All You Need To Know About Work Accident Claims

Posted by John Carr on November 12, 2010 under Personal Injury | Be the First to Comment

Many people who suffer injury at work are not aware that they are eligible to submit work accident claims. You are allowed to make a claim for personal injury costs if you have been injured at your place of work and you were not at fault. If you choose to do so, you will have to prove that the in

jury or illness sustained was caused by negligence on your employer’s part.

The responsibility is with all employers to ensure that their work area is secure enough to stop any injuries or accidents to their contractors, visitors and employees. The tools that they make available to their employees should be safe to use and well maintained. The gates and doors on the premises should be kept clear. There should be no hazards on the floors and in the corridors of the building. Warning signs should be visible if any cleaning or maintenance is being done.

Fixtures and furniture like workstations and chairs must be suitable and safe. Many office injury declarations come about as a result of inadequate ergonomic planning. These also come from people tripping on cables and various other objects on the floor.

It is vital that you follow the correct process after you have been injured at your place of employment. You have to report the incident to your immediate supervisor as well as to the first aid personnel. In the case that you are a union member, the union representative has to be notified. You should seek medical help as soon as possible and ensure that there is a detailed report of the incident on your medical file.

Complete the required workplace accident questionnaire as quickly as possible after you are involved in an accident or injury. It is a good idea to keep a diary of the physical symptoms you face. List the dates on which they happen and exactly what they are. Make a list of all the accident-related expenses you incur. The list should include travel expenses to the doctor or the hospital, cost of prescription drugs, cost of over the counter medicines as well as lost income amounts. All this detail will be valuable for the purpose of submission of a detailed compensation claim.

There are distinct time limits for you to make a claim. You will normally have three years, calculated from the date of your accident, to submit the claim. You will find a few exceptions to this rule.

In the case where you were a child at the time the accident occurred, you may have longer to enter a claim for compensation. If you have been affected by an industrial disease, you will also have a longer time to submit a claim. All work accident claims are different and some can be settled within a period of months while others could take years to settle.

Suffered an accident at work? Get legal advice to ensure that your rights are protected and find out how you can make work accident claims in the UK, from professional personal injury solicitors.