What to Do After an Accident at Work: A Step-by-Step Guide

After an accident at work, your first priorities should be getting any necessary medical treatment, reporting the accident to your employer so it is formally recorded, and gathering evidence such as photographs and witness details while they are still fresh. Acting promptly on these steps protects both your health and your ability to bring a compensation claim later, if your employer’s negligence was responsible for what happened.

This guide sets out exactly what to do in the hours, days and weeks following a workplace accident, including how reporting actually works, what evidence genuinely strengthens a claim, and when it makes sense to speak to a specialist solicitor.

Immediate Steps to Take After the Accident

1. Get Medical Attention

Your health comes first. Seek first aid at the scene where appropriate, and if your injury is serious, go to A&E or call emergency services without delay. Even where an injury seems minor at the time, it is worth being seen by a medical professional, since some injuries, particularly to the back, head or joints, can take time to fully present.

Seeking medical attention promptly also matters for any future claim, since your medical records become an important part of the evidence linking your injury to the accident.

2. Report the Accident to Your Employer

You should report the accident to your employer or a supervisor as soon as possible, ideally before leaving the premises that day. This is not simply good practice, it triggers a legal obligation on your employer’s part to record the incident properly.

3. Ensure the Accident Is Recorded in the Accident Book

Any business with ten or more employees is legally required to keep an accident book, under the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979. You should ask for the accident to be entered into this book, and where possible, review the entry yourself to check it accurately reflects what happened, including:

• The date, time and exact location of the accident
• A clear description of how the accident occurred
• Details of your injury
• The names of anyone who witnessed the incident

This accident book entry often becomes one of the most important pieces of contemporaneous evidence in a future claim, since it is created close to the time of the accident, before memories fade or accounts are influenced by hindsight.

4. Understand When RIDDOR Reporting Applies

Separately from the accident book, certain more serious workplace accidents must be formally reported by your employer to the Health and Safety Executive under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, commonly known as RIDDOR. This duty applies to incidents such as:

• Fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs or toes
• Amputations
• Injuries likely to cause permanent loss or reduction of sight
• Any accident that leaves you unable to carry out your normal work duties for more than seven consecutive days

If your accident meets one of these thresholds, your employer is legally obliged to notify the HSE, generally within ten days, or fifteen days for over seven day incapacitation injuries. You are not responsible for making this report yourself, but it is worth knowing it exists, since a failure by your employer to report a genuinely reportable accident can itself be relevant evidence in a claim.

Gathering Evidence While It Is Fresh

The strength of any future compensation claim often depends heavily on the evidence gathered in the immediate aftermath of an accident, while details are still clear and accessible.

Photograph the Scene

Where you are able to safely do so, take photographs of:

• The hazard that caused the accident, such as a wet floor, damaged flooring, or defective equipment
• Any visible injury you have sustained
• The wider area, to show context such as lighting, signage, or lack of warning signs

Get Witness Details

If anyone saw the accident happen, ask for their name and contact details at the time. Witnesses can move jobs, change contact details, or simply lose clear recollection of events over time, so capturing this information early is far more reliable than trying to track people down later.

Keep Records of Your Own

It is worth keeping a simple written note of what happened as soon as possible after the accident, while the details are clear in your mind. You should also keep:

• Any payslips affected by time off work
• Receipts for related expenses, such as travel to medical appointments
• Correspondence with your employer about the accident

Should You Make a Formal Complaint or Raise It With Health and Safety Representatives?

Depending on the nature of the accident, it may be appropriate to raise the matter formally with your employer’s health and safety representative or through an internal incident review process, separate from any accident book entry. This is not a legal requirement before bringing a claim, but it can sometimes help establish exactly what happened and whether your employer takes appropriate steps to prevent a repeat occurrence.

You should also be aware that raising a genuine health and safety concern or making a personal injury claim is a legally protected activity, and you should not feel discouraged from doing so out of concern about how your employer might react.

When Should You Speak to a Solicitor?

There is no requirement to speak to a solicitor immediately, but doing so sooner rather than later offers real practical advantages. An early conversation allows a specialist to advise you on:

• Whether the circumstances suggest your employer may have breached their duty of care
• What additional evidence might strengthen your position
• The relevant time limit for bringing a claim, which is generally three years from the date of the accident under the Limitation Act 1980, though this can be a more complex calculation in cases involving gradually developing injuries

Many people delay seeking advice because they are unsure whether their case is “serious enough” to be worth pursuing, but a specialist solicitor can assess this for you at no cost during an initial consultation.

What to Do Next: Starting a Claim

If you believe your accident happened because your employer failed to take reasonable care for your safety, the practical next steps are:

1. Arrange an initial, no obligation consultation with a specialist personal injury solicitor to discuss what happened.
2. Provide the evidence you have gathered, including the accident book entry, photographs, witness details and medical records.
3. Allow your solicitor to assess liability, which may involve requesting further documentation from your employer, such as risk assessments or maintenance records.
4. Understand your funding options, including whether a no win, no fee arrangement is appropriate for your case.
5. Allow the claim to proceed at the appropriate pace, recognising that straightforward cases may resolve more quickly than those involving disputed liability or more serious, long-term injuries.

Talk to Us

The steps you take in the immediate aftermath of an accident at work can make a genuine difference to the strength of any future claim, but even if time has already passed since your accident, it is still worth finding out where you stand. At Satchell Moran Solicitors, our specialist personal injury team can assess your case and advise on the evidence available, and we act on a no win, no fee basis so there is no financial risk in getting that advice. As a dual Lexcel accredited firm, we are committed to giving every client clear, honest guidance from the very first conversation.

If you have been injured in an accident at work, contact us today to discuss what happened and find out your options.