Protect Your Employees and Company Against Accidents

Accidents and the subsequent injury to employees can have a big impact upon small businesses. In 2013/14 around 1.9 million working days were lost in the UK due to handling injuries, slips and trips alone. New companies can rarely afford to lose out on so much resource, especially in their early years.

The financial loss can also provide a huge jolt to small businesses, sometimes resulting in bankruptcy. Accidents can happen at any time, sometimes the blame lying with a particular person or situation, other times just being a freak event. It is therefore incredibly important to make sure your small business and employees are fully protected if an accident does occur.

Prevent Accidents Happening

The first step to ensuring your employees are protected is to reduce the risk of an accident happening in the first place. Provide all workers with the equipment and safety training required to complete their jobs to the best possible standard. Inform them of potential hazards and how to avoid them.

This will also protect the business as it will be able to prove it gave adequate training, supplies and instruction so should not be at fault for any incidents. The extra expense for quality equipment and training will be worth it in the long run.

Keep the Business Safe

Recording all accidents in full detail in an accident book is essential for keeping your business safe in the event of suffering a claim. Having this to refer back to will keep your company in the clear and show it in a more reputable light. It can also be a legal requirement in certain areas and works both ways, protecting employees as well.

Have Insurance

Businesses can be liable for a number of different accidents and have to pay out some hefty compensation, especially if a serious injury is sustained. Even if the company claims no responsibility due to its freak nature, when an accident occurs on their property they are often liable whatever the circumstances.

All companies should already have adequate business insurance. When starting out, or checking your current policy, ensure it covers accidents happening in the workplace. This will protect the business from massive financial losses.

Take Professional Advice

When an accident does happen it is best to take professional legal advice regarding making or defending an accident claim. Free Claim solicitors provide a reliable service for helping out people in such situations. All businesses should have insurance so if a claim is successful it is the insurance company that pays out and not the business. For this reason workers won’t feel too guilty about claiming against their employers. This helps employers and employees know they are adequately protected.