Recent guidance released from the Health and Safety Executive states that new employees are more likely to suffer an injury in the first six months of their employment than the rest of their working career. Of course this is not to say that the time served employee is never going to have an accident. As a business insurance broker, we have learned over the years that accidents can occur at the strangest possible times. Employees that have worked for companies for many years, never taken days off sick and are very, very careful can simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For new employees, unfamiliar with working practices and trying to learn new things and working methods every day, the likelihood of an accident is vastly increased. The HSE have a role to try and prevent work place accidents, their website has a huge amount of relevant information for you to peruse and help you. It may seem daunting at first, but even basic steps are worth taking. There are of course things that you as an employer will do day in and day out without even thinking about. Your new employee though may need to be shown many many times before they get it right.
In addition to being patient and taking tome to tech, re-teach and teach again, you need to have employers liability insurance in case there is an accident. In 1969 legislation was passed, which has been revised many times since, which states that you must have adequate insurance in force in case an employee has an accident, suffers and illness or catches a disease for which you could be held liable. Employers liability insurance is one of the strictest covers out there. What this means, for the commercial insurance companies, is that you cannot have many exclusions, warranties, restrictions, excesses or conditions.
If you need the cover, you need to speak to an independent business insurance broker to get them to look around on your behalf to get you the best type of cover at the most competitive price.

