After an accident at work the first days build or break the case: the medical record, the notification, the witnesses. And the fear of taking on your own employer has a calmer answer than most people expect.
Everything that is later argued about, how the accident happened, how badly you were hurt, whether anything could have prevented it, is decided on records created in the first week, usually by people who were not thinking about a claim at the time.
Health first, and the record with it
The first move is obvious: medical attention, immediately. The second is less obvious and just as important: tell the doctor exactly how it happened, that it was at work, with what machine or in what conditions.
The first medical file is the most reliable record of what happened, and it will be read again and again as the case goes on. An accident that never passed through a doctor is an accident the insurer will dispute.
Notification: the employer's duty, your precaution
The law puts notification on the employer's shoulders. A serious accident at work, a death, or incapacity for work beyond three calendar days, is notified to the competent District Labour Inspection Office, immediately by the fastest means and in writing on the approved form within fifteen days. Failing to do it is the employer's breach, not yours.
Your own precaution is simple: report the accident to your employer in writing, even by an email or a message saying what happened, where and when, and keep it. That produces a dated report that exists independently of anyone's memory.
The evidence that disappears fastest
Photographs of the place, the machine and the conditions, taken the same day if anyone can. The names and numbers of colleagues who saw it, collected before people move on to other jobs. Any instruction, training record or equipment log that existed. Sites get tidied, machines get repaired, and rosters get overwritten, all of it innocently and all of it against you later.
The question everyone asks last
Whether pursuing a claim means taking on your employer is the fear that delays most of these cases past the point where the evidence still exists. In practice the claim is usually met by an insurer rather than out of the employer's pocket, and the employer's own duty was to be insured for exactly this. Delay does not make the question easier; it only makes the case weaker.
What to send us
The medical records from the first attendance, whatever you sent your employer and when, photographs, the names of witnesses, and anything you were given about the machine or the task. If more than a few days have passed, send what exists now rather than waiting to assemble a complete file.
Questions we are asked
What matters most in the first days?
Medical attention, and telling the doctor exactly how it happened, that it was at work and in what conditions. The first medical file is the most reliable record of the accident and is read repeatedly as the case proceeds.
Who has to notify the accident?
The employer. A serious accident at work, a death, or incapacity for work beyond three calendar days is notified to the competent District Labour Inspection Office, immediately by the fastest means and in writing on the approved form within fifteen days. Failing to do so is the employer's breach, not the injured person's.
Should I report it to my employer myself?
Yes, in writing, even by email or message saying what happened, where and when, and keep a copy. That creates a dated report that does not depend on anyone's memory.
Does claiming mean suing my employer personally?
In practice the claim is usually met by an insurer rather than out of the employer's own pocket, and being insured for this was the employer's own obligation. The fear of the question is what delays most of these cases past the point where the evidence still exists.
Related reading
What can be claimed, and how each head is measured, is in the heads of compensation. See also construction and workplace accident claims and the limitation calculator.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws and their application can change, and individual circumstances differ. For advice on your own matter, contact Klitos Platis at klitos@kleanthousplatis.com or telephone +357 22 680 330.
Klitos Platis
Advocate, Partner
Kleanthous & Platis LLC, Nicosia · Published 16 August 2026
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