5 of the most common work accidents

It is surprising how many accidents happen in workplaces. From minor to severe, they happen every day to UK workers, and in fact, last year, 148 workers lost their lives while working.

If an employer is injured at work, and it is because of the employer’s negligence, they may be entitled to make a work accident compensation claim. In no specific order, the 5 most common workplace accidents are:

Slips and Trips

Slips and trips are usually on wet floors, either because a spillage has not been cleaned up promptly or floors have been washed and no warning signs put on show to make victims take more care than normal. This sounds as though it might produce quite minor injuries, but it depends on how the victim slips and what they slip onto. If the slip was on a factory floor into a piece of machinery, the results could be catastrophic, if not fatal.

Falls

This is another accident that sounds as though the injuries would be minor, and quite often, they are – probably more embarrassing than anything. The problems occur when the fall is from height, maybe on some ladders or scaffolding; the injuries could be very serious and require immediate hospitalisation. Employers should follow the Working at Height regulations and provide safety harnesses wherever it is practical.

Heavy lifting

Heavy lifting is the most common cause of back and neck injuries in work-related accidents. Muscle strains and sprains happen very easily if the employees have not been adequately trained in lifting techniques, whiplash being a very common injury to sustain this way. 

Crashes and Impacts

Crashes and impacts involving company road vehicles and motorised trucks such as forklift trucks do not have to happen at high speed to cause injuries. Vehicles like tractors or cherry pickers would create very severe injuries if one of them hits you with any force.

Burns

The obvious place for burns to happen is in kitchens of restaurants and canteens, and they do happen in kitchens often. But they also occur in industrial settings such as factories or labs where there could be overheated equipment or dangerous chemicals. Immediate medical attention should be sought for all burns.

However, if an accident happens at work, if it was not the fault of the victim, they should consider making a personal injury compensation claim.

Some employees are put off doing this because they are concerned about the financial impact on the company, which employs them – in reality, that should be zero.

With very few exceptions, UK employers legally have to buy employers liability insurance with at least £5,000,000 worth of cover, and this is what would settle a claim against them. The insurance industry generally feels that 5 million is no longer enough, and many start the cover at £10,000,000.

At renewal each year, they supply the employer with a certificate of insurance, which should be on display for all to see.