Law

Workers should be aware of the rights that protect them

Accidents can sometimes arise without notice. Some other times, the causes of these accidents are quite obvious for the employer. Neglected duties conduce to accidents. The employer’s main duty is to provide total safety and sustaining it without any delays. Countless possibilities may be the cause of an accident in an unproperly managed work environment. Noticing the complications in the work equipment and machinery, replacing the worn-off protective equipment, managing a risk assessment plan and planning the work schedule considering the physical states of the workers are contained in the duty of care of the employer.

Demanding work conditions can lead to foreseeable accidents

Conditions in the place in which you spend hours are of major importance. Numerous causes may damage the worker’s health. These can be the inherent risks such as the inevitable risks of workers a thousand meters beneath the ground as a miner, or commanding the air traffic on the ground on a harsh winter day. Or, the risks caused by the neglected duties to provide safety. Such as operating unmaintained heavy machinery or working as a health worker without sufficient protective equipment to protect from the coronavirus. Inevitable risks can be minimised whilst human-related risks can be wholly eliminated. The duty imposed on the employers is to provide sufficient care. As an example, a miner’s health might be under threat due to the work conditions. Being exposed to coal dust can harm the worker’s lung and cause permanent damages. On the other hand, the risk can be minimised significantly. Respirator masks, regular inspections to notify the hazardous and potentially explosive dust, suitable work schedules, building safe rooms and emergency plans are the factors that may decrease the possibilities of having an accident or decrease the impact of the accident.

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The same duties should be performed by the businesses to protect the visitors

Lack of care in the business place can threaten the visitors’ safety as well as the workers’. As the potential conclusions are foreseen by the laws, businesses are obliged to act in the sense of responsibility to avoid being the main cause of an accident. On the other hand, the accident can be in various forms. For restaurants, foods in unacceptable conditions may cause food poisoning whilst it can be avoided simply by checking the condition of the food before serving. In a supermarket, shopping centre or a pub, there might be more sources of risks. Whilst certain equipment may contain more serious risks, even the basic component in the environment can be the cause of an accident. As an example, a faulty light bulb can trigger a short circuit and damage other equipment. Specifically, heaters, cookers and illumination equipment can fail and burst. This is a scenario that both the workers and the visitors of the business can get harmed. For this reason, the businesses’ duties are to assess the risk factors and eliminate them before it is late.

The scope of the workers compensation is broader than it can be thought of

Don’t let the term worker confuse you as almost all the workers, employees and interns are protected by the workers compensation scheme. As accidents can arise everywhere, the duty of care with the exact same aim applies to all sectors. Depending on the injuries sustained by the victim, payments for the victim’s loss of income and medical expenses may be awarded. For the post-accident psychological trauma, a claim for emotional distress can also be filed by the victim. For more serious incidents in which the worker loses his/her earning capacity due to permanent whole person impairment, lump sum payment may be awarded.

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