Injured at Work? A Step-By-Step Guide to Claim Compensation

Accidents can, unfortunately, happen anywhere at any time. This is a harsh reality that must be acknowledged in order to prevent the risks of accidents by adhering to health and safety regulations.

Workplace accidents are pretty frequent, and new businesses and well-established corporations must work relentlessly to ensure their employees are well cared for, and the workplace is up to the latest health and safety standards. Only this way can you significantly decrease the risk of an accident happening in the work environment, which could result in a severe employee injury. 

However, as much as companies adhere to health and safety regulations, accidents can still occur. In this case, if you ever get involved in an accident that happens to no fault of your own and get seriously injured, you are entitled to claim compensation for personal injury.

In fact, even if such an unfortunate incident hasn’t happened to you, it is still recommended to know the steps of claiming compensation and what you need to do if you ever get injured at work. 

Knowing this ensures you get the amount of compensation you deserve that covers all the expenses resulting from the accident. For example, it is crucial to know the type of evidence necessary that can strengthen a compensation claim. Once you are aware of what is needed, you can gather it well in advance if you ever get injured at the workplace. This type of information is essential, and every employee should know it – it is within their right to be well taken care of and be given compensation for physical injuries as well as emotional and mental distress. 

This being said, in the unfortunate event of a workplace accident that results in you getting an injury, here is a step-by-step guide you should follow:

1. Seek Medical Attention Immediately

Your health is always the top priority. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to seek medical attention immediately after the accident takes place. Depending on the severity of your injury, you should either call an emergency medical team or use the first-aid kit at the company and then go to the nearest hospital for further checks. 

So, it doesn’t matter how minor the injury is – or it appears to be, as some injuries can actually be serious even if they don’t seem so – you must have your health checked right away. This way, you rule out any serious injuries that may not be visible soon after the accident.

Once you know you are well, you can proceed with the following steps. If your health condition is severe and you need to be kept under supervision in the hospital, you should ask a close friend or co-worker to continue the compensation claim process on your behalf.

2. Gather All the Evidence You Possible Can

The more, the merrier. Evidence is necessary in compensation claims, as is the case with any legal matter, so this is no different. Therefore, you must gather as much evidence of the accident as you possibly can. This can strengthen your compensation claim and ensure you not only get the amount you deserve but can also receive it sooner rather than later. 

The type of evidence you should aim to collect is as follows:

■ Visual aids: this includes any photographs or videos taken at the scene of the accident, videos that actually recorded the accident taking place, and photos of the object that caused it, if applicable;

■ Witness statements: make sure you get statements from people who have witnessed the accident who can corroborate your statement;

■ Write down any details: if you remember any critical information, no matter how small, it is recommended you make a note of them;

■ The accident report: This document consists of all the accident details recorded at the company you work for, where the accident occurred.

The evidence mentioned above is extremely useful and necessary for compensation claims.

3. Report and Record the Accident

As mentioned earlier, you will need to report the accident to the company you work for, either to your manager or directly to the HR department, depending on how the company is established. Reporting the workplace accident can be done by you or a person you ask to do it on your behalf.

In most cases, for companies that have many employees, you will have to record the accident in the company’s accident book. This ensures the events are officially registered and kept in order to be used as evidence in compensation claims or for workers’ comp insurance. Even if the company doesn’t have this accident book, you can still record all the accident details and have two copies – one for you and one for the company’s records. 

4. Hire An Expert Personal Injury Lawyer

Experts at Accident at Work Claim Care in the UK point out the importance of hiring a professional and qualified personal injury lawyer to handle your compensation claim case. Not only do they have the vast legal knowledge, experience and necessary skills to handle this type of case and win them, but they can also give you some peace of mind, knowing they are working relentlessly with your best interests in mind. This gives you the time and energy to focus on your health and fast recovery. 

Therefore, you should seriously consider hiring a personal injury lawyer who can handle your compensation claim professionally. Plus, you don’t have to worry about the financial aspect. Solicitors specializing in personal injury claims work on a no win, no fee basis. This means you will pay your lawyer a certain percentage of your compensation, so after and only if the case is won.

5. Know The Time Limit for Making a Claim

Another aspect you must know when thinking of filing a compensation claim for personal limits is the time limit. This is necessary especially if the results of the accident appear long after the accident actually occurred. 

Usually, in most compensation cases, the time limit is three years from when the accident took place or from the moment the first signs or symptoms of the injury appeared. There are some exceptions, so it is better to ask a professional if your case has certain particularities.

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