You may not realise this, but once you have been employed it is the duty of your employer to keep you safe, as far as is within their power. This means that they must take all due precautions when it comes to health and safety in the work place; they must train you, if necessary, and inform you of all safety risks through completion of a risk assessment. They also bear a legal obligation to report any significant accidents or incidents and may be required to pay you compensation if any injury you sustain is not your own fault.
All serious work-related accidents must be reported to a Health and Safety Executive. This includes major injuries, dangerous incidents, any injury that prevents an employee from returning to work for more than three days, an outbreak of disease, or in the worst situation, death. Although your employer is obligated to report such incidents, if you have been personally involved then it is a good idea to chase up the matter and make sure that it has definitely been done.
Now, although your employer is responsible for taking due care of you and your co-workers, this only extends to a reasonable level of precaution. Part of this responsibility is making sure that there are trained first-aiders available at the workplace and during working hours, as well as suitable equipment and facilities. The employer is also responsible for how many first-aiders are required – if you feel that there are not sufficient trained individuals, you should broach this with your employer sooner rather than later.
It is important to remember that the responsibility for health and safety in the workplace is divided between both you and your employer, and that both parties should maintain a suitable level of common sense. Should an incident occur that you feel is not your fault, you may be entitled to receive compensation – but make sure you know all the facts before making a work accident compensation claim.