A recent survey of 2,000 people shows that the average Briton will suffer more than 10,000 injuries, illnesses, and accidents during their lifetime and that the majority of them will be made up of bugs picked up from work and accidents in the workplace. The report, released by solicitors Slater & Gordon, shows that cuts and bruises make up the largest section of these and the figures mean that the average person in this country will suffer, in some way, once every three days.

The typical person spends up to 40 hours or more in the workplace so it is perhaps unsurprising that the workplace is responsible for most of our illnesses and injuries. Some of these incidents are unavoidable, for example even the use of antibacterial hand gel may not prove enough to prevent picking up a cold or other bug. However, there are a large number of such accidents and work related illnesses that can and indeed should be avoided.

It is the responsibility of an employer to ensure that all of their employees are safe and free from injury and illness. The term health and safety may be derided as a joke and filled with bureaucratic paperwork but, in reality, it is what keeps employees safe when they walk through the door until they leave at the end of the day. Followed properly, health and safety guidelines can prevent potentially life threatening injuries and illnesses. When ignored, however, it not only leads to more work related incidents but it can land the employer in court.

More than a third of those surveyed said that they had suffered an injury while at work and delving further into these figures, it is also shown that approximately one in five could identify a potential hazard or health and safety risk currently in their workplace. The first step to effective health and safety at work, and preventing work related accidents, should be identifying risk before taking action to remedy that risk. If employees are able to identify such hazards then action should be taken by the employer.

When people do suffer an injury at work, or contract a work related illness or industrial illness, they may have the right to claim compensation from employers. While this compensation will usually be covered by an employer’s liability insurance policy, it can lead to a drop in workplace morale and an increase in insurance premiums required in the future. It should be, therefore, in the interest of employers to prevent accidents and illnesses occurring in the workplace.

Suffering a long lasting injury at work means that an employee is often unable to complete their daily work. This can lead to a loss of earnings and may also mean additional healthcare costs and rehabilitation costs. Compensation is awarded to anybody that suffers at the hand of a workplace injury in order to ensure that they have the financial backing to be able to fully recover from the injury and be back to full health as quickly as possible.

MAKING A CLAIM

Making a claim for your personal injuries with Stocks Legal is really easy. You can speak to an experienced personal injury solicitor today by calling 0800 988 9055 or you can use our online claim enquiry form by clicking here. There is no obligation and you have nothing to lose by speaking to us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Topper is the litigation manager at Stocks Legal Personal Injury Solicitors. Mike is highly experienced in all types of personal injury cases. He is highly focussed on client care and getting the maximum compensation that is available for his clients and their families. He rightly sees personal injury claims as a real must for the English legal System as without a proper compensation structure, many injury people can be left with no support or ongoing medical treatment.

If you have any questions arising from this article to can contact Mike by calling 0800 988 9055 or by sending him an email by clicking here.

Access To Justice Accidents At Work General PI News StockslegalSep 16th, 20130 comments