Accident claim specialists are offering employees cash for copies of their
employer’s accident book.
The practice has become increasingly common in the past few months,
especially in the north of England, according to Croner Consulting’s Health and
Safety Helplines.
Companies are required by law to keep an accident book to record details of
all accidents, whether minor or serious, in the workplace. The fear is that the
records will be used to launch insurance claims against the company.
Trevor Davies, senior consultant for the safety and technical team at Croner
Consulting said: "This is a real serious threat to businesses of any size
and completely against the law. The accident book is usually available to staff
at all times, making ‘cash for copies’ a potentially easy money-making
scheme."
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Davies said accident books should be kept secure and all incidents brought
to the attention of a nominated, responsible person.
Companies should inform their insurers immediately of any incident that
could form the basis of a claim by an employee.
