Every day when you go to work, there is a risk that you could get injured. Obviously, some jobs carry considerably higher risks than others, with many only being minimal. However, if you do have an accident or injury at work, there is a process that you need to follow.
Health and safety
The government has put health and safety regulations in place to ensure both employers and employees are protected in the workplace. These regulations cover things like the handling of dangerous objects, clothing to help protect staff, and training to ensure everyone is aware of potential dangers. Without these regulations, the risks in the workplace could be considerably higher.
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from some kind of injury at work, there is a process that needs to be followed. An accident that causes a physical injury needs to be reported and the details of the injury must be noted. There are forms that can be filled in online and incidents can also be reported over the telephone. A duty officer may actually be consulted but this is for extreme circumstances, for example if there is a work-related death.
Suffered an injury?
If you have suffered an injury at work, you must make sure that it is reported correctly. It is a legal requirement to follow the RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) law and the employer or person in control of the work premises must ensure that it is adhered to.
If you have a serious injury, you might need or want to seek medical attention. It could be the case that a doctor signs you off from work for a set amount of time, or you may need to go to the hospital for further treatment. Depending on your injury, the circumstances and the outcome, you may also want to speak to personal injury solicitors.
Claiming damages
If you do decide to claim damages, there is also a process here that you need to follow. You will need to gather evidence of your injury, what happened and also the aftermath. A doctor will need to examine you to work out the extent of your injuries and what steps you need to take to ensure you get back to full health again.
Personal injury solicitors will help you to fight your case and liaise with the legal representatives of the people or company that are responsible for the accident or injury. Sometimes a claim assessor will decide what compensation you get, while in other circumstances it will go to a civil court. There are also options to make a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority or through a criminal compensation order.
Different types of damages
Depending on the injury, you may be able to claim general damages and special damages. General damages are compensation for the injury itself including pain, suffering or loss of future earnings. This amount will be decided by the court.
Special damages are paid to cover the financial loss caused by the accident itself and the time up to the date of the hearing, It covers costs including damage to clothes, travel to hospital, medical expenses and various other expenses that you may have incurred along the way.