At some point during their working lives, many people will suffer a fall at work. In many cases, these trips or falls are not their fault and may, in fact, be the result of negligence on part of their employer. Knowing what to do after such a fall is important so that you get the best treatment and ensure that this doesn’t happen somebody else in the future.
Seek Medical Treatment
This might sound obvious, but it’s important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible after your trip or fall. Even if you otherwise feel fine, there could be underlying problems that you are unaware of at the time. At the very least it is important that you see your local doctor get assessed, this is especially important if you suffered a head injury or if you feel that you hurt your head during fall. If you do have to visit the hospital or even your doctor, it is important at this point that you start to collect evidence. The best way to do this is to ask for a copy of your medical notes from the hospital or a letter from your doctor explaining your injuries. In some cases, there can be a missed diagnosis of injuries by the medical team. If this occurs, you may need to also seek the advice of medical negligence experts such as those at www.the-medical-negligence-experts.co.uk.
Reporting the Incident
It is important at the time of the fall that you try to document what happened and where it happened. Remember:
- If you have access to a camera such as one on your phone, then it’s a good idea to take pictures of the area and any obstacles or liquids on the floor that could have caused the accident.
- As soon as you can after the incident, you need to report this to your line manager or your boss.
- Your work place should, as a matter of course, have an accident book that records the time, date, and injuries sustained and what may have caused the accident.
Gathering Evidence
If you feel that you wish to take this matter further then it’s important you start to gather evidence about what happened. Along with the pictures that you took at the time it was also important to ask anyone who may have witnessed the accident to give you a brief statement of what they saw. You can then approach your employer and ask them to investigate why it happened, and if there’s anything that they can do to stop it from happening again in the future. It will give your employer the opportunity to take decisive action and repair the floor, or put new safety guidelines in place. If they fail to do so, then it may mean you need to take the matter further and involve your solicitor.
Though having a trip or fall at work is not a pleasant experience it is important that you try to ensure that such accidents do not happen again to somebody else.
