Every year, thousands of hard working people are left injured, disabled or hurt as a result of an avoidable workplace accident. British workplaces have a strong emphasis on health and safety ? and regulations combined with premises inspections have made a positive impact on workplace safety. However, with 70 per cent of us working in a business premise, and countless others on the roads ? it is inevitable that accidents will happen, and accident claims will be made.

An injury at work will be unexpected ? often quick and painful and with very real consequences. Victims can be left jobless, contemplating a very different future to what they had planned. Often the loss of earnings leading to financial difficulties, combined with the need for medical treatment, requires that a personal injury claim be made.

Any job, regardless of the industry or position you're in, has its own dangers, from heavy machinery to stress or bullying at the office; but it is the role of an employer to ensure that the risks are managed and that every possible effort is made to guarantee that employees come to work in a safe environment.

Many workplaces fail to meet safety standards, and it can be that an employee does not even know, until it is too late, that the conditions of the workplace are not up to standard. In this case, a compensation claim also has a powerful role to act as a deterrent for other businesses. If employers feel that they will have to pay for poor health and safety standards, then they are more likely to do the job properly in the first place.

Work accidents encompass a vast range of injury possibilities. If you work in construction, injuries could include machinery accidents, falling from height, or falling materials. Of if you work within an office you could trip over loose wires, or there's even the possibility of a carbon monoxide leak from an old boiler or appliance. In any environment if you have an accident that isn't your fault you should consider making a claim, to compensate for injury and lost earnings while off work.

Having suffered a workplace accident, the immediate consequences ? quite apart from the physical pain ? can be confusing and traumatic. An employer may try to sweep the accident under the carpet, or suggest that it was the fault of the employee. It is important that injured employees insist that a proper log is kept of any incident.

There is also a stigma perceived among many people that making a compensation claim is somehow wrong. This is simply untrue. It is unfair that a hard worker, who has given years of dedication in the best possible faith to the business, be pushed out the door after suffering an avoidable injury.

A compensation claim can help insure that fair and appropriate compensation is received. It is important that anyone making a claim feels comfortable with the process ? they should make sure that they work with a solicitor that understands what they are doing and can help to keep the process stress free. Someone who has suffered an injury has enough on their plate!

Money will not fix everything, or put a stop to the pain, but it can be a useful and important tool to give an accident victim control back over their life.