subject: What Are Your Rights As An Employee? [print this page] Regardless of the industry you work in, there are certain rights that you have as an employee. First of all, you have a right to work in a safe environment. You have a right to expect the company or your employer to provide you with a work environment in which you can work safely. Whilst at work, you dont expect to get involved in accidents and sustain injuries. No one does, but work accidents are still very common. There are numerous reasons why workplace accidents occur. But, as an employee, what can you do to protect your rights if you have been involved in a work related accident?
Accidents occur in almost every kind of occupation or industry. However, they are extremely common in high risk industries such as the building industry, mining, manufacturing, etc. Even workplaces like offices can have hazards which can lead to accidents. Fortunately, accidents that occur in offices are usually not as serious as those which happen on building and construction sites.
Your employer has a legal duty to provide you with an environment that is safe and risk free. While it is not possible for any company or employer to eliminate all the risks present in workplaces, they must do everything possible to minimise those risks. If an accident at work takes place, they must be able to prove that they did everything reasonable to prevent the accident from occurring at the first place.
But, if the employer is negligent and does not take the initiative to provide a risk free environment to the workers, then the workers can make a workplace injury claim if they have been injured. As an employee, you have the right to sue your employer following a workplace accident for which you were not responsible. Making a workplace injury claim is quite important for any worker because it can help them cover the costs of medical expenses and also overcome financial difficulties which they faced as a direct result of the accident.
Additionally, you must not fear that making a workplace injury claim will get you out of your job. No employer can threaten to sack their employees or even sack their employees if they choose to make a workplace injury claim. You have the right to continue to work for the same company. However, if you face unfair dismissal, you will be entitled to make a claim for unfair dismissal.
