Is Your Workplace A Safe Environment?

Posted on the 02 November 2016 by Sparklesandstretchmarks @raine_fairy

When you think of having a bad day at the office, you probably think along the lines of meetings not going to plan, the coffee machine not working,  staff calling in sick or going down with a tummy bug, the canteen not having your favorite sandwich filling, the heating not working...something along those lines, right?
Something that is irritating or causes some stress or extra work, but something that can be forgotten about at the end of the day with a little help from a nice hot bath or a glass of wine.
But for some people, a bad day at work can mean something much more serious.
Did you know that 35% of British people have picked up an illness from their place of work? 18% of those having suffered from food poisoning or a stomach bug due to dirty working environments
And did you know that a further 39% of British people have suffered an injury in the workplace, with 20% having to visit hospital as a result of it?
We've all seen the comical TV adverts about injuries in the workplace, but in reality it is no laughing matter.
My own mother was the victim of a serious injury workplace just two years ago - when working in the kitchen of a small hospital, she suffered a terrible fall - this was a result of both debris on the floor which hadn't been cleaned up and not having been provided with the correct non-slip safety shoes for the environment.
As a result of this fall, my mother suffered a broken hip and had to endure a hip replacement operation - spending 2 weeks in hospital, being unable to spend Christmas with her family and having to take the following 10 months off work to complete physiotherapy.
Within moments of her being taken away in an ambulance, her line manager was issuing safety shoes to the staff...if she had been given them in the first place, the accident may never have happened.
She's endured almost 2 years of rehabilitative physiotherapy, psychological trauma, had endless meetings with solicitors - and is still no closer to being compensated for the horrendous and life changing injury that she suffered which could so easily have been avoided.
If you have been the victim of an accident at work, take a look at the injury compensation calculator to check if you may be entitled to something to help on your road to recovery.
When we attend our place of employment each day, the very least we should expect is to be given a safe and clean environment to work in...but so many workplaces are failing to provide this for their staff.
Do you have any experience of injuries within the workplace? How do you think work places should be ensuring safety for their staff? I'd love to hear from you.
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