Accident at work - not impressed!

SueC_2

Has the whole world lost track of the fact that accidents can happen and that it doesn't necessarily have to be someone else's fault?

Earlier this year I accidentally tripped over something and broke my arm. This was in my own home. There was no-one to 'blame' other than myself - I wasn't looking where I was going. I took the following day off work so I could go to hospital, have it x-rayed, strapped up etc. The next day I went back to work. No, I couldn't work at full capacity with only one working arm, and yes I had to rely on the generosity of my colleagues to give me a lift backwards and forwards. Nevertheless, I went in and did what I could. I was grateful to receive my full pay despite the fact that I wasn't working to my normal capacity.

Had I accidentally tripped over something at work and broken my arm there, why would it have been my employer's fault/responsibility?

A_nice_fellow

dpassemore you are a right saddo!

We need more risk in this life, not less. Otherwise we'll all soften up too much and after a couple of generations our genes will turn into slurry.

Duncombe

SusieWinwood wrote: »

I am yes. Would you suggest I hop around the office as I cannot put any weight on my foot or practice the art of levitation thus avoiding contact with the floor?

No, I would suggest you strap it to the next toe (if necessary or even possible) and then man the hell up!

phil1968_2

Hi

Sounds like a company that has a serious lack of concern for the safety of it's workforce. Do they owe you a duty of care whilst you are at work? Did they breach that duty of care? Was harm/loss caused as a result? If the answer is yes to all 3 questions, then that is a clear cut case of negligence. Now, I would say to all these people saying that it is your fault, or that the company somehow should be able to sacrifice your safety in exchange for profit (keeping themselves afloat) that they are clearly living in the 1700s. As to the question as to whether it is a hairline fracture or a break, the simple answer to that person is that " a fracture is a chip, crack or break in the continuity of a bone". In summary, the company doesn't give a damn about your health, safety or welfare, if they did, they would have assessed the risk, and then acted on the findings of the assessment as per Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regs 1999. Bet they haven't even reported it!! Did you ensure that the accident book was filled in? Make sure it is!!! Hope your toe gets better soon.

laurz121

phil1968 wrote: »

Do they owe you a duty of care whilst you are at work? Did they breach that duty of care? Was harm/loss caused as a result?

No, harm/loss was caused as a result of the OP not looking where they were going and walking into a stationary object. It isn't like the chair sneaked up on them, they walked into it.

heretolearn_2

I'm not going to comment on the space/crowding, other than to point out that 11 cubic metres is not a lot of space - don't forget cubic not square, so the 'height' up to ceiling is part of that space. For example an area 2m (6ft) x2m (6ft) floor space under a 3m ceiling (9ft, not unusual in offices) fulfils this. And it's only a guideline.

Still - on the broken toe/time off. I broke my 2nd toe several years ago and was off work for 3 weeks, and I got loads of crap about it from colleagues and bosses, until I invited the office superviser round to look at it and she was horrified. Not all injuries are the same. Not all breaks are the same. My broken toe was completely snapped in half right inside my foot. My whole foot swelled up to a ridiculous size and my foot and leg up to mid calf went deep black with bruising, gradually fading to a lovely bright purple, and then over about 5 months it went back to normal. It was agonising and I couldn't put even a small amount of weight on it for the first couple of weeks.

So don't judge everyone just because it is usually a minor injury - it isn't always.

robby-01

Get back to work,it is a broken toe for gods sake,sign yourself off for a week,spend it watching kyle ,bargain hunt,crap in the attic and all the other !!!! that the dole dossers and sickie throwing scroungers watch and i guarantee you will be begging to go back.

When your toe is better you may want to consider your PPE.
A pair of steel toe capped rigger boots would help,if the office is as small as you say you may also want to consider a hard hat or a bump cap at the very least.High viz would be a benefit you never can be to careful.Mind how you go,and above all be careful what you wish for.

TheRock

laurz121 wrote: »

you wouldn't just plow your car straight into an another car if it was parked in the road in front of you would you.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:would be quite funny though!

broken toes are painful but i can't see how it will stop you going to work for more than a day or so once the swelling goes down and you can wear shoes then you will be fine. is this a blame/claim thing?

dickydonkin

A_nice_fellow wrote: »

dpassemore you are a right saddo!

We need more risk in this life, not less. Otherwise we'll all soften up too much and after a couple of generations our genes will turn into slurry.

Well thanks for that!

At least get my name right.

I have been called worse, but let me add that if I am sad enough prevent people getting hurt at work, then I can live with that.

Maybe your mindset would change if any of your family were killed or injured at work.

You would then maybe ask where the 'saddo' was that could have prevented the accident in the fiirst place.

Methinks you read the Daily Mail too much!

Jeff_Bridges_hair

laurz121 wrote: »

Is this 11 cubic metres of workspace for people in desk based jobs right? If it is then surely every school in the country is breaking health and safety laws.

Also I really can't believe that somebody is blaming another person for them walking into a stationary object. 'it was in my walkway' is no excuse, you wouldn't just plow your car straight into an another car if it was parked in the road in front of you would you.

Thats a silly analogy - if you were driving your car and saw another parked in the road in front of you , you would either stop or go round it. Something this person did not do as they were not looking where they were going.

As they say though - where there's blame there's a claim