Legal obligations following an accident at work

If there has been an accident at work in your workplace which has resulted in an over-three-day injury to an employee or one that requires hospital treatment to a member of the public, your employer has a legal duty to report it.

This legal requirement is outlined in The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). The body that the employer must report these accidents at work to is called the Incident Contact Centre of the Health and Safety Executive. In Northern Ireland, the requirement is the same, however, the body work accidents must be reported to is called the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland.

Death, serious personal injury or injury to a member of the public
If an accident at work occurs in which a person suffers a major injury, over-three-day injury, or if a member of the public is hospitalised or someone is killed, then the employer must telephone the relevant authority as soon as possible. Furthermore, employers have a legal requirement to fill out an accident report form (known as an F2508); this must be done within ten days.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of reportable major injuries:

• Amputation.
• Loss of sight.
• Fractures (other than to fingers or toes)
• Unconsciousness
• Injury to eye.

Where there has been a dangerous occurrence
Even in cases where there has been a workplace accident which has not caused any serious personal injury, if it had the potential to do so, it must be reported.

Once again, employers have a duty to notify the relevant authorities by telephone at the earliest available opportunity as well as to fill out an F2508.

Examples of reportable dangerous occurrences:

• Electrical short circuit causing fire or explosion.
• Accidental release of biological agent.
• Unintended explosion.
• Failure of load-bearing fairground equipment.
• Malfunction of breathing apparatus.
• A full of list of events considered to be dangerous occurrences is available from the Health and Safety Executive in information pack HSE 31.

Reporting work-related diseases
Employers also have a duty to report any work-related diseases. These include:

• Most skin diseases
• Lung diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, farmer's lung, pneumoconiosis, occupational asthma and farmer's lung.
• Occupational cancer.
• Decompression illness.
• Vibration White Finger
• Poisonings.
• Infections, including hepatitis, tuberculosis, tetanus, leionellosis, leptospirosis and anthrax.

Once again, a full list of reportable diseases is available from HSE 31.

Keeping records
It is also essential that employers keep records of all reportable injuries, illnesses and dangerous occurrences.

These records should include precise details of the time of the work accident, personal information about those involved and a summary of the accident at work itself.

Records can be kept in several ways such as handwritten files, computer files or in a work accident log.

Making a no win, no fee accident at work claim
Here at YouClaim we have years of experience in helping people injured in work accidents successfully claim the compensation they deserve.

At YouClaim we will always handle your accident at work claim expediently and sensitively, our no win, no fee solicitors are among the best in the UK and will represent you, win or lose, at absolutely no cost.

In addition we protect you from all legal costs and fees incurred by the opposing legal side and ensure that you will always receive 100% of any compensation awarded you.

To investigate your right to accident at work compensation, fill out an online claim form, request a call back or discuss your claim live using e-chat.

Alternatively, if you wish to speak to a legal advisor now, call 0800 10 757 95.