because of a personal injury claim.
Both Mohammad Latif & Jessica A Parker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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