What should I do if I'm injured at work?
Few of us go to work expecting to come home with an injury, but that’s exactly what happens to hundreds of thousands of people each year.
According to the Health and Safety Executive’s most recent Labour Force Survey, 561,000 workers experienced a non-fatal workplace injury in 2022/23. Slips, trips and falls are the most common type of injury sustained at work but other accidents such as falls from height and being struck by a moving object also occur frequently.
Most of the injuries sustained required up to seven days off work, but 124,000 workers were more seriously injured and were absent from work for more than a week.
Initial steps to take
In the aftermath of an injury or accident, there are a few key steps you should take:
· Take a video or pictures of the area where your injury occurred
· Be sure to show any hazards that contributed to your injury in your image or videos
· Take photos of your injuries
· Make a note of who (if anyone) witnessed the accident. Ask them to provide a witness statement outlining what they saw and make sure you know how to reach them in the future
· Write down your own recollection of what happened. Include details such as timings and any hazards in the area which contributed to your injury
Filing a workplace report
As soon as possible after your injury occurs, you should inform your immediate manager about what’s happened and file an accident or injury report with your place of work. The process for reporting an injury should be outlined in your employee handbook but if you aren’t sure, ask as it’s important that you properly document what happened. If no formal procedure exists, email the details to your manager including your photos, written statement and details of any witnesses.
If your workplace employs more than 10 people, it is legally required to have an accident record book and keep a record of all injuries sustained by workers.
Seek medical advice
After being injured at work you should seek medical help as soon as possible. If you can’t see your usual GP, you can locate emergency and urgent care clinics via the NHS website. The medical professional you see can record your injury. If you are entitled to compensation for your injury and decide to pursue a personal injury claim, those records will form vital evidence in your case.
Being paid for time off work injured
Your employment contract should outline what happens if you fall ill or are injured at work. If your employer doesn’t provide contractual sick pay for missed days, you may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay.
If you’re not sure what you should do in the event of a workplace injury, we’re here to help. Our experienced personal injury solicitors can provide confidential advice and legal guidance. We have helped a wide range of claimants successfully pursue a personal injury case following an accident at work, with damages from £1000 up to more than £1million.
Contact us for a no-obligation chat to find out more.