A company informed me this week that its employees are being approached with the offer of a substantial cash reward in return for copies of company accident books.
The companies concerned are apparently using the addresses in the records to call door-to-door as a means of sourcing new cases for litigation. This practice has been occurring in the Oldham and Leeds areas, and may also be starting to appear elsewhere in the country.

Locking up accident books is not advisable as it could discourage recording of accident entries, which are important to comply with current legislation and prevent reoccurrence. It could also place employer and insurer at risk of unknown or, as is more frequently occurring, fraudulent claims.

The advisable course of action is to recommend that only trusted individuals hold the book, e.g. qualified first aiders and trained accident investigators. Note that when taking such decisions, the adequacy of the individual's remuneration package may also have to be borne in mind!

Source

Construction Manager

Postscript

K E Sedgwick, Chartered Insurer