Having an accident at work can be a distressing and confusing time. Besides dealing with your injuries you may also have questions associated with dealing with the repercussions of your accident and are not able to find reliable and helpful information that can help you at such a distressing time. We have put together a few tips to help you cut through the confusion and give you a clear and helpful guide to show you what to do if you’ve suffered an accident at your place of work.
Focus on your injury
First things first you should be immediately treated by your company first aider, Every workplace is legally obliged to have a first aid kit as well as a trained first aider in the company. Do not move from your location until they reach you as you may be unaware of any hidden injuries you may have sustained. Although your injuries may seem minor, its best to wait until it has been looked at by a professional as without proper treatment even the most minor injury can need lifelong treatment if not initially seen to properly. Once you’ve had a full assessment you may be referred to seek more intermediate treatment at your GP surgery or hospital.
Report Your Accident
If you were working alone at the time of your accident, make sure that you tell you, colleagues, as soon as possible. This ensures if you would later like to claim for compensation or there is a further investigation that there is someone at work who can back up your claim and will stop any disputes arising from your employer or company insurers.
Also, ensure that you tell your manager about your accident or injury as soon as possible. If it is a serious accident, your manager is legally obliged to report the accident to the Health and Safety representatives at your company. In many companies, not reporting an accident or injury can hold you in breach of contract so make sure that you follow protocol and let someone know as soon as possible.
Record the accident in the accident book
Every organisation in the country needs to have an accident book. It is very important for yourself and your colleague that you do not allow the accident to go unreported for any reason. If for some reason your employer refuses to report the injury in the accident book if you are able you should try and keep a paper trail of the incident by sending an email to you manager or to Human Resources explaining that you tried to report the incident the proper way.
Take photos and video evidence
This is one of the most important steps if you would like eventually claim compensation for your injury. Take as many pictures and videos you can as these may be vital evidence in the future. For specialist work concerns you like aviation or helicopter crashes, you may want to contact a specialist aviation law firm, who can better advise you in such specific cases.
In conclusion, ensure that you follow all the right steps and remember that you can never have too much evidence.
