All employees have the responsibility to keep their employees safe from accidents, including temporary employees. But if their negligence led to you or someone you know having an accident and being injured at work, then you’re entitled to claim compensation.
Every state’s compensation law protects employees who suffer work injuries, but many people don’t fully understand how workers’ compensation can provide them with benefits when they get hurt on-site.
No matter your industry, as an employee, it’s important that you know your rights. Accidents at work can cause a lot of stress and anxiety, and reasonable compensation claims against a company present a difficult situation for both parties. The good news is that you can maintain a good relationship and fix things up in everyone’s interest with the right approach. However, knowing what to discuss with your personal injury solicitor can be challenging. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of questions to ask your lawyer during your free initial consultation.
1) What is an Accident at Work Claim?
There are many different types of accident at work claims. It does not matter how big your work claim is; if you’ve been injured on company grounds that was not your fault, you could be eligible for a compensation claim. That’s because your employer did not take the necessary measures to ensure employees safety. Examples of this include:
- Dangerous/messy work environments
- Unmarked hazards in the work environment
- Not taking necessary precautions to prevent the spread of illness
- Asking workers to complete unfitting tasks
- Repetitive work tasks
- How Severe Do my Injuries Need to Be to Receive Compensation?
The severity of your injuries changes how much compensation you receive. However, if you’ve been injured on-site, and this is due to your employer’s negligence, you can consider yourself suited for compensation.
The claim can be in thousands if it’s a severe injury, for example, if you are badly hurt on a construction site handling a heavy machine, or it can be less. Whatever the reason, make sure to discuss with your lawyer to get a rough estimate. But as expected, every injury claim is different. For example, you could be working remotely while others may be in an office or some other public space. Different locations mean different hazards. That’s why it is important to have an experienced solicitor on your side to make sure you know exactly what you want to claim for.
- What if No One Saw My Accident?
Here’s where things might get tricky. As many businesses implement social distancing policies to ensure work shifts are staggered, many work safety policies imply now that employees are working on their own, which means that there is a huge chance that if you have an accident, it may go unwitnessed.
But to prove you had a work accident, you don’t need to have witnesses. You just need to bring the right evidence and show that the accident actually happened. The evidence may include:
- CCTV footage.
- Video and pictures of the hazard.
- A medical assessment of your injuries.
- Can I Get Fired If I Make a Work Accident Claim?
Your employer must comply with the law if you’re injured or sick during their employment, and they can’t prevent you from filling a claim if you decide to file an accident at work claim against them.
Should your employer fire you or threaten you with redundancy because you require compensation for your injuries, they would be in breach of the law. It’s also important to note that you don’t have to tell anyone in your company about the accident. Only you and your employer need to know about it.
What are My Employer Responsibilities for Accident at Work?
Your employer owes you an overriding duty of care. As such, they must ensure you have :
- A safe working environment
- A safe work system
- An appropriate training levels
- A reasonable supervision level where necessary
When it comes to accidents – depending upon the nature and the severity of the injuries, the employer may be required to report the accident to a Health and Safety Executive.
- Can a Work Accident Lawyer Help Me with My Case?
Hiring a personal injury lawyer can help you improve your chances of having a successful compensation claim. As we’ve previously mentioned, accident work is different for different job locations and claimants.
The difficulty of the case depends on whether or not your organization will be against paying you recompense. A reason why it can be very helpful to hire an experienced solicitor at the right time. They can guide and help you throughout the claim process and keep your case on track over the next following months.
Personal injury lawyers can help injured employees avoid common pitfalls that may mean that you lose out on claiming compensation. An experienced attorney can guide you through your incident and your evidence, estimate what type of compensation payout you could receive. If the company you work for decides to make things trickier for you, your solicitor can also help you make sure that you can overcome any issues you experience the moment you file a claim.
- What to Do If I Have an Accident at the Workplace?
Your health is, above all, the first concern during an accident. Whilst it is important to gather evidence and make sure you can prove the case to the court, you should also ensure you get the medical attention you need. If there’s no medical professional around, see medical attention to a hospital.
The scene of the accident is also an important part of your claim, thus the site should be secured as quickly as possible. The employer should restrict access to the scene of the accident to preserve evidence and seconds of incidents. They should also ensure all the equipment or material involved in the accident is secure.
Note that the more evidence you have to support your claim, the better. It makes total sense because you want to avoid any case of” she said, he said”.
