Work Accident Claims and Job Security

Accidents can occur anywhere, even at work. What happens if one meets with an accident at workplace? Can people make work accident claims against their employer and also keep their jobs? If the accident causes a serious injury which prevents an employee from working, can he/she take a leave until fully recovered? Such questions are sure to bother anyone who has been involved in an accident at work.

People must not forget that it is the duty of their employer to establish a safe workplace environment and implement preventive measures like protective clothing, training and safety and maintenance of equipments. If any carelessness causes an accident at workplace, it is considered negligence on part of the employer and he/she is liable to face work accident claims filed against him/her.

Job security is the principal concern to anyone who is a victim of workplace accidents. However, one need not worry too much in this aspect. Firing an employee just because he/she has made a work accident claim is legally unjustifiable. Partiality or bias against such employees is also considered unfair.  

By filing a work accident claim against an employer, one is not intending to find an alternative to settle personal differences. In fact, a claimant is highlighting the unsafe environment at the workplace which can potentially harm his/her colleagues.  

When one suffers an injury at workplace, it is an accident which is not employee’s fault and is easily avoidable. A serious injury could even affect one’s ability to work again. Many people think that employers pay compensation from their pockets and therefore do not file work accident claims. Employers mostly have insurance for such claims which take care of their financial protection in such scenarios.

In a recent case of a work accident, a Chulmleigh based company was fined £85,000 after an employee died as a result of an explosion in their factory. The Extern Crown court expressed its sympathy towards the family of the 40-year-old victim.  

The judge was quoted by North Devon Gazette: "This was an appalling tragedy and nothing I can do will put that right. I wish the court had the power to put the clock back and their feelings are at the forefront of my mind. There is nothing the court can do to redress that loss and it would be entirely wrong and impossible to do that by measuring the loss in financial terms.”

The employer pleaded guilty under ‘Health & Safety at Work Act’ and was subsequently fined. The Tiverton based man was welding on a coolant drum when the drum exploded and resulted in his death.  

It is essential for people involved in accident at workplace to make work accident claims. One should take help of claims firms who hold expertise in handling such claims and guide victims properly regarding the steps involved in such process. It is an employer’s duty to provide a safe working environment and it is an employee’s right to make work accident claim without fearing that he/she will lose the job.