Accidents at Work

Picture this. You are a footballer only days away from the greatest game of your career.  You go to work, carry out your normal duties, and end up with a groin injury that could prevent you from fulfilling your boyhood dreams.For Mark Peat, goalkeeper of lowly Berwick Rangers, this was somewhat of a reality. Just days from his mouth-watering clash with Scottish Premier giants Celtic, Mark ‘felt a wee pop in [his] groin’. The Daily Record reports that Mark, who works for Greggs the baker, was going about his usual daily tasks, which typically include loading and transportation duties, when he suffered a groin injury.  On this occasion it would seem that Mark was simply pushing a roll cage around a Greggs factory when the incident happened. For Mark, as I am sure many can imagine and sympathise, the timing of the injury could not have come at a worse time. Luckily for Mark however, the effects of his injury wore off in time for him to face Celtic. Sadly, on this occasion, Mark’s heroics were not enough to spare Berwick from defeat, losing, commendably, by only 2 goals to nil.

It just goes to show that injuries can occur at any time, and the workplace is just one arena in which incidents can happen. Fortunately in Mark’s case, his injury was relatively minor and he was able to resume normal activities in no time at all.  Moreover, it is not even to say that his injury was directly attributable to his working practice.  However, here at The Injury Lawyers we hear of accidents at work on a daily basis and we cannot stress how important it is, if you have been injured in your workplace, to the get the advice of a professional injury lawyer so that they can advise you as to whether you are entitled to make a claim for compensation.

It is important to understand that your employer owes you, as an employee, a duty of care. They must look out for your health and safety. – e.g. – ensuring that your workplace is safe by maintaining equipment or reducing your risk of injury by providing you with the correct clothing and equipment; by way of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, your employer must acknowledge your health and safety concerns.

If you have been involved in an accident at work, or have sustained an injury while undertaking your job role, it is important that you seek the advice of a specialist personal injury lawyer within three years of the date of the accident. We at The Injury Lawyers also strongly recommend that you make sure a note of your accident is recorded in your company’s ‘accident book’.

For those who may be slightly worried about making a claim for compensation against your employer – don’t be! Your employer is legally obliged to have insurance so that if you have an accident, they can compensate you fairly. If you have been injured as a result of an accident at work, you are entitled to make a claim for compensation to ensure that you are placed in the position you would have been had your accident not happened.  Your employers’ insurance is there to provide the compensation you are legally entitled to recover – in a lot of cases, your employers are normally quite happy for you to make a claim form the policy; it’s there for you!