It is sometimes easy to forget that each employer has an obligation to the safety of their staff and customers. Personal injury claims in the workplace can be a difficult subject to discuss because those who have suffered personal injury while at work are often scared to take the matter further. This is understandable, especially with a difficult employment market, but there are a number of issues to take into consideration.
Training In The Workplace
Whether we like it or not the working environment has changed over the last 50 years and tasks which many employees would have carried out without thinking years ago are now out of bounds. Injuries in the workplace will always happen, even in the safest of environments, but each and every employer is legally obliged to train their staff and make them aware of potential issues and how to handle them.
If you are asked to do a particular task but you have had little or no training then you may actually be putting yourself at risk. It is very easy to discount any potential dangers in the workplace and indeed many people will carry out tasks for which they are not trained. Even if an employee is willing to take a relatively small risk in the workplace, is this a little inconsiderate for other employees and customers? Nobody likes excessive red tape but in some cases, it is required.
Supplying The Correct Equipment
Whatever tasks you are employed to carry out in the workplace you should have the correct equipment at all times. Even though funds can be tight for some smaller companies to invest in new equipment, this is potentially a false economy. The financial and practical costs could be far greater further down the line and if a company cannot afford the right equipment, should they be asking their employees to carry out a particular task?
Even issues which seem relatively small such as a lack of protective gloves can and have in many situations led to serious burns and injuries. While depending upon the particulars of each individual case the compensation payments can run into thousands of pounds. On top of that some companies might receive a visit from the health and safety executive with potential ramifications for the company’s overall operations. In a worst-case scenario a visit from the executive could open a whole can of worms and unearth an array of potential workplace violations – but whose fault would that be?
Too Frightened To Report An Incident?
In the distant past, it was fairly easy for a company to make it difficult for an employee who had taken out a personal injury claim. Even if the employee was perfectly within their rights, on their return they were often seen as “disruptive” and life made difficult for them. The situation today is very different as this subject has been addressed time and time again by the authorities with an array of legal protections now in place. That is not to say that a disgruntled employer may not try to make it difficult for an employee but if that is the case then they do have the option of further legal redress.
Protecting Your Work Colleagues
While it may seem a little unfair, opting not to report potential hazards in the workplace and issues with protective clothing and equipment could be putting your work colleagues at risk. It is all good and well individual employees dismissing potential safety issues for their own “peace of mind” but how would you feel if somebody else was seriously injured due to something you could (and should) have brought to the attention of your employers?
If we look at the flip side of the personal injury claims coin, how can employees expect employers to correct issues in the workplace if employees do not bring these issues to the table? There may be some short-term pain for employers in the shape of personal injury compensation and potential fines from the authorities but surely this will make them think again in the future. All they need to do is address the issues and ensure they do not happen again. Surely this is a win-win for everybody in the long term?
Conclusion
There are various layers of legal protection for employees where issues of personal injury come into play. It is all good and well encouraging employees to complain and potentially take action for personal injury claims but many will be concerned about their long-term employment opportunities. This is why employees and employers should be made aware of the various layers of legal protection in place today. There should be no concerns about long-term employment prospects where there are genuine grievances and issues of health and safety.
If you have a personal injury claim and you are in two minds about whether to take it further or forget about it, why not take professional advice? As we touched on above, if there are safety issues in the workplace these may at some point affect your colleagues unless they are brought to the attention of the management. Easier said than done, yes, but how would you feel if someone failed to report a safety issue and you suffered a serious injury which could have been avoided?
