When we go to work, our employer has a duty to ensure that the conditions we are working in abide with safety regulations, and that all possibilities of staff becoming involved in an accident are kept to a minimum. They do this by carrying out a number of safety checks, and by sticking to health and safety regulations.
If an employer fails to abide by the health and safety regulations that are outlined and revised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), then they could be found negligent if an employee becomes involved in an accident whilst at work.
Whatever career you have, whether you work as a receptionist, a fitness instructor, or as a contractor on a building site, you are still at risk of becoming involved in an accident if your employer fails to carry out the necessary safety checks.
Fitness instructors are required to move equipment around in the gym, such as free weights. They may also need to move things such as treadmills when cleaning the gym. If this is not done properly, they could suffer from a manual handling injury. The failure to lift, push, or pull an object correctly could cause a variety of injuries.
When we think of injuries at work, we usually think that it is only those working in a more physical environment that are likely to become injured – realistically, anyone in any workplace can become at risk. It may be that you are walking around in your workplace and the floor is wet, causing you to fall over. It would then be up to your employer to look into why the floors were wet and why there wasn’t any warning signs in place.
In order to prevent accidents in the workplace as an employee you should abide by all the health and safety procedures when carrying out your duties. If you don’t feel safe carrying out a certain piece of work, you should report to your employer immediately.
If you become involved in an accident at work that causes you injury you may be able to make an injury compensation claim, if the accident wasn’t your fault. Call us for free and friendly advice, and we will see how we can help you out.
