It may happen that an accident occurs in your workplace.
What should be done then?
What exactly is an accident at work and what are the basic types of such accidents?
How should you behave and who should you notify?
What is an accident at work?
The definition of an accident at work is provided in the Act of 30 October 2002 on social insurance in respect of accidents at work and occupational diseases. It states that "an accident at work is considered to be a sudden event caused by an external cause, resulting in injury or death”.
In principle, this event should occur in connection with work, while the employee is performing normal activities or following the instructions of superiors or the employer (an event that occurs on the way to/from work is also considered an accident at work).
What types of accidents at work are there?
There are four types of accidents at work:
- Light – all accidents at work that do not present the characteristics of a fatal or serious accident.
- Heavy – these are accidents that result in serious bodily harm. Serious bodily harm includes: loss of sight, hearing, speech and reproductive capacity, as well as other bodily harm that disrupts basic bodily functions, as well as permanent mental illness, inability to work in a profession and permanent or significant disfigurement or deformation of the body.
- Deadly – a fatal accident is an accident during (or after) which the injured party dies (the period up to 6 months from the date of the accident is counted).
- Collective – accidents involving at least two people during one event.
How to deal with an accident at work?
An accident at work is stressful not only for the injured person. Very often, people who witness the event also panic. It is always worth trying to keep a cool head, because reacting quickly in most cases allows you to mitigate the effects of the accident. What are the next steps in dealing with an accident at work?
- Providing assistance to the injured party and eliminating the threat, as well as securing the scene of the accident.
If the employee’s health allows it, he or she should inform his or her superior of the accident as soon as possible (if not, the employee who witnessed the accident should do so).
The employer is obliged to provide assistance to the injured party and to take actions that eliminate or minimize the threat. The place of the accident should also be secured to eliminate the risk of escalation and at the same time to enable the determination of the circumstances of the accident. - Call for help and notify the appropriate authorities.
To save the life or health of the injured person, it is necessary to call professional help – rescue services. It is important that help arrives as soon as possible. The employer is also obliged to notify the district labor inspector or other appropriate authorities. - Establishment of a post-accident team and post-accident investigation.
These steps are handled by the employer. They should appoint an accident team whose task is to investigate the circumstances of the accident.
Typically, the team consists of an occupational health and safety officer and a social labor inspector. They conduct a post-accident investigation to determine the causes and circumstances of the accident.
The team's work ends with the preparation of an accident report. After its approval, the report is handed to the injured party and the relevant labor inspector.
Every employer is obliged to keep a register of all accidents at work based on accident reports.
Accidents at work happen often, so it's important to be properly prepared for them. Remember, one of the employer's obligations is to train the employee on how to react in the event of an accident. Do you have any questions? We'd be happy to answer them!
