Will Work Accident Claim Rise Improve Workplace Health and Safety?
One leading UK accident claim company has recently stated that it noted a 12% increase in accident claims between 2008 and 2009. This is certainly not the most common type of accident claim, but the rise is important. It could be the case that there has been a significant increase in accidents and injuries in the workplace, but experts believe it to be more likely that employees are simply more aware than ever before of their rights.
Employers have a legal duty to provide the right environment, training and protective equipment to protect workers’ health and safety and to avoid unnecessary injury.If workers are injured in an accident as a result of the company’s failure to meet their responsibility then the employee may well be entitled to make an accident claim. Workers are more aware than ever before of their rights thanks to increased coverage of high profile accident claim cases in the media.
In the past, fears of recriminations and the complexity of the legal process have put workers off the idea of making an accident claim. Sadly, financial worries brought about my prolonged absence from work meant that many workers returned to work too early, making their injuries worse.Nowadays, improved public understanding of rights and improved protection by law of workers who make an accident claim have led many to pursue their claim.Injured workers are no longer suffering in silence, they are receiving the compensation they deserve to alleviate their financial worries and they are allowing themselves to recover adequately before returning to work.
Many companies have taken the increase in accident claims as a catalyst for conducting thorough reviews into health and safety at work.If the accident claim rise has encouraged more employers to take their duty seriously then it may well have avoided other injuries and even saved lives and this can only be regarded as a positive.