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Case study 2 – A workplace accident
Fahim recently found a permanent job as the office junior in a Travel
Agency and at the same time moved out of his family home into a rental flat
with a one year lease. Last week he injured himself at work when he opened
the top of a four-drawer filing cabinet. Because the drawer was top heavy,
the whole filing cabinet, as well as a paper guillotine machine that was
on the top of the cabinet, fell on him. He tried to escape but tripped into
a large glass mirror that shattered.
As a result, Fahim sustained a broken leg and arm, cut arteries in both
legs, required a large number of stitches over his face, body and hands,
and irreversibly damaged one of his eyes. He will be unable to work for many
months and may need retraining.
Summarise the possible outcomes of this workplace accident.
Does your answer include some or all of the implications below?
- Human cost – including the physical and psychological pain and suffering, a permanent disability plus Fahim’s loss of quality of life. Although Fahim will continue to receive his wages from the Travel Agency, he will probably need family support to manage his injuries and may need to move in with his parents. The cost of breaking the lease on his flat and his loss of independence are also possible costs.
- Social and community cost – legal implications and proceedings, demand on emergency services such as ambulance and hospital beds and services.
- Financial costs – the company will need to employ and train a replacement for Fahim during his absence, staff may need trauma counselling and further OH&S training, repairs will need to be made to company property, there will be a loss of productivity by staff due to investigations and repairs after the accident plus increased WorkCover insurance premiums.
- Business reputation – customers and staff may be unsettled due lack of confidence and slower workplace production.
- Legal requirements – the law requires all employers to take all necessary steps to investigate the accident and reorganise and update the office systems and safety
There may be other costs. These are just a few.
Congratulations if your answer was similar to this or you added other relevant implications!
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