Accidents happen. This is the phrase we hear time and time again, whether your neighbor has reversed his car into yours, a friend has spilled a glass of wine on your new rug or your child has slipped in some mud. Some accidents, though, are far more serious, with potentially life-threatening consequences. Although unfortunately, accidents are an inevitable part of our lives, every employer has the utmost responsibility to ensure that any risks that their staff might encounter are minimized as far as possible. Those of us who work manual jobs will know that many employers take risk assessments incredibly seriously. Others, on the other hand, do not.
Yet, to restate, accidents can happen anywhere, even at the most risk-averse workplaces. As such, it is vital that we are aware of the steps we should take if the unthinkable should happen to us. Here’s what you should do.
Get it checked out!
First things first, you need to make sure you are okay. Sometimes, after a painful accident, especially one in a public place, we do not appear to be in as much pain as we would expect. Yet this is likely to be because your body has gone into survival mode and has started pumping adrenaline. It is definitely a safer bet to visit a hospital or book an emergency appointment with your doctor rather than wait until the adrenaline wears off and the pain kicks in. There is no need to put on a brave face and soldier on.
Report it to your colleagues/manager
If there is no one around when your accident occurs, it is advisable to report it to one of your colleagues or, preferably, your line manager, immediately. If your employer has not run an effective risk assessment and your workplace is unsafe, you might want to take in the incident further. Should you choose to go down this route, you will need every piece of information you can gather regarding the incident. This is important for two reasons. Ideally, it will allow your employer to make their working environment safer, minimizing the risk of similar accidents happening in the future. Another unfortunate possibility is that your employer might pressurize your coworkers to deny they saw anything happen. If so, any written evidence that a coworker witnessed the incident (perhaps via text message or email) will help you out later.
Get legal representation
This brings me to my next point. If you are in any doubt about your boss’ intentions, you should always seek legal advice before making your next move. Many firms, such as Lamber Goodnow, specialize in precisely this area of litigation. They can fully explain your rights –including any entitlement to compensation– help you collect the right evidence and advise you on a strategy going forwards. Many of these firms will not even charge you for their services unless you win the case.
Collect evidence
Hopefully, it will not get to this stage, but should you decide to take legal action, the most important thing is the magic ‘e’ word: evidence. Taking pictures of your injury is a great place to start, as is getting a note from your physician. While your immediate priority should be getting treatment, ask a colleague you trust to gather any evidence they can from the workplace, typically by taking pictures.
These steps are merely a precaution we hope is never needed but it is always better to be prepared!
