2016-06-24

According to recent research, more than a quarter of UK employees feel that their employers are not maintaining high standards of workplace health and safety, and that they're at an increased risk of accident and injury.

More Than a Quarter Feel at Risk at Work

The research report by Hudgell Solicitors revealed that 7 in 10 people surveyed recognised the importance of protecting your health while at work. However, nearly half said they knew of someone who has suffered a work-related injury. This concurs with industry estimates which place UK workplace accidents at around 610,000 for 2014/2015.

The study also found that:

• Almost half would be worried about taking legal action against their employers, should they get into an accident at work.
• 84% said they did not realise they could make a claim up to 3 years after the workplace accident - even if they no longer work there.

Senior Solicitor, Matt Tuff, has spoken out on the results of his company's research. He said:

"We see many situations where staff take risks simply to get the job done, risking injury to themselves. That could be by working without the relevant safety equipment, or by using tools which are known to be faulty.

"On other occasions, health and safety regulations will be breached on a daily basis, often with staff saying it has 'always been done that way'. These situations can simply be missed by people in positions of seniority, or even ignored."

He continued:

"The simple fact is that an employer has a responsibility to its staff to ensure their safety at all times, and injuries suffered can have a long-term impact on an individual's health, and their family life if they are unable to work and earn for a significant amount of time," Mr Tuff added.

Maintaining Health and Safety Standards in the Workplace

As an employer there are a number of actions you must take to ensure high health and safety standards for both your staff and customers. Some of these include:

• Provide clear information and guidance to employees, including how to report an accident and fire assembly points.
• Appoint a competent person to help implement and maintain health and safety protocol.
• Work with other employers within a shared facility to synchronise plans.
• Ensure all staff and visitors wear appropriate safety equipment and clothing where required.
• Train employees in the correct way for manual handling materials, stock or equipment.
• Carry out suitable risk assessments on a regular basis.

It is also important to protect yourself. Sometimes accidents are unavoidable, but can result in the victim taking the employer to court in order to claim compensation anyway. If successful, compensation claims can be significant and cripple an SME.

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