Accidents in the workplace are actually fairly common.
In 2014-15 there were some 611,000 non-fatal workplace injuries reported in the UK however the actual figure workplace accidents is estimated to be higher.
While a seemingly innocuous injury is not always reported in the workplace there are major reasons why you should document any accidents that are connected with your business.
Health and safety is vitally important to the effective running of any organisation and we want to look at why you must report accidents at work even if they don’t seem like a big deal.
It Is Required By Law
Under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 businesses have a legal requirement to record and store details in regard to any accidents that occur in their place of work.
It applies equally to employers, the self-employed and those in charge of the premises that the accident happened in.
Not only does this information allow local authorities to offer advice on how to reduce the chances of injuries in the workplace but it also helps to shape important health and safety legislation.
Reporting Safeguards Your Business
Another reason why workplace injuries should be documented is that it helps to safeguard your business in the result of someone taking legal action against your company.
In the event of a personal injury claim, a properly documented accident book can help to ascertain who was at fault and either protect your business or provide valuable evidence to the employee who was hurt.
It is vital to record every aspect of the accident such as when it happened, why it occurred, any witnesses that saw the accident and also to detail what injuries were sustained. Even the small details matter in accident reporting.
It Contributes To Future Prevention
Touching on the first point, recording accidents can help both your business and local authority reduce the chances of the same thing happening in the future.
Properly documenting accidents at work is the best way in which to identifying risk and reduce potential accidents. Make sure that everything is detailed to give a full picture of not only what happened but why it happened as well.
The ethos of Health and Safety is prevention and proper accident reporting can contribute to a much safer environment at work.
Reporting Accidents In The Workplace
Every business whether it consists of 5 or 500 workers has to record any accidents that happen and any injuries that are sustained by employees.
Even near misses are important. While they are not covered directly by The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations they should be documented too as it is good practice. This also plays a major role in accident prevention.
If your business doesn’t have an accident book or is vague about how it records workplace injuries then now is the time to change that. Not only does failure to properly report accidents break the law but it also increases the chances of the same accident occurring again in the future.
