Police Officers Injured at Work Claims
Police officers are often putting themselves directly in the line of danger in order to keep the peace and protect the public. This means that the probability of sustaining an injury while on duty is higher than that of the general public, but they can also be targeted off duty and subjected to injury as well.
Even though officers are aware of this risk, they are still well within their rights to be protected while they work, and it is their employer’s responsibility to ensure that they are as safe as possible.
Injury Risks Posed to Police Officers
There are many risks that police officers can be subjected to, both on and off duty. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that they are aware of and trained to be able to identify and avoid the following risks, as a police injury on duty might result in a claim.
Inadequate Training
No two days are the same when you are a police officer, which can often mean that an officer could come up against a different hazard or a challenging environment every single day.
As such, it’s important that they are trained to be aware of how to handle specific situations, deal with hazards and navigate environments safely while continuing to do the best job possible.
People can be unpredictable, and while no amount of training can prepare an officer for a suspect’s behavioural response, it can give them a good idea of what they are possibly up against so that they can respond accordingly.
Without any training, situations could get severely out of hand and result in personal injury.
Lack Of Personal Protection Equipment
The dangerous nature of their job requires that all police officers are provided the correct personal protection equipment to reduce the risk of injury should they be attacked.
This kit includes :
- Head and neck protection
- Eye protection
- Hearing protection
- Body protection
- Foot and hand protection
- Respiratory protection
It is up to the employer to ensure all the equipment is up to standard and working correctly before distributing to officers.
Common Police Compensation Claims
Many people don’t realise that they can claim if they are police officers injured at work, mainly because risk is expected.
However, if you have suffered from any of the following which are the result of someone else’s actions, you may be eligible to claim as a result of a police injury on duty:
- Limb amputation
- Sight loss/impairment
- Injury to the brain/head and concussion
- Burns, cuts and lacerations
- Crush injury
- Muscle damage
- Neck and shoulder injury
- Nerve damage
- Paralysis
- Weapon injuries
- Scarring
- Injuries to the mouth and teeth
- Disfigurement
- Limb /joint injury
- Fractures
- Mental Health Conditions (ie. Post-traumatic stress disorder)
- Back injuries
- Whiplash.
Working in a position which often requires you to be put in dangerous situations, you should never feel like you aren’t protected. If you have sustained an injury while on the beat and it could have been avoided and not your fault, get in touch with our team of Police compensation claims experts today by calling 01772562084 or complete our police officers injured at work compensation claim form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.