Accidents or injuries that happen at work happen often and can vary in severity from minor cuts, bruises and broken bones to more severe amputations, burns and even fatalities.

People who have accidents or get injured in the workplace without it being their fault are entitled to make work accident claims.

If you need to make a claim yourself, do not feel bad about it. You need this compensation to help pay for all expenses and hassles you encounter due to the accident.

This includes any pain and suffering you endure or any financial burdens from being hospitalised.

Your Rights

When you are in the workplace, your employer has the legal obligation to ensure you are protected and to inform you of all safety and health issues that you could be affected by.

In addition, they are legally obligated to report certain accidents, give you accident related time off and pay you sick pay if you need it.

Your employer should report all injuries and accidents, even if they are only minor, in their employer’s accident book.

This is a book all employers must keep, excluding very small businesses.

This book benefits employees since it is a great resource for providing useful records of injuries and accidents for making work accident claims later on.

It can also help the employer keep track of accidents and stop them in the future.

When Can You File A Work Accident Claim?

You might be eligible to make a claim if you have an accident or are injured at work due to any of the below reasons:

* You trip, fall or slip

* Dangerous workplace procedures and practices

* Equipment that is poorly maintained or defective

* Machinery at work that is dangerous

* Toxic substances or noxious environment

* Falling objects

* Manual handling practices and faulty lifting due to lack of training

How to Make a Claim

1. Let your employer know about your accident.

Typically, you should inform them within a few days of the accident. Provide them with all details about the accident and the extent of any injuries you have.

All data should be provided as well such as the cause of the accident, the time and place and any witnesses.

2. Make your claim as soon as possible.  Your claim should be filed within 7 days of the accident if at all possible, although you do have up to 3 years to make a claim.  If you wait this long to make your claim, you will most likely require a personal injury solicitor.

You can use the legal services of any trade union you belong to.

3. Your employer has the legal responsibility to report any injury or accident to the Health and Safety Executive agency. This is especially true if accidents are grave in nature.

Most companies offer programs that are aimed towards work accident avoidance.

Both employers and employees will benefit from safe work practices and accident avoidance.

Creating a working environment that is safe will also save the employer money.

However, in the event of a work related injury or accident, you are not doing any favours to your employer or yourself by not reporting it.  This is what work accident claims are there for.