All UK employers have the same legal duty to ensure their work environment is a safe place for their employees to be. Failure to do so can result in accidents and workers being injured through no fault of their own. In this situation, where an employer has been negligent, the employee could be entitled to make a compensation claim. If the employer wants to avoid that happening, they need to adhere to the health and safety rules and make sure their staff do as well.
How Much Compensation Can Be Won?
The amount of compensation awarded depends on several things, such as the severity of the injury, the prognosis for the future health and wellbeing of the victim, and their personal circumstances. Two accident victims with similar injuries could receive totally differing amounts of compensation, because the injury could impact on the life of one more than the other.
An accident at work compensation calculator will give you a figure as a guide, but no one can guarantee the amount until everything has been taken into consideration. At least the calculator will let you know if the figure is likely to be hundreds or thousands, and that can help you decide if you want to move forward with a claim.
Why Do People Miss Out on Compensation?
It is estimated that less than one third of innocent accident victims claim the compensation they could be entitled to after an accident at work. Various reasons are cited for this, including the fact that they think it will be too much hard work, some are concerned about the cost of hiring a lawyer, and others worry about the effect it will have on the business they work for. These are all common misconceptions that we can dispel right now.
Most personal injury claims are dealt with on a no win no fee basis, so you can afford to hire a lawyer no matter what your financial situation is. They will take all the hard work away from you, so you can concentrate on your recovery. As far as your employer is concerned, it is a legal requirement that they purchase employer’s liability insurance and it would be this that settles your compensation claim. In fact, research has shown that some employers pay this insurance for many years without having a claim made against them, so when an accident does happen, and compensation is being sought, the employers are usually very helpful.
Can Negligent Employers Be Punished in Law?
The government’s watchdog for making sure workplaces are safe is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Their website is a mine of information about health and safety at work, but should an employer be unsure of anything, they will gladly chat to them to clarify the points in question. All the information any employer needs in these matters is readily available, and if a case goes to court, ignorance is not accepted as an excuse.
Their one aim is to reduce the numbers of deaths and serious injuries that happen in work related accidents. Over the last 20 years or so they have worked very closely with employers, and the joint initiatives have proved very successful in reducing the numbers of deaths and injuries. There are still too many accidents taking place though, so their work has to carry on.
They will carry out spot checks on business premises or visit places where they have been tipped off about a problem. They have the power to prosecute a negligent employer and to close the business until problems are rectified.
If you have been injured in any type of accident that was not your fault, you should look at a compensation calculator to get your estimate of how much you could be awarded, it may be a lot more than you think.