During the COVID-19 pandemic we saw a reduction in the number of claims brought for accidents at work.  There may well be a number of reasons for this, but the most obvious being that a lot of people were not based at their place of work during the early stages of the pandemic as they were either working from home or had been placed on furlough.

Additionally, there is reason to believe that employees have been worried about their job security and as such have been reluctant to make a claim to their employers for an accident at work for fear of reprisals. 

As furlough comes to an end and more people return to work, we expect the number of accident at work claims to once again increase.

So what should you do if you are unlucky enough to suffer an accident at work? 

The first thing that you should do is to let your employer know.  You would be surprised at the number of people who come to Tinsdills having suffered an accident at work and then have difficulties pursuing their claim as there is no proof that the accident happened as they never reported it to anyone.

When you report your accident, you should make sure that your line manager fills out the Accident Report Form. You should read this to check that it is accurate and correctly sets out what has happened and you may be asked to sign this.  If you are in too much pain to properly complete the form or read it, say so and do not sign it until you feel better and can consider it properly.

If you are too badly injured and are immediately taken to hospital, then you should call your employer once you are well enough to explain what has happened and ask to see the Accident Report Form. If you email your employer, you should keep copies and make a note of the date and time of any calls together with details of the name of the person you spoke to.

If you are well enough, you should take photographs of the accident scene and take details of any work colleagues or other people who may have witnessed your accident.  If they are prepared to provide a short statement detailing what happened, then you should ask for this.

Your employer may need to report your accident to the Health & Safety Executive who may interview you about your accident.  

If you are not taken to hospital as a result of your accident, you should see your GP even if you do not think initially that your injuries are particularly serious.  They could develop and become much worse in the future and it is important that you have recorded what happens with medical professionals.

Many employees are worried about making a claim against their employer for an accident that has occurred at work for fear of losing their job.  There are laws to protect your employment rights and these include laws to prevent you from being discriminated against, bullied or harassed or dismissed from your job.

If you think that your employer is treating you differently because you have made a claim, you should ask them in writing for an explanation as to why they are treating you in the way that you feel is unfair and if you are not satisfied with the response that you receive from your employer, Tinsdills have employment lawyers who would be able to provide you with expert advice on these matters.

If you want to talk through a possible accident at work claim then call Tinsdills in confidence and we will use our years of experience to help you.