Working in an office may seem like one of the safer choices of career environments; but they are not immune from accidents and consequently injuries. Understandably, it is rare to sustain an injury as serious as one you may sustain on a building site – however, injuries can still occur. So here’s a couple of examples of regulations that apply more directly to office compensation claims.
Slips and Trips
Your employer is under a duty to ensure the working environment is a safe one and therefore trailing wires, open cupboard doors, spillages and piles of paperwork and folders should be managed to ensure they do not cause a tripping or slipping hazard and ensure nobody is injured. That is why on your first day of work you probably have to indulge a lot of paperwork explaining health and safety and what not to do.
The Display Screen Regulations
Computers and offices come hand in hand but they can be the cause of injury. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 came into force on 1 January 1993 and are one of the few instruments specifically targeted at a particular type of equipment! It isn’t particularly specific in its contents but rather states that employers are expected to consider the following where extended use of VDU equipment is necessary:
- Analyse and assess the whole workstation to reduce any risks – This should consider the equipment and the environment (such as heat, lighting, reflections, sun glare etc)
- Plan work so there are breaks or changes in activity – It is not sufficient for an employer simply to provide written advice in this context as the courts may be highly critical where employees are left to implement their own working procedures.
- On request, arrange eye tests and provide eyewear if required – If requested these should be provided initially, and at regular intervals. If an employee is experiencing visual difficulties which might be considered to be caused by work.
- Provide training and information on safety – This is a continuing obligation; employers should devise, implement and maintain a comprehensive regime. This operates prospectively which means before the employee commenced work and exposure commences.
With the rise in office work being quite a recent trend and the documentation of health risks presented by the use of VDU, this means that case law in this context is quite limited and therefore in many of these cases courts really just look at medical causation. Therefore, if you feel you do have an injury which you think may have been caused by extensive DVU use and you feel your employer has not complied with their obligations, see a medical professional as soon as possible.
So if you have had an injury in an office, it is always best to speak directly with a personal injury specialist. We can assess whether we believe that your claim is valid and can get it started that same day should you so wish. We believe our funding arrangements to be extremely competitive and therefore hope to speak with you soon.
