The law states that a firm or company has a legal obligation to protect all those they employ,who visit their premises or work on a contract basis from accidents and injury at work. Any place of employment can face an accident compensation claim from a person suffering injury on their premises.
The health and safety industry has grown to a colossal size with laws with rules being passed almost on a daily basis that are intended to increase protection against accident and injury at work. Despite all the increases in legislation people continue to suffer injuries and the fact is that most of the suffering could be prevented.
Workplaces must be carefully scrutinised to identify areas of danger, risk assessments carried out and measures taken to protect people's well being. Any necessary safety equipment and clothing must be provided for worker safety along with appropriate tools and machinery to successfully carry out their work. Any tools and machinery requiring regular checks or servicing must be carried out as specified to ensure they are maintained in proper working order.
Any accidents must be reported to the appropriate authority at the workplace and logged accurately in the accident book. In the case of an accident book not being available a record should be made of the details of the accident which should be forwarded to the person who has responsibility for safety of employees in your work place. Keep a copy of the incident report for your own records. If the injured person can't report the incident another responsible person should be asked to do this.
In more severe cases of injury to an employee a health and safety authority independent of the workplace where the accident happened have to be informed.
Medical staff will record details of any injury suffered which can be used as evidence in the case of a work place injury claim at a later date. It may be many months or even years before a claim is settled so in time, details can become confused and forgotten in time, making it vital that accurate details are recorded at the time of the accident.
