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Work related Accidents
The work place is a common place for accidents to happen. Your employer has a duty to protect you and tell you about health and safety issues that affect you. They need to carry out a risk assessment and do what's needed to take care of the health and safety of all employees and visitors. They also have a legal obligation to report certain accidents and incidents, and to pay you statutory sick pay, if you need time off because of an accident at work.
The first thing to do after an accident at work is to make sure you record any it in the 'accident book'. Then it would be wise to check your contract or written statement of employment for information about sick or accident pay.
In most cases, if you need time off because of an accident at work, you'll only have the right to statutory sick pay. Your employer may have a scheme for paying more for time off caused by accidents, or may decide to pay extra depending on what has happened.
If you've been injured in an accident at work and you think your employer is at fault, you may want to make a claim for compensation. Any claim must be made within three years of the date of the accident. You will need to find a personal injury lawyer to act on your behalf, unless there is a trade union which might have legal services you could use. If you use a personal injury lawyer most of them work on a 'no win no fee' basis.
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