You expect to feel safe at work as you do your job and not face the risk of being injured. Sometimes, however, due to poor safety procedures, you can be inured at work. These injuries can have a major impact on your life and even affect your ability to earn a living. This article will look at health and safety measures in a workplace, including what is a risk assessment, how unsafe conditions can lead to accidents and we will also provide some further resources about making an accident at work claim.
Workplace safety is an important topic; whether it is adequate safety training, providing appropriate personal protective equipment or generally providing a safe working environment, there are many aspects that need to be considered.
If you have been injured at work and would like to start an accident at work compensation claim, we can provide you with some free no obligation advice. All you have to do is contact us by:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801 (24 hours a day).
- Online claim form.
- Use the live chat at the bottom of this page.
Jump To A Section
- What Are The Required Health and Safety Measures In A Workplace?
- What Is A Risk Assessment?
- How Can Unsafe Work Conditions Lead To A Workplace Injury?
- Contact Us To See If You Can Claim Accident At Work Compensation
- More Resources About Making An Accident At Work Claim
What Are The Required Health and Safety Measures In A Workplace?
While you are working, your employer must ensure that they take reasonable and practicable steps to keep you safe, as stated in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 HASAWA. They could do this by training you so that you can do your job safely, keeping work equipment well maintained, and risk assessing not only your job task but also the work environment to reduce or mitigate hazards.
Under section 9 HASAWA, your employer must provide you with personal protective equipment free of charge that is necessary for the job, and they must comply with The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 is also another useful piece of statute that places a duty on employers to ensure that any work equipment is well maintained and suitable for its intended use.
In Great Britain, we have a workplace health and safety regulator known as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It is responsible for enforcing safety laws. It offers a lot of useful guidance to employers and employees to create better and safer working environments. Things that employers must do to reduce safety risks include:
- Make sure buildings are in good repair.
- Maintain the workplace and any equipment so that it is safe.
- Put right dangerous defects immediately, or take steps to protect those at risk.
- Allow enough space for safe movement and access.
- Provide safety glasses and other safety equipment where necessary.
- Have well-lit stairs and corridors.
- Provide effective drainage where necessary.
We have only listed a few health and safety at work laws that employers must adhere to to ensure employee safety. If you have suffered an injury in the workplace because of your employer’s failure to comply with these laws, you are well within your rights to seek compensation. One phone call to our advisors will see you have your case assessed for free.
What Is A Risk Assessment?
An employer has a duty to perform adequate risk assessments under The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the HSE set out an overview of what is required for a risk assessment. Employers must:
- Identity hazards that could cause injury.
- Decide how likely it is that someone will become injured and how serious an injury could be, i.e., the risk of the hazard.
- Eliminate the hazard, or if this is not possible, control the risk.
Risk assessments need to be undertaken frequently, and changes in circumstances could lead to the need for a new safety risk assessment. For example, if an employee tells their employer that they have a sore back, this could potentially require a new risk assessment for a manual handling task.
How Can Unsafe Work Conditions Lead To A Workplace Injury?
We have explained what is required from an employer to comply with health and safety law and what a risk assessment is, so let us now look at some specific examples of unsafe work conditions that could lead to you suffering a workplace injury. Examples include:
- There are exposed cables in a walkway which cause you to trip and fracture your ankle.
- You slipped on a wet patch on the floor that came from a leaking piece of machinery and there was no wet floor sign displayed.
- You are hit by a forklift truck operated by a colleague who was not trained on how to use it.
- A piece of machinery is defective. The employer has been informed, but they have failed to have it repaired, which causes you to cut yourself badly.
- The lighting in the stairwell has been broken for some time. The employer has failed to replace it even when it has been reported several times. You slip on the stairs and fall, breaking your wrist as you cannot see your next step.
Your exact accident circumstance may not be listed above and there are many safety measures in a workplace for your employer to uphold. To find out if you can make a claim you can contact us today.
Contact Us To See If You Can Claim Accident At Work Compensation
If you have a strong claim our advisors can put you in touch with one of our experienced personal injury solicitors. Using a solicitor has various advantages:
- They will help you to gather evidence.
- Comply with court rules and deadlines.
- Deal with your employer and their insurance company.
- Obtaining you the highest possible compensation.
Our solicitors operate on a No Win No Fee basis by potentially offering you a Conditional Fee Agreement. This offers several benefits including:
- Not having to pay for your legal fees upfront.
- Not having to pay for ongoing legal work.
- Pay nothing for your solicitors services if your case fails.
- If successful, a success fee is due to your solicitor. This is deducted from your compensation and the percentage deduction is agreed with you before your case starts. There is also a statutory imposed maximum on the size of the success fee.
If you would like to work with one of our solicitors you can:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801 (24 hours a day).
- Online claim form.
- Use the live chat at the bottom of this page.
More Resources About Making An Accident At Work Claim
Accidents at work are a wide topic and there may be further questions or queries that you have. Please consider the resources below, or contact our friendly team for more information.
Internal Resources:
How to claim if you were injured working on a roof?
What could you claim for if you had an injury caused by a broken ladder at work?
Did you suffer a psychological injury in addition to physical harm? Read our guide about claiming for post-traumatic stress disorder after an accident at work.
External Resources:
The HSE index of statistical tables have information about various types of accidents at work.
Are you an agency worker? Do you know your rights?
Consider this government resource about when you can claim statutory sick pay (SSP).
Thank you for reading our guide about safety measures in a workplace. We hope we have put your safety concerns about what makes a safe workplace to rest. If you would like to explore a potential claim further, you can use the contact information above.
