Accident at Work: What to Do, What to Record and Where to Get Help

A workplace accident can happen in seconds: a slip on a wet floor, a badly stacked shelf, a machine without a guard, a lift that goes wrong. In the moments afterwards, most people are shaken, in pain and unsure what to do next. The steps you take in the hours and days that follow can affect your health, your finances and, if it becomes relevant, your ability to show what happened.

This guide walks through the practical steps to take after an injury at work in the UK. It also explains what employers are legally expected to do, and how accident at work claims work if you were hurt because someone failed in their duty to keep you safe. It is general information, not legal advice, and every situation is different.

1. Get Medical Attention First

Your health comes before everything else. If the injury is serious, call 999. For less urgent injuries, you can visit A&E, a minor injuries unit, your GP or call NHS 111.

Even if you feel fine, it is worth getting checked. Whiplash, concussion, back strains and some fractures can take hours or days to show their full effect. Telling the medical professional that the injury happened at work, and describing how, means it is noted in your records from the start.

If you cannot get treatment straight away, ask a colleague or first aider to help, and make sure your employer knows you need to be seen.

2. Report the Accident to Your Employer

Tell your manager, supervisor or health and safety representative as soon as you reasonably can, ideally the same day. Do this in writing if possible, even if it is a short email confirming what you said in person. A written message gives you a dated record.

Stick to the facts: when and where it happened, what you were doing, and what injuries you noticed. Avoid guessing about causes or blaming individuals at this stage. You can add detail later.

Some serious incidents must also be reported by the employer to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under RIDDOR, the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. These include deaths, specified serious injuries and injuries that keep a worker off normal duties for more than seven days. Reporting to the HSE is the employer's responsibility, not yours, but you can ask whether it has been done.

3. Make Sure It Goes in the Accident Book

Employers with ten or more employees are generally required to keep an accident book, and many smaller employers keep one as good practice. Ask for it, fill in your entry, and keep your own copy or take a photo of the page.

Be clear and specific. Instead of "hurt my back at work", write something like "slipped on liquid near the loading bay at about 2:15pm, fell onto my right side, pain in lower back and wrist." If you are too unwell to complete it, ask a colleague to help or complete it as soon as you can. An entry written close to the event is often seen as more reliable than one pieced together weeks later.

4. Collect Evidence While It Is Fresh

Evidence is often what separates a well-supported account from one that is hard to prove. If you are able to, or a trusted colleague or family member can help, gather the following.

Photographs and Video

Photograph the place where the accident happened before it is cleaned, repaired or moved. Capture the hazard (a wet floor, a trailing cable, a broken step, faulty equipment), the wider area, and any missing signs or barriers. Photograph your injuries too, and keep taking pictures as bruising or swelling develops. Make sure images are dated, and keep the originals.

Witness Details

If anyone saw what happened, note their names, job titles and contact details. Memories fade quickly, so a short statement from a colleague about what they saw, written soon afterwards, can be valuable. You do not need to write it for them; just ask them to describe in their own words what they observed.

Medical Records

Keep copies of hospital discharge notes, GP appointments, prescriptions, physiotherapy plans and any scans or X-rays. These show the nature of your injuries, how they have progressed and what treatment you have needed. A simple diary of your symptoms, pain levels and how the injury affects daily life and work can also help.

Documents About the Workplace

If you can access them, keep relevant items such as your rota, training records, job description, risk assessments, or emails about earlier complaints regarding the same hazard. Do not take confidential company documents you are not entitled to see; a solicitor can request disclosure later if needed.

5. Keep a Record of Lost Earnings and Expenses

An injury can cost money as well as cause pain. Start recording the financial impact early. Useful items include:

• payslips showing your earnings before and after the accident

• statements of sick pay, or evidence of unpaid time off

• receipts for prescriptions, travel to appointments, parking and medical aids

• costs of care or help at home, including informal help from family

• evidence of lost overtime, bonuses or missed work opportunities

If you receive Statutory Sick Pay or benefits such as Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, keep those records too. Some benefits can affect how compensation is calculated, so it helps to have clear paperwork.

6. Understand What Your Employer Is Responsible For

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and related regulations, employers must take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of their workers. In practice, that usually includes:

• carrying out risk assessments and acting on them

• providing safe equipment, and maintaining it properly

• giving adequate training and supervision

• supplying suitable personal protective equipment where needed

• keeping floors, walkways and work areas safe

• having clear procedures for reporting and investigating accidents

Most employers must also hold employers' liability insurance, which exists to cover claims from employees injured through work.

An accident does not automatically mean someone was at fault. Some accidents are genuinely unavoidable. But where an injury was caused by a failure to meet these responsibilities, such as ignored hazards, inadequate training, or faulty machinery that was never serviced, it may form the basis of a claim for workplace injury compensation.

7. How a Workplace Injury Claim Works

A claim generally depends on showing three things: that your employer (or another party) owed you a duty of care, that they breached it, and that the breach caused your injury and losses. That is why the evidence above matters.

If a claim succeeds, compensation is usually divided into two parts. General damages relate to the injury itself, including pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. Special damages cover financial losses such as lost earnings, travel costs, care and treatment expenses.

Whether you are eligible, and how much might be awarded, depends on the circumstances of the accident, the strength of the available evidence, the severity and long-term effects of your injuries, and the legal rules that apply. No reputable adviser can promise a particular outcome, and you should be wary of anyone who does.

Many people choose to speak to a specialist solicitor to understand where they stand. Firms such as AFS Legal can look at the facts of an individual case and explain the options, and an initial conversation can help you decide whether pursuing work accident claims UK-wide or in your own nation is appropriate for you. Whichever adviser you choose, ask clearly how fees work before you agree to anything.

8. Be Aware of Time Limits

Personal injury claims are subject to time limits. In England and Wales, the general rule is that court proceedings must start within three years of the date of the accident, or from the date you first realised the injury was linked to someone else's negligence (often called the date of knowledge). Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own legislation, though the three-year period is also common there.

There are important exceptions. For children, the three-year period usually begins on their 18th birthday. If someone lacks the mental capacity to manage their own claim, the usual limit may not apply while that remains the case. Conditions that develop slowly, such as hearing loss or repetitive strain, can have different start dates. Because these rules are not identical in every case, it is sensible to seek advice early rather than assume you have plenty of time. Acting sooner also makes it easier to gather evidence and trace witnesses.

9. Protect Your Position at Work

You should not be treated unfairly for reporting an accident or asking about a possible claim. If you feel pressured, disciplined or sidelined as a result, keep a note of what was said and by whom, and consider getting advice from ACAS, a trade union representative or an employment solicitor.

If your injury means you cannot do your normal duties, talk to your employer and your GP about adjustments or a phased return. Employers have additional duties around reasonable adjustments if an injury leads to a long-term condition that counts as a disability.

A Quick Checklist

• Get medical help and make sure the injury is recorded as work-related.

• Report the accident to your employer, ideally in writing.

• Complete the accident book and keep a copy.

• Take photographs and gather witness details.

• Keep medical records, receipts and payslips.

• Note down how the injury affects your daily life.

• Be aware of time limits and seek advice sooner rather than later.

Final Thoughts

Nobody expects to be hurt at work, and dealing with an injury while managing pain, time off and money worries is hard enough without extra confusion. Taking care of your health, reporting what happened and keeping good records gives you the best footing, whether you simply need your employer to put things right or decide to explore a claim.

If you are unsure about your rights, free guidance is available from sources such as the HSE, ACAS and Citizens Advice, and a solicitor can explain how the law applies to your particular circumstances.