People do not expect to have an accident at work, but these can occur and it is important that you know what steps to take in the aftermath. There are 340 million workplace accidents annually and the severity of these can vary greatly, but it is always important to take a few steps following the accident to ensure that it is handled properly.

Get Medical Help if Needed

The very first step following a workplace accident should be to determine if medical help is required. Even if you or the person does not have an immediate or obvious injury, keep in mind that they could still have an injury that is not presenting itself, so it is a good idea to get checked over and to monitor the situation over the coming days.

Report the Accident

It is always important to report an accident to your line manager or even a near miss. Accidents often happen because there is a hazard and there may be ways to mitigate or remove this hazard from the operation that could stop it from happening again down the line.

Record the Accident in the Accident Book

Following this, you should also record the accident in the accident book when you get the chance. Any business with over 10 employees must have an accident book by law and it should always be updated whenever a big or small accident takes place.

Keep a Record

It is also important to keep a record of the accident yourself and to collect as much evidence as possible. You should take photos of the accident site and any injuries, collect CCTV footage, get witness contact information and keep receipts of any costs you have incurred as a result of the accident. You should also keep a record of your symptoms and how they progress over time.

Contact a Specialist Solicitor

If you have an accident at work that was not your fault then you may want to seek compensation. This means that you should speak to a specialist workplace accident solicitor that will be able to listen to your claim and determine whether or not you have a case. They can then work on your behalf to seek maximum compensation for damages, which can include the cost of current and future loss of earnings, medical treatment and pain and suffering.

These are the main steps to take following an accident at work to ensure that it is properly handled. Nobody expects to have an accident at work which means that people often do not know how to react afterwards, which is problematic because there are key steps that you need to take both in terms of safety and determining exactly what happened and why.