subject: What Are The Consequences If An Employee Has An Accident At Work? [print this page] Accidents at work can happen in any area of employment and under many difference circumstances. Obviously, there are some industries in which they are more common, for example within the construction industry or among those who work in engineering. Similarly, people who work in factories with heavy machinery or have a hands-on job such as being a plumber could find they are at greater risk of being involved in an incident.
However, this is not to say those who work in an office cannot have an accident either. They could trip over a square of carpeting that is coming up, or could slip over and bang their head on a spillage on the floor of the canteen. They could injure themselves using machinery such as a laminator or binder, or may simply trap their hand in a door. All of these are common accidents and in many cases could be avoided if the correct signage was available to warn people of potential dangers.
It is the responsibility of the employer to look after the safety and wellbeing of their staff members. Not only does this mean ensuring they are enjoying their work and are not too stressed out, but it means looking out for their safety when they are in the office and ensuring no harm can come to them whenever possible.
Unfortunately, some accidents will always happen and this is an inevitable part of working in a busy environment with a lot of people. This is why it is so important for employers to look after their colleagues, as they could find themselves in serious trouble if they do not.
To begin, the employer could be faced with a fine of thousands of pounds if the accident is their fault and the employee decides to make a compensation claim. At a time of economic downturn, this could have very serious consequences and put companies at a real financial loss.
What is more, if the employee is seriously hurt they might be off work for a significant period of time. As a result, the company will have to find someone else to take on their work, which could mean having to take on a new staff member, which will also cost a significant amount of money. Both of these could lead to a financial loss and put the firm in a bad position.
This is why it is important to have the appropriate safety signs in place, as they could make all the difference when it comes to keep the workplace incident-free.
