The retail industry is one of the major industries in the UK, employing around 3 million people. As with any industry, retail accidents are a risk factor that many employees face. However, if their employer is not taking care to do all they can to stop accidents at work, then they may be at fault if an employee has an accident.
Causes of Retail Accidents
There are two main causes of retail accidents at work. These are: slips, trips and falls and manual handling.
Slips trips and falls are the most common cause of any accident at work. According to the Health and Safety Executive, these accidents account for around 40% of all reported accidents in the retail industry. They can happen because of spillages, wet floors, uneven flooring, equipment or stock on the floor, damaged flooring, and much more.
There are a number of health and safety guidelines that your employer must follow to stop accidents like this happening.
Manual handling accidents often happen due to inaccurate or inadequate training. If someone does not have the proper training to lift stock or deliveries and they injure themselves whilst doing so, then their employer may be responsible. There are health and safety rules which employers must follow to minimise the risk of these accidents happening.
Your Employer’s Responsibility
Employers must make sure that they do everything in their power to make sure their employees do not have any accidents whilst working. There are health and safety guidelines that they must follow to do this. These guidelines include the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Employers must also ensure that they carry out regular risk assessments. These risk assessments cover both working practice and working environment. For example, risk assessments must be carried out on any carpeted areas at work to ensure that they are not damaged and safe to walk on. They must also carry out risk assessments for how the employees work, such as lifting and handling assessments. This ensures that employees are trained safely on how to do their jobs.
If employers fail to carry out these risk assessments and an employee has an accident, then they may be to blame for the accident.
Claiming Against Your Employer
When you make a claim against your employer for an accident at work, the claim comes from an insurance policy. This is known as Employer’s Liability Insurance. All employers in the United Kingdom must have this insurance. It protects them when accidents happen, as the compensation comes from the insurance. Therefore, it is the insurance company that pays the compensation; it does not come directly out of your employer’s pocket.
How We Can Help with Retail Accidents
Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with all manner of personal injury claims. This includes retail accidents at work. Contact us by filling in our contact form, or by calling us on 0800 182 2187 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.