In the line of duty, as an employee, we are often asked to do things that may not form a part of our role specifically. I usually take the post as I can drive past the box to drop it in. I don’t mind as its no skin off my nose!
But what happens when you are asked to do something potentially dangerous? What happens if you do something that at the time may seem fine, but you actually end up injured? Well if you are asked to do something that breaches health and safety regulation, you may be entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation if you are injured as a result.
A few examples…
Here are a few examples of thing we have heard of in the past and things that I know employers ask people to do when they shouldn’t!
- Stamping on rubbish in bins to compress it for space – this is dangerous as you can easily fall or injure yourself on an unstable surface.
- Manually handle something heavy which isn’t a part of your role – like your boss asking you to help move a large desk or cabinet.
- Breaking a window on a construction site without the proper tools and protection – like being told to just smash through it with a broom for example.
- Climbing through a window if a door locks and prevent access to an office.
Can you make a claim?
Well if you are injured or your employer has breached health and safety regulations, you can make a claim. If you do something that is clearly daft but you are asked to do it by a manager, your employer is liable.
There are many workplace health and safety regulations to consider:
- The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 – such as the lifting desk example.
- The Work at Height Regulations 2005 – like the bin stomping example.
- The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 – like the smashing glass example.
Your employer breaching these regulations and causing an injury leaves them liable to compensate you. They should have insurance to cover themselves for things like this so we can claim from the insurance for any injuries and loss caused to you.
