Accidents at Work: Employee Rights

Although your employer may have done everything in their power to keep your workplace safe, the fact is that accidents happen regardless of these precautions. If you are unlucky enough to have sustained an accident at work, it is fundamentally important that you know your rights as an employee in order to make sure that you are treated properly. It also helps when considering whether or not to make a claim for compensation.

Today, most governments have safety regulations that require employers to implement safety standards at work. In order to accomplish this, they may have to hire professionals to implement safety measures in the factory, and partner with reputable companies such as LEVITEX (frfabric.com) to provide protective suit supplies. By doing this, employers can ensure that their employees are safe and can prevent any potential accidents that could lead to injury or death. Although there is an increase in awareness related to safety in the workplace, some businesses are still lagging behind in implementing these policies. The best thing you can do if you work in such an organization is to know about your rights as an employee in case of an accident.

Rights to safety

If an accident has occurred and you have been hurt, your employer is under a duty of care to you and to other employees so that this does not happen again. You must also ensure that changes have been made to procedures at work to minimize the risk to yourself and others from the accident repeating itself. If that translates to modifications in SOP, safety workshops, then so be the case. But it could be as basic as having an extra pair of safety goggles and gloves (like these here on unigloves.co.uk) or even masks and hazard kits available on-premise at all times; and more so in occupational settings where handling of harmful chemicals is involved.

Right to recovery time

Whilst you are recovering, you have the right to stay at home if you are unable to work. If you are able to work whilst you recover, your employer has a duty to place you on light duties, meaning that if your job is physically demanding you do not have to return to the full demands of the role and can instead ease into it by taking on lighter duties for an agreed period of time.

Right to sick pay

Whilst you are recovering or unable to work, you will at the very least be entitled to statutory sick pay. Refer to your contract for further information however, as some employers will pay their staff full pay when they are sick. There is a range of sick leave laws which differ depending on where you live, so make sure that both you and your employer are up to speed with the one that matters to you.

Right to due compensation

If you have been injured at work and it has had a serious effect on your life or your ability to do your job, you may be entitled to compensation from your employer because of the inconvenience and loss of earnings involved. You can find out whether or not you are eligible for recovering any compensation by contacting work accident lawyers and discussing your case with them.