Accidents at Work at Christmas

Accidents at work are always common, however, during the lead up to Christmas, they tend to increase. This is mainly due to increased workloads for staff during the festive season. It can also be due to staff not having adequate training, understaffing, and higher expectations.

It is the responsibility of your employer to ensure that they keep you safe at work. This is especially important during the festive season because of the increased workloads. If you have had an accident at work, and it was due to the fault of someone else, then you may be able to claim compensation.

 

Accidents at Work at Christmas

There are some industries where accidents at work are more likely to happen during the festive period, due to the increased workload. These industries include warehousing and retail.

Manual handling accidents are some of the most common accidents that happen in the workplace. They occur when someone is lifting, pulling, putting down, and moving objects by hand. The injuries from manual handling accidents can be serious, ranging from muscle injuries, to more serious musculoskeletal disorders that can become life-long injuries. These injuries may also worsen, causing you pain and discomfort for a long time.

The increased workload at Christmas means that the likelihood of these accidents happening increases further, as staff have more pressure put on them to work harder.

In retail, the increase in the number of customers in stores can be a hazard, as well as the increased need to replenish stock. If you have an accident because you are unable to replenish stock safely, then it may be something we can help with.

 

Your Employer’s Responsibility

Your employer has a duty of care to ensure you are kept safe at work. There are rules they must follow. These rules are set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Ultimately, your employer must make sure that you are able to do your job safely. This includes making sure there is enough staff to carry out the work, making sure all the staff have the correct training, and making sure that jobs are safe for the staff to do.

With the added pressure on workers to get everything ready for Christmas, it is even more important for employers to make sure the staff are not injured whilst at work.

You may feel uncomfortable claiming against your employer. However, all companies are required to have Employer’s Liability Insurance. This insurance would be used to pay your compensation if you are able to claim.

 

Accidents at Work at Christmas: Temporary Staff

If you are working under a temporary contract, be that through the company or an agency, and you have an accident, you may think that you may not be able to claim. That is not true. Employers have the exact same duty of care to agency and temporary staff that they have to full time workers. This means that they must have the same rules for all. So they must ensure that temporary staff can perform the job safely too.

 

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with all manner of compensation claims. This includes accidents at work. Contact us today by filling in our contact form, or by calling us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.