Last Updated on Feb 25, 2020 by James W
When you’re at work, you would hope that a harm free environment is the least that you could ask for. It’s your employer’s responsibility to ensure that you are safe from injuries or illness during working hours, but if your boss doesn’t fulfil those requirements, the risk of being injured as the result of an occupational accident could be multiplied. If you’re worried about what workplace accidents you may suffer, here are five of the most common accidents you could have at work:
1. Slips, trips and falls. These could happen as the result of walking on a wet or uneven floor, using faulty ladders or walking up and down staircases that don’t come with a warning sign. They’re surprisingly commonplace, and can result in broken limbs, whiplash or back pain depending on how awkwardly you land.
2. Burns and scalding. They can happen through using hazardous chemical substances or in industries such as catering when working with hot liquids. Burns can take months to heal, and can really impair your ability to work.
3. Back and neck injuries from driving or heavy lifting. When your job involves a lot of driving, you might be at risk of an accident on the road due to unsafe driving conditions or a poorly-maintained vehicle, both of which could cause whiplash. Heavy lifting could result in a long-term back problem if done over a number of years.
4. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), as a result of doing the same repetitive movement over a longer period of time may arise, especially if your job is concerned with excess typing or use of mechanical equipment. Strains of this nature usually lasts a lifetime.
5. Industrial illnesses such as deafness and vibration white finger. They often arise from industries such as mining and manufacturing, and can often shorten someone’s lifespan while also leaving them unable to work again.
Even the safest employee can be afflicted by an accident at work, sometimes it may even be a co-workers fault, so there is no need to silently suffer the aftereffects of your injury alone. It is important to speak to your employer and establish how they may facilitate you in your period of absence and also find out what sick payments you may be entitled to.
If you think you may be wholly unable to work for the foreseeable future, then it may be advisable to seek the advice of professional medical solicitors or a personal injury lawyer, who will better able to advise if you can claim compensation for your injury. A successful claim should give you an appropriate level of compensation to nurse yourself back to health without having to worry about the need to make money to meet any financial liabilities, such as to pay for your mortgage or utility bills.
During you period of leave, you could coordinate with your workplace to work on a phased basis from your home, or if you have chosen to permanently leave that environment and focus on your recovery, there are always other avenues of employment that one may explore on an freelance basis which would still enable you to make money, even once you have exited the job market.
