Lesson 6.3.2. Office Accidents

Reading

Ex 1. Study this information. Explain the words and phrases in bold.

Offices are usually considered to be fairly safe working environments, without many of the hazards associated with factories, construction sites and other workplaces where there’s a risk associated with using machinery. But every year there are a significant number of office injuries and compensation claims arising from accidents and bad working practices in offices.

Office injury claims tend to arise as a result of inadequate workstations and seating arrangements - bad ergonomic planning for desk workers - and also from trips over trailing cables and other obstacles on the floor, slipping on worn or broken steps, and injuries from inappropriate lifting.

As with all personal injury claims, if an employer has failed in a duty owed to an employee to comply with safety regulations, and to take all practical steps to ensure safe working practices and a safe workplace, and it can be proved that injuries have arisen as a result of this failure, compensation may well be recoverable for an office-based work injury claim.

Preventing office injuries

Along with factories and construction sites (indeed along with any working environment), offices are subject to health and safety legislation. This puts duties on employers to make sure that offices are safe for employees, and that the way in which they are required to carry out their duties is also safe and complies with all relevant health and safety regulations.

Employers have a responsibility to take precautions to stop office accidents happening in the first place. These precautions could include ensuring leads and wires are tidy and not straying across walkways, or making wrist rests available to reduce strain injuries whilst using a computer keyboard. They will also include educating employees about any risks, as well as how to avoid injury in the office.

If your employer fails to provide this education, this is further support of office health and safety negligence and may support an accident claim.

Causes of office accidents

Office injury claims tend to arise as a result of inadequate workstations and seating arrangements or due to faulty equipment or appliances.

If you’ve suffered from an office injury, it is worth investigating whether you can claim for office injury compensation – in particular if the injury has caused you to take time off work and lose out on earnings.

Office injuries could include:

 Repetitive strain injury – Bad ergonomic planning in the office can lead to this long-term injury, usually caused by typing

 Tripping over – Trailing wires not tidied up correctly or other walkway obstacles can lead to a trip

 Slipping over – Wet floors and icy courtyards that haven’t been gritted can cause considerable injury and broken bones if someone slips on them

 Electric Shocks – Usually caused as a result of faulty equipment and untested electronics, these can lead to particularly nasty injuries

 Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – Can occur if there are broken appliances that burn fuel, such as gas boilers. Usually the gas is disposed of safely but leaks can occur and poison those in the vicinity

 Back Injuries – If a job involves lifting heavy boxes or other weighty objects the employee would need to be fully instructed of how to lift properly. If not, and an injury occurs, the employer is at fault.

Ex 2. Name all types of office injuries.

Ex 3. Match the office injuries with their causes.

Slipping over	Trailing wires not tidied up correctly or other walkway obstacles can lead to a trip
Repetitive strain injury	Wet floors and icy courtyards that haven’t been gritted can cause considerable injury and broken bones if someone slips on them
Back Injuries	Usually caused as a result of faulty equipment and untested electronics, these can lead to particularly nasty injuries
Tripping over	Bad ergonomic planning in the office can lead to this long-term injury, usually caused by typing
Electric Shocks	If a job involves lifting heavy boxes or other weighty objects the employee would need to be fully instructed of how to lift properly. If not, and an injury occurs, the employer is at fault.

Ex 4. Give some advises to your friend how to Preventing office injuries.

Ex 5. Now read the passage below. Put the words below to the text: avoidable, roads, avoided, occur, workplace, accident, types, machinery

Health and Safety

Many accidents are…... Our health & safety section shows you how.

A large percentage of the accidents which regularly …… at work and in public places in the UK can be …… by carrying out the appropriate risk assessments and health and safety checks. If you have been injured in an ……. that was not your fault and you believe health and safety regulations have been breached, you may be eligible to claim no win no fee compensation. The National Accident Helpline can help you claim, regardless of whether you were injured at work, whilst on holiday, on the ….. or in a public place.

Health and Safety at Work

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the most important piece of legislation relating to occupational health and safety in the UK. It clearly sets out the requirements that employers must follow to try to ensure the welfare of employees. Of course, it may not be possible to avoid every accident, but the Health and Safety Act states that employers must ensure employee welfare “as far as is reasonably practicable”.

Since the introduction of the Health and Safety Act in 1974, employers have been legally required to run regular health and safety checks and risk assessments to make sure the …… is as safe as possible. In addition to these checks, appropriate training is an important part of making sure people aren’t injured in accidents that could have been avoided.