Source
Workplace injuries may be rare, and they should be, but it’s important that you know how to properly handle yourself if you’re ever involved in one. Oftentimes workplace injuries happen due to negligence of managers and employers, as well as poor health and safety culture, which could mean that you’re owed significant compensation for your injury. With that said, if you don’t handle the situation correctly, keeping yourself safe and getting that compensation can be much more difficult for you. These systems take time, and you’d have to go through the legal system to prove what happened if you’re going to receive what you’re owed.
Focus on yourself
Your first priority following a workplace incident should be making sure you’re okay and are not in any immediate danger. Serious injuries can happen in the workplace, and if that happens receiving the care you need should be your number one priority. First aid should be at hand and applied by a first aider in the workplace. Some injuries might require going to the hospital, and you should never try to handle serious health concerns alone.
Report the accident
Not everyone is going to witness the incident, and you should make sure your manager is aware of what happened. This will be the workplace procedure for all accidents, and it helps to ensure that any hazards that can injure employees are corrected and made safer. Your report should be about what happened and how it lead to your injury. This will not be where you blame your company, as that should be handled by legal professionals.
Reporting it to your manager should lead to your incident being recorded in the accident book that every workplace is required to have. These books help to keep track of the incidents that happen in every workplace, and some employers might be hesitant to add some injuries to the book in order to make their work look better and reach their safety targets.
Take photos and talk to witnesses
If you’re going to receive compensation for what has happened, then you’re going to need a way to prove what happened and how it happened. Taking photos of the aftermath and the hazards, as well as talking to anyone who saw what happened can help to make sure you’re ready to handle legal procedures. This information will be useful to you and your attorney going forward.
Seek legal representation
If you’ve suffered an injury at work, then you need to make sure you seek the correct legal representation, which would likely be a personal injury lawyer. Your lawyer will walk you through how things will need to be handled, how much you might be able to get from your lawsuit – and whether or not it’s worth pursuing the case. It’s always helpful to seek legal representation following any kind of accident, as law experts will understand the best course of action for the case, and whether or not you’re going to be able to get the compensation you want. While laws may differ from location to location, local lawyers will be up-to-date on the workplace laws of your area.
No Comments