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In an ideal world, workplaces are safe environments. However, workplace accidents can and do happen, and the consequences for the person injured can be significant.

If you’ve been injured on the job, your first priorities should be your health, followed by immediately informing your employer.

Why immediate reporting is crucial

When an accident occurs in the workplace, reporting it right away establishes a clear record of the incident. This documentation is important for the following reasons:

1. The details of the accident are fresh in everyone’s minds. Colleagues or other witnesses to the accident are more likely to remember the event accurately soon after it occurs. This accuracy can help when it comes to making a personal injury claim, as even minor discrepancies can lead to complications or doubts about the incident.
2. When an accident is reported to your employer, they are required to inform their insurance provider. Insurers play a key role in workplace injury claims. They investigate the circumstances, determine the validity of the claim, and decide on compensation.

However, insurance companies are often strict with deadlines. If there’s a delay in reporting, it can raise questions and may provide insurers with grounds to deny or limit coverage.

Consequences of delayed reporting

Delaying a workplace injury report could lead to significant consequences.

Since many insurance policies require that accidents be reported within a specific timeframe (which will vary depending on the insurer), failing to report within that window could potentially impact the claim.

If there is a gap between the time of the accident and when it was reported, insurers may question whether the injury was related to a workplace incident at all. This could reduce the likelihood of a successful claim.

Remember, there is also a strict time limit for making a personal injury claim. This is called the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations refers to the length of time that a person has to make a personal injury claim following an accident.

A person has two years less one day from the date of knowledge of the injuries to bring a claim forward.

However, in practice, a personal injury claim should be made well in advance of the two-year time limit, as it can take a considerable amount of time to process the claim.

The quicker you proceed with reporting the accident and starting the claims process, the easier it may be to source strong evidence to support your case.

If there is a delay for whatever reason in bringing such an action for personal injuries, a court could decide that the claim should be dismissed, if the delay is considered unreasonable.

What to do if you are injured at work

• Seek medical attention: Your health is your wealth and should be your priority. Immediately after your accident, take a second to assess yourself to determine if you have any injuries. Then check if anybody else was involved in the accident that needs medical attention. If you or anyone else involved has sustained a serious injury, ensure that you contact an ambulance to attend the scene

For minor injuries, you must remember that minor injuries where you ‘feel fine’ could progress to more serious injuries in the future. In this case, it is always better to be safe than sorry and is advisable that you go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) or local GP to be checked out.

• Report to your supervisor immediately: As soon as an accident occurs, notify your immediate supervisor or manager. If they are unavailable, escalate to another member of the team. Many workplaces have a formal process or incident report form that will need to be completed.
• Identify any witnesses. If possible, try to collect the contact details of anybody that witnessed your accident. It is also useful to find out if there is any CCTV in the area where your accident happened. If you need to secure the footage, you will need to request this as soon as possible before it is deleted.
• Document the incident: Write down your account of what happened, take photographs of where the accident happened and your injuries. This documentation can help if questions arise during the claims process.

If you have been involved in an accident at work that was not your fault, and would like to have a confidential discussion, contact us and we will be happy to help you.