An accident during work… What now? Of course we try to prevent accidents as much as possible. Industrial accident – Accident at workAlso in a professional environment. Unfortunately, an accident sometimes happens in a small corner and an accident resulting in personal injury cannot always be prevented. If you are involved in an industrial accident, it is good to know what your rights and obligations are and who is liable for this injury.
An accident that occurs at work or during working hours is called an industrial accident. Employees spend a lot of time at work. The chance that something will go wrong there is therefore quite high. Traffic accidents during working hours can also fall under the heading of industrial accident, for example when you as a sales representative are involved in a collision on the way to a customer. In the case of an industrial accident, we also speak of an industrial accident or an industrial accident. An employee often suffers physical injury in an industrial accident.
Is my employer always liable in the event of an accident at work?
The first question that comes up with victims of an industrial accident is usually whether their employer is liable. In principle, the employer is indeed liable for personal injury in the event of industrial accidents. The employer must ensure that employees can carry out their work properly and safely, without incurring injury or other damage.
If an employee nevertheless suffers an injury while performing his work, the employer is not liable if he can demonstrate that he has done everything possible to prevent the employee from suffering damage. If the employer has taken all necessary measures and has also supervised compliance, he is not liable for the accident and does not have to pay compensation.
Legal assistance in the event of an accident at work
The employer can try to prove that an employee is personally liable if recklessness or intent caused the accident at work. In short, in most cases an employer is liable for industrial accidents, but certainly not in all situations.
What to do after an accident at work?
First of all, it is wise to get legal help as soon as possible. Our personal injury specialists can provide you with excellent advice and guidance when claiming personal injury compensation. The most important steps you can take yourself are:
- Checking whether there is actually an accident at work
- Find out who or what caused the accident
- Check whether the labor inspectorate has been called in by your employer
- An overview of the damage you have suffered, including the damage still to be suffered by your personal injury lawyer
- Holding your employer liable.
Industrial accident as a entrepreneur or employer
You are often not only an entrepreneur, but also an employer. The insurer has a duty of care, which means that you prevent personnel from suffering damage as a result of an industrial accident. For example, whiplash symptoms (Dutch: whiplash symptomen) after a collision with a forklift in the warehouse. There is a good chance that the employee will engage a personal injury lawyer (Dutch: letselschade advocaat) to recover his or her costs or damage. Because imagine that one of your employees becomes incapacitated for work for a short or long period of time. This damage can be recovered from you as an entrepreneur and employer.
