Many employers try to exonerate all blame for accidents at work away from themselves and their company.  It is true that workers themselves have a great deal of responsibility for their safety at work but ultimately responsibility is down to the employer. We try in the following few paragraphs to debunk some of the excuses and alibis used by employers as to why they are not at fault.

Alibi one – Accidents just happen

When questioned about preventing accidents in their workplace, many employers and managers take a laissez-faire attitude that ‘accidents just happen.’ While on very rare occasions there may be accidents that are completely unavoidable and impossible to see coming, the truth is that the vast majority are not just preventable but EASILY preventable. Work related accidents can be prevented if due diligence is followed, all possible risks are assessed and measures are taken to prevent them from happening. If they are not then employees may be able to make a work accident compensation claim through an accident at work solicitor .

Alibi two – Creating a completely safe workplace is impossible

The same argument that work related accidents are unavoidable is used when justifying an unsafe workplace. If all steps to make your workplace as safe as possible are followed then accidents rates WILL fall dramatically. The steps are set out by the health and safety executive and are more often then not, extremely simple to implement. Let us look at some examples. Making sure all items such as boxes have a storage place which is neat, tidy and away from the main areas people walk through is an effective way of preventing employees from tripping and slipping on items that are left in the wrong place. What is equally important though is making sure staff place the items in the correct areas provided for them.

Making do and putting up with an unsafe situation out of the belief that nothing better can be done is a lazy and short-sighted policy. For example, there have been a few cases in working kitchens where it was felt it was impossible to stop slips on the floor surface due to the impossibility of removing grease spillages effectively. It was later shown to them that a different mopping technique – where first a larger amount of water and detergent is left on the floor for a minute before being taken off with a dry mop - would greatly improve the removal of grease. This coupled with the introduction of anti-slip shoes for staff, drastically cut accident rates and prevented employees from using an accident at work solicitor against the company.

Alibi Three – Preventing work accidents is expensive and time-consuming

Other employers, while admitting that their workplaces can be made safer, argue that the cost and time of doing so makes no business sense for their company. They would rather take the risk of an accident happening and as such are gambling with their employees safety. Financially speaking, the gamble never pays off. The cost of doing nothing can greatly outweigh the cost of making the workplace safe. Just one accident can inflict costs that would have a huge impact on the company and the individual. There is not just the insurance cost rise from having to pay out a work related accidents compensation claim, there is the loss of productivity from the injured employee being off work for a significant period of time.  The injured employee would be entitled to a work accident compensation claim for the loss of wages he will suffer and the costs of dealing with his injuries.

The costs of making the workplace safe, compared to the above, are relatively low. Simple measures such as making sure hazards are highlighted with barriers and warning signs, and making sure staff are trained and properly informed are not expensive to apply.

A safe workplace is a happy workplace.