5 Things You Must Do if You're Injured at Work
You probably don’t expect to be injured at work. After all, your employer has a duty to keep you safe.
But accidents happen and people get hurt.
If it happens to you, there are certain things you must do if you are injured at work. Here are our top five things you should do:
1. Report the accident to your employer
Your employer needs to be informed about accidents. All companies should have an accident book – and you must make sure your work injury is recorded in yours.
Even if your employer doesn’t want you to record it in the book, insist that it is recorded. If you’re worried that the entry may later be removed, take a photo of it and ask for a copy of the entry to be sent to you.
This will help prove that the accident happened. It can also help to form the evidence you’ll need to back up a personal injury claim, if you choose to make one.
2. Get medical attention
Your health is the most important thing. That’s why you need to get medical attention as soon as you can. Since you’ve been injured at work, you might first be seen by a first aider. Let them know exactly what happened and exactly how you’ve been hurt.
You might need more professional medical attention, though. You may need to leave work to visit A&E or a walk-in clinic. Your health should come first, so don’t feel like you shouldn’t take the time to get your injury seen to.
As you may have done with the first aider, tell the doctor everything that happened and all injuries. If you then develop new symptoms after some time, you can always go back to your GP.
3. Take photos of the accident scene
Photos and video footage of the accident scene can help your employer understand how you were injured. This can help them address the issue and stop it happening to anyone else.
It can also be hugely helpful if you choose to take legal action over what happened to you. The visual evidence of how you were injured can help your solicitor prove that your employer’s negligence was responsible, which will give you the best chance of getting the compensation you deserve.
Don’t forget that you might also want to take photos of your injury. This can help to show how you’ve been impacted by the accident.
4. Find out about sick pay
Does your employer offer an enhanced sick pay package? You should check your employment contract to find out what they offer if you need to take time off work while you’re recovering from your accident.
If your company doesn’t offer any additional sick pay, you’ll have to rely on Statutory Sick Pay. This is £96.35 per week for up to 28 weeks. If this won’t be enough to manage on, you could consider making a No Win No Fee accident at work claim.
Any compensation you’re awarded for a successful claim can help cover the cost of medical treatment and ease any financial worries while you’re not working.
5. Know your rights
As an employee, you have rights. One of these is the right to be safe at work. If you’ve been hurt because of your employer’s negligence, you are legally entitled to make a compensation claim.
You also have the right to make a claim without the fear of consequences from your employer. If you are sacked after claiming, you could make a claim for unfair dismissal.
If you think you might have a workplace injury claim, get in touch with First4Lawyers. Our claims advisors will help you work out what the best course of action for you is.
