Let him report it. Investigate accordingly.

Hi Steve
The cynic in me says he did it over the weekend.

Record it in the accident book and investigate accordingly. If there is a policy hat ALL accidents/ incidents should be reported at the time- you could look at a disciplinary as he failed to do it. Witness statements from all and sundry in the area he claims he did it may help to ascertain the true facts. CCTV would be great if you have it.

The bigger cynic in me sees an EL claim on the horizon.

Andy

Maybe i need to update this part of the H&S policy?



All employees/contractors must report any near miss, accident or injury to the H&S officer or supervisor. Details of all accidents will be entered into the company's accident record book which is kept in the office.

Regards,

Steve

"All employees/contractors must report any near miss, accident or injury to the H&S officer or supervisor. Details of all accidents will be entered into the company's accident record book which is kept in the office."

The above is from the H&S Policy, but should it be more specific as when to report?

Been there before- guy hurt his ankle playing football on a Sunday and turned up on Monday saying he did it on the Friday. He went off work for week or so and put a claim in.

He was caught out and "dealt with" accordingly.

Andy

Let him report it!

Despite anything you may have in your own policies, you cannot refuse anybody reporting an accident as it is their legal right to do so, no matter how long after the event!

I'm with Sean on this one; I have encountered many incidents where an employee has "struggled on" & eventually wanted to make a report.

If it is spurious, then an entry into a BI510 is not an admission of liability (nor is a RIDDOR report!) & any in-house investigation can be appended to the report.

Zyggy

I have now done part of the investigation.
The IP had left site via the turnstile and turned his ankle on the path/gravel junction.
His own diagnosis is torn ligaments, resulting in a very swollen and blue/black/purple ankle. (The photo is quite something)
The height difference between the slab/gravel was only 30mm, and quite amazing it could produce such an injury.

Where is the problem? Any employee has the right to report an accident as soon as they are able to do so. A delay across a weekend is hardly unreasonable. Not all injuries are apparent at the time of the event.
The first rule of any professional investigation is not to pre-judge anything but to seek out the facts and then conclude. I believe there is a great risk that if you start with the suspicion that this is a fraudulent or mischevious claim then that is what you will most likely find in your report. I am not suggesting that this is your approach (Riskybizz) but simply pointing out the dangers of following such an approach.
The employee is claiming an accident at work, that is their right and indeed duty. Yours is to investigate and conclude. Then leave it to the lawyers if it comes to that.

If you doubt whether the injury could have been caused as described then you must record that and, if you think you need it, then you should seek further expert opinion to support your opinion as to the invalidity of the events as reported by your employee.

p48

It is surprising how many Accidents seem to manifest on a Monday....When your site is judged by how many accident you have (and yes this happens in most if not all big companies) you to tend to challenge the ones that 'seem a bit iffy and develop a cynical side.

I'm not saying don't report or investigate, but you do get a feel after a while for what are genuine accidents and when something is not quite right. I'm all CSI and let the evidence tell the story, just the facts mam and all that, but sometimes you get a feel for these things (and no I wouldnt say that in court).