Accidents At Work

Your employer has a legal responsibility to protect your health, safety and welfare at work, regardless of occupation. It is however an unfortunate fact of life that every year thousands of people are injured as a result of accidents at work. The Health & Safety Authority estimated that 18,796 people experienced work injuries requiring an absence from work of four or more days in 2014. Many of these injuries are relatively minor and a full recovery is made but sometimes the consequences of an accident at work for an employee are long-term or permanent.

It goes without saying that there can be huge financial, physical and psychological consequences for an employee and their family as a result of suffering an accident at work. Nevertheless, we fully understand that it can often be a difficult decision to bring a claim against your employer. It may be some small comfort therefore to note that by law your employer is not permitted to treat you unfairly or dismiss you if you make a claim. In addition, in nearly all cases your employer will have Employer’s Liability Insurance, meaning that any compensation claim would be covered by your employer’s insurance policy. The insurance company would also handle the claim from start to finish with little or no direct involvement from your employer.