Accidents Will Happen

Posted on 17th December 2011 by admin in Editorials

In this current economic climate it is accepted by insurers that there will be an increase in claims for personal injuries. However, just because there has been an accident does not always mean that someone is at fault.

Personal injury claims include:

• Claims by members of staff.
• Claims by third parties such as parents, contractors or other visitors to the premises.
• Claims by children’s via their parents.

The key to defending claims is good document keeping which will not only protect the business in the event of an allegation or claim arising but will improve workplace practices.

Whilst document keeping may seem onerous at the time, in the long run it can save time and effort as well as expense when insurers are investigating or defending a Personal Injury claim.

Personal Injury is a wide area with tripping and slipping claims amongst the most common claims you may come across in a nursery setting. Other potential claims to be aware of include manual handling claims and less commonly falls from height. Personal Injury claims also encompass claims involving assault, abuse and neglect. By way of definition:

“Abuse” is defined as ‘an intentional assault – whether physical or sexual – by a carer on a child.

“Neglect” is defined as ‘a lack of proper care of a child by a nursery and their staff so as to result in injury’.

When an insurer needs to investigate claims they will require access to certain documents which will vary depending on the particular circumstances of the case. By way of general example in a case involving slipping it will be important to identify documents in relation to cleaning and maintenance of the floor in question.

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