The first thing that comes to mind when you fall victim to an on-site work injury is ‘how am I going to provide for myself or my family?’ Here’s how…
A serious on-site injury could leave you unfit to work, which will likely have a knock-on effect on every other aspect in your life. Of course, claiming benefits, sick pay or seeking Cheshire injury claims against your employer will help. But how?
In order to actually make a claim for one of these payments, there are a few things you need to do straight after your on-site work injury, which we’ll detail in this post. Take a look…
What to Do After an On-Site Work Injury
Immediately after your on-site work injury you need to make sure you have all the treatment and documentation to enable you to heal quickly and receive money in the interim. Here’s a list of all the things you should do:
1. Have your injury checked out
First and foremost, make sure the injury is tended to instantly, by having the workplace first aider look at it. You should also speak to them about whether you need to go to hospital.
However, in order to fully recover, and recover quickly, you need to have your injury properly assessed, so it’s worth going to a doctor either way. What may seem like a minor injury could become a real problem if you keep working and the injury is exacerbated.
Your whole approach should be health-first. Once you know more about the extent of your injury, and whether you’re able to go back to work, you can start thinking about how you’re going to keep putting food on the table.
2. Report the accident
This is the first stage in building evidence so you can claim benefits, sick pay or personal injury compensation for your on-site work injury.
If the incident happened whilst you were alone, it’s crucial that you report the incident to a colleague. This way, you have back up further down the line that this incident did actually take place.
On top of that, you should also report the incident to your manager because they’re legally obliged to report the incident to the Health and Safety Executive. It could also be a breach of procedures if you don’t report it.
3. Record it in the accident book
Telling colleagues and your manager about the on-site work injury you suffered is all well and good. However, unless there’s a physical record of the injury, you might end up with no evidence at all.
Your employer might have discouraged employees from signing this book because it can affect performance targets, but you have to do it if you want hard proof of your accident.
If your employer won’t let you sign the book, and refuses to record the incident, state your arguments in an email to them. This way, there’s a physical record in case you need to take this injury to court later.
4. Take photos and record video footage
To make any claim for benefits, compensation or sick pay absolutely iron-clad, you need to have as much evidence as possible. On top of the things we’ve already mentioned, taking photos and video of the scene of the accident will help prove your case in court.
Not all employers are created equal and yours could easily try to claim that the accident was your fault. They may even try to ‘fix’ the accident location to make it seem less dangerous than it was when you suffered the on-site work injury.
5. Keep a diary of all your symptoms
Keeping an up-to-date list of all your symptoms is also a must when recording evidence of your on-site work injury. When you go to the hospital or see a doctor, they often only record the most serious injuries and symptoms.
The issue here is that injuries sometimes get turned on their heads, and what seemed minor when the incident first took place could become the major injury you want to claim for further down the line.
If you do choose to go the personal injury claim route, it can often take several years to resolve. In this case, it will be difficult to remember all your symptoms and even more difficult to attribute them to your on-site work injury.
6. Keep a record of your expenses and losses
Remember, the amount of money you need to look after yourself and your family whilst you’re out of commission could be quite substantial. In order to make sure you receive enough money to cover what you would normally make you should record your expenses.
This is more than just a recording of the wages you would’ve earned had you been able to work. Compensation for your injury could also take the form of:
- Losing out on the chance to earn a bonus or promotion
- Losing out on the enjoyment of a prearranged holiday
- Losing out on care and assistance from friends and family
- Increased heating bills
- Trips to the hospital
Basically, there are lots of things to consider when you decide what you have lost due to this on-site work injury. Recording everything you can think of is the best way to do this as your solicitor can always narrow down the stuff you can actually claim for later.
What Should I Do After I’ve Followed These Steps?
In this post, we’ve shared six things you should do after obtaining an on-site work injury to put you in the best position possible if you need to make a claim.
You should now have all the evidence you need to either claim benefits, sick pay or compensation from your employer if you’re unable to work or have to work at a lower capacity.
You’ll either get Statutory Sick Pay, depending on how long the injury lasts, Employment and Support Allowance, or Universal Credit. You may even be able to claim for another government benefit scheme if you’re permanently disabled due to your injury.
If none of this works out, or the money isn’t enough to cover you whilst you’re off work, it might be worth speaking to a personal injury solicitor and starting a claim. Whatever option you choose, good luck with your injury, your finances and your future.
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