Despite the evolution of safety regulations over the last few decades, as well as the continuous efforts carried out to ensure that employees are as safe as they can be, workplace accidents remain common, with millions of incidents occurring every year and impacting people from all over the world.
In the UK, approximately 600,000 people end up being injured at work, with 124,000 of these cases requiring more than seven days of recovery. In Ireland, thirty-three people lost their lives as a result of a workplace-related accident in 2024. While the number indicates a decrease of nearly a quarter compared to the fatalities recorded in 2023, the numbers should still be decreased until the incidence is absolutely zero.
The risk of injury is highest in sectors such as industry, manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, and agriculture. Fishing, waste and recycling, forestry, construction, and storage carry a higher incidence of health damage as well. It makes sense that dealing with heavy machinery, livestock, or working in temperatures that are either too hot or too cold could cause damage. Recovering after an accident depends on the severity of the injuries, with the most extreme cases leading to damage that lasts for life. Many of those dealing with this kind of injury will deal with additional pressure as a result of being unable to work or having to remodel their homes to fit their mobility changes.
It’s important to be prepared for situations like these, so here’s what you need to know in case you’re ever impacted by such an event.
Get medical assistance
Getting medical assistance in the aftermath of an accident is the first thing you must do. Not only is it imperative for your health, but it can also help if you decide to file for workplace injury compensation in Ireland, as the details and extent of your wounds will be very important in order to determine the amount that you can receive. Even if your injuries don’t seem severe and you don’t feel unwell, a physician should still have a look at you and run some tests. Some injuries might not have any symptoms until your condition worsens, at which point treatment is more difficult, and the rate of complications is higher.
In some cases, the adrenaline you’re experiencing right after an accident can be enough to neutralise any pain and discomfort you’re feeling. Seeing a doctor is particularly important in the case of accidents that could have injured your head, spine, or any other vital organs. You don’t want to deal with bleeding or swelling in any of these areas, as the damage resulting from such injuries can end up being permanent. It is also essential to follow your physician’s recommendations.
In the case of relatively minor injuries, for instance, you might feel like there’s no need to follow through with the treatment scheme or the time you’ve been recommended to rest if you’re already feeling better after one or two days. However, pushing yourself too quickly can cause the injuries to become worse, or can even cause new health damage that you now have to deal with on top of the previous one.
Reporting the incident
After you’ve visited your doctor and got treatment, you must remember to report the incident. Doing so as soon as possible ensures that you’ll remember the minute details that you’ll most likely forget if more time passes. You want the record to be as detailed as possible, as it can also provide additional information on the full extent of your injuries and help employers and managers understand what happened in no uncertain terms.
On top of that, if anything is wrong with the machinery, the building’s layout, or if you were exposed to any hazardous chemicals, it’s imperative that everyone knows in order to prevent additional injuries from occurring. Other employees could be exposed to these same hazards as well, creating more trouble down the line. In fact, even if your injuries were relatively minor, there’s no saying that the person getting injured after you won’t deal with something more serious or even life-threatening.
Being transparent in situations like these could end up saving someone’s life. Reporting will also act as evidence of the accident and prove that nothing was concealed. You might end up kickstarting essential shifts in the workplace as well as necessary changes in the larger sector landscape. If you’re part of a trade union, make sure to inform your rep too. They might be able to offer valuable insights into your rights and even support your compensation claim.
Getting evidence
You might not be able to start recording evidence right after the accident occurred, but you should still make sure to do so as soon as possible. Write down the details to make sure that everything is as clear as it could be. Think about what happened right before the accident happened, what you were doing and where you were when it happened, the instructions and training you received and whether they helped minimise the impact or not, as well as whether there was anything that looked different that day about the layout, machinery, or both.
Evidence can, and ideally should, include photos of your injuries, photos, videos, and CCTV footage (if available) of the accident scene and the circumstances in which the accident occurred, evidence of any broken equipment, lack of signage, or uneven flooring. If it’s possible to get witness statements, they should be included as well. As a general rule, it is always better to have more evidence instead of not enough. Keep a record of any financial losses you may have incurred as a result of your injuries, as well as the expenses resulting from medical appointments, loss of income, the costs of prescription medication, care costs, and anything else connected to the event.
Having all this information readily available can help tremendously when it comes to getting compensation, and it will also help from a psychological standpoint, as it allows you to move on from the incident completely and get your life back on track.
