Can I Seek Compensation for an Accident at Work?

Sep 5 2011 Adverisement Feature

Most of us spend eight hours a day, five days a week, within our places of employment. This amount of time means that there is a possibility that we will encounter a number of injuries in these places throughout our lifetime. But what happens when you receive an injury at work? And can you claim compensation for work accidents?

Personal injuries refer to any type of physical damage or injury which afflicts a person or individual as opposed to their property. This means that an accident sustained within the workplace constitutes as a personal injury, which compensation can be claimed for.

Accidents which occur in the workplace can be caused by a number of different reasons. Some of the most common ones include:

Packaging: if this is not disposed of in the correct manner then it could cause people to fall or trip over. This could cause any number of injuries, both mild and severe. 

Equipment: if this is not used or stored correctly then accidents can occur. Faulty equipment is a common cause of accident too but you should not assume that it means your place of employment is unaccountable. It is the responsibility to make sure that all equipment is safe to use and to provide their staff with adequate training over this use. If this not done then they are at fault and you could be entitled to making a claim for work accident compensation.

Flooring: all types of flooring within places of employment should be safe and secure to use. Loose flooring and upturned carpet edges can lead to people falling over, thus causing them injuries. Wet floors are another common source of accidents. You should always remember that all spillages and wet floors should be clearly marked with a ‘wet floor’ sign and should be cleaned up immediately. If this is not done and you sustain an injury as a result of that negligence then you should consult with professionals about lodging a claim for compensation.

Training: inadequate training means that staff are ill-equipped to perform the duties of the job and therefore can lead to them sustaining injuries. One of the most common of these is with regards to the lifting of boxes or other heavy materials. All places of employment should give their staff training on correct lifting procedures to prevent them from causing damage to their backs, if this is not done then a number of people end up suffering from back injuries as a result of an accident at work.

Storage: how items and equipment is stored is very important within the workplace. If items are not stored safely then accidents can easily happen. The falling of heavy stock can cause a number of injuries so it is important that, as staff, you are given sufficient training on the correct storage of these items.If you sustained any type of injury whilst at work and feel that it could have been avoided then you should consult a personal injury lawyer immediately in order to discuss your case.