Workplace accidents may be more common than you think.
Workplace accidents can occur no matter how safe or dangerous your environment is. You could fall over on a coffee spill or come into contact with harsh chemicals in a warehouse. Either way, you will need the take the necessary steps to find the best health and legal outcome so that you can get on the road to recovery.
If you are ever involved in a workplace accident, here are the right steps to take.
Speak to your boss
Speaking to your boss about improving employee wellbeing can go a long way to creating an environment of safety. As you can imagine, it is important to ensure that you have a level of trust. A supervisor should be willing to do everything that they can to ensure that you get the help and support that you need. It may be out of their hands and totally not their fault. Regardless, your supervisor the best person to speak to at work to get the issue resolved.
They will need to be made aware of what happened and if there is an accident-prone area, they will work to make it safe so that the accident doesn’t happen again.
Seek legal help
Some companies will absolutely do the right thing without question but some will not. Seek legal counsel so as to know which company you work for. Using exceptional personal injury attorneys will ensure that you get help from start to finish. They will help you gather evidence and present the claim in court so that you can get the compensation that you need.
They will also help with signing documents and making sure that they are signed correctly to support your claims.
Report the incident
You should always report the incident as soon as it happens. That way, you will be able to report what happened clearly and not miss out on any small details. Forgetting small details could hinder your case.
For instance, if you forget what time it happened, you might not be able to seek accurate witnesses or find the CCTV footage quickly.
Get witness statements
Alongside your own statement, you should also get witness statements. These will help back up your case and support you when it comes to gathering evidence. They will have seen the accident from a different viewpoint and offer a non-biased story.
If the accident was not your fault and you want to make a claim against your workplace, it will help to have supporting evidence from physical eyewitnesses.
Check CCTV footage
You will also benefit from checking to see if there is any CCTV footage from the accident. This will further support your claim and be used as evidence in court.
The CCTV footage will offer a clear depiction of what happened and offer the least biased view.
Keep a copy of the CCTV footage so that it doesn’t go missing. If you need the footage and do not have it then you could negatively affect the results of your claim.
Secure the scene
After an accident, you should ensure that you or someone close by secures the scene. Moving evidence could hinder your case.
Moreover, securing the scene will ensure that nobody else gets hurt. If there are chemicals on the floor or sideboards, these could be touched by other members of staff. They could be vulnerable to injury too. Thus, protecting others is crucial to ensure that nobody else gets hurt.
Seek medical attention
After an accident, it is so important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. If the injury is major, medical attention is the first port of call. If there is no physical injury, report the case first and then seek medical attention.
Even if there are no physical injuries, there could be underlying issues that could lead to future implications. Or, the accident could cause mental trauma, which can be difficult to deal with.
Speaking to a therapist can help you overcome the mental emotions after the result of an accident.
Communicate your concern
If you feel that an area of your workplace is unsafe, especially after the accident has concluded, you should communicate your concern. Leaving the area unsafe could result in future accidents to yourself or to colleagues.
You should also communicate your concern if you feel that your workplace isn’t taking your case seriously. For instance, if they do not believe that it wasn’t your fault then you should speak with them and make them aware that it wasn’t your fault. It will help to show them the evidence and ask the legal team to make your company aware of the situation.
You should never blame yourself for a workplace accident and leave it unreported. You can increase the safety of your workplace for yourself and for others by reporting the accident and taking the necessary steps.
For more about office safety:
34 thoughts on “Workplace Accidents: The Right Steps To Take”
Thanks for providing the information with this post. Post is very nice! I am really happy to say it’s an interesting post to read.
Thank you for reading.
Thanks for sharing this information. I have shared this link with other keep posting. I like your content.
Thank you for sharing with others.
The information you have very true and useful, thank you have shared this post.
You are very welcome.
All excellent points. I work in a software company that doesn’t have too much scope for accidents at work. Still, I am impressed with the care they take over simple things like coffee machines and non-slip floors.
The little things can mean a great deal.
Thank you so much for this info!
You are very welcome.
Accidents in the workplace happen so much more often than you think. A very useful post to read – thanks for sharing!
Accidents, big or small, happen on a regular basis. It’s important to know what to do.
Great tips and info! Usually we have an OSH training dedicated for office / workplace hazards. So cool.
That is fabulous that you have that training. Sadly, not all companies do that important training.
I agree with this, and it is very common in many workplaces both big and small incidents. Having insurance and medicare helps.
Insurance, Medicare, and proper training I’ll make a big difference.
these are really necessary steps when having accident at work or work-related cases.
if there’s no financial support coming from the company, legal support helps..
I hope is always at the company does the right thing but the unfortunate truth is that they don’t always.
It is the duty of the company to put safety measures in the office so as not to jeopardize the safety of the workers. There are laws instructing publice places especially the workplace to observe proper safety protocols.
Yes, therefore the best protection is to only work with companies that follow proper protocol.
Small workplace accidents do happen a lot. It’s indeed best if people will know what to do once they encounter it.
Some folks are afraid to fill out that form about an accident because I think it won’t be received well but it really protect the individual and the company.
This post should be required reading for anyone entering the workforce! I was a retail general manager for over 20 years and dealt with several workplace accidents during that time. It’s so important to document every accident, even if it seems minor at the time!
Anna, thank you for that feedback and support. I also very much appreciate you sharing your experience.
Workplace accidents have become so common lately. These tips that you have shared are great to follow.
Unfortunately, they certainly are and then with Covid we have to be extra careful.
It’s so important to practice safety at all times and then document any accidents that might occur. You can’t always prevent them.
It would be good to prevent but sometimes that is just not possible.
You have to document everything! I have a friend who didn’t take the proper steps, and he lost his finger. He also never got compensated.
Oh goodness. His life changed forever.
These are great tips. It’s so important to make sure you document everything and seek council immediately. Some employers do everything they can not to pay for workplace injuries.
Unfortunately, this is very true. Of course, I am not suggesting that one runs off and files suit. However, being sure we have done all we need to so if it becomes necessary is very important.
Workplace accidents are so common these days. We have to do everything we can to stay safe.
The more we can do to keep the workplace safe the better off we all will be.