Types of Workplace Accidents
These type of workplace accidents may involve cars, lorries or even other vehicles such as forklift trucks. These accidents include:
- Being struck by a moving vehicle
- Being struck by falling objects from a vehicle
- Falling from a vehicle or getting stuck or crushed by overturned vehicles
Circumstances where a Vehicle Crash or Collision At Work Can Happen
There are two distinct kinds of vehicle-related accidents.
On the Road
Workers can be injured due to a vehicle-related accident while working on the roads or in traffic zones.
In the Workplace
Operators of vehicles and equipment can be injured or cause injury to fellow employees.
Avoiding a Vehicle Crash or Collision at Work
It is an employer’s responsibility to ensure that all safety variables in relation to vehicles in the workplace are checked and maintained regularly. Employees should be made aware of the correct procedures in using and working around vehicles in the workplace. Any employee using a vehicle in the workplace must be adequately trained and licensed to ensure workplace safety is maintained.
Common Injuries
Injuries that can subsequently arise from a vehicle crash or collision at work include:
What to do after an accident at work*?
Following an accident at work, there are a number of steps you should follow:
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Seek medical attention
Your health is your wealth and should be your first priority. Immediately after an accident at work, take a second to assess yourself to determine if you have any injuries and seek the relevant medical attention. If you have 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 advisable that you go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) or local GP to be checked out.
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Report the accident
It is critical to report the accident to your superior, i.e. a supervisor or manager on site. It doesn’t matter how small you think the accident may be. By law, accidents at work are required to be reported if the person is injured and can’t perform their daily work tasks for more than three days. Make sure to fill out an Accident Report Form. This can be used for reference in any medical examination and will also prevent any similar accidents from happening in the future.
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Identify any witnesses
If possible, try to collect the contact details of anybody that witnessed your accident. This may be of use if you do decide to pursue a workplace accident claim. It is also useful to find out if there is any CCTV in the area where your accident happened.
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Document the incident
It is important that you collect all the relevant information in connection with your accident:
- How the accident happened
- Details of any witnesses
- If there are any CCTV recordings of your accident
- Take pictures of where the accident happened and what caused your accident
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Speak to a workplace accident solicitor
If you are considering moving forward with a workplace accident claim for any personal injuries sustained, it is advisable that you speak with a workplace accident claims solicitor as soon as possible. If you are proceeding with a claim, the first step will be submitting your claim to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) for assessment. A workplace accident solicitor can help you in preparing your application to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) and ensure that you follow the process in the correct format, meaning that you can move forward with your claim quickly without unnecessary delays.
It is important to remember to keep copies of any expenses that you have incurred as a result of the accident. It is also imperative to retain copies of medical reports or incident report forms where possible as you will need them when making a claim.