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Month: March 2020

Accidents at Work Compensation Examples: Construction

Posted on by Jonathon

Accidents at work compensation examples in construction are a fairly common occurrence in the UK. In truth, a large portion of all compensation claims stem originally from the construction sector. In fact, construction has the highest rate of accidents in comparison to any other industry. The majority of workers that suffer injuries at work are unaware that they could be eligible to claim compensation for the complications and harm they endure due to the accident.

Accidents at Work Compensation Examples for Construction #1

It’s 2016, and a man suffers an injury due to the direct negligence of his employers. Subsequently, he suffers significant injuries to his back, head and neck after falling headfirst onto a wooden platform from a height of 2.5 metres.

The accident happens as a result of the absence of any safety measures in place according to an investigation from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In turn, the company responsible receives a £6000 fine as punishment.

Falls from heights such as this are responsible for over 30% of all construction accidents and injuries. More critically, they usually cause the most serious of injuries and threats as evident in the accident from 2016.

Common examples of construction accidents

The accidents that occur in construction vary from injury to injury. The most common ones are:

  • Falls from heights such as from ladders or scaffolding.
  • Certain objects falling from a height which cause injuries such as bricks, tools and equipment.
  • Overdemanding or inadequately training workers resulting in improper lifting, carrying or pushing awkward loads.
  • Faulty equipment also accounts for a portion of the accidents and injuries. Occasionally, workers suffer injury from moving vehicles, such as forklifts.
  • Finally, welding and chemical burns alongside electric shock accidents are a fairly common occurrence within construction.

It is important for all of these scenarios to know what your options are for compensation. Here at The Compensation Experts, we can guide you through all your options and offer free and friendly advice for what your next steps could be.

Construction accident claims can prove to be rather complex. This is due to the fact that there’s usually an attachment of several parties to the accident. Ergo, that makes it more difficult to pin blame on someone. In some instances, it may not even be clear who was in the wrong when it comes to the cause of an accident. For these reasons, a thorough investigation is usually necessary to get to the bottom of the case. This would not affect you specifically but more so the duration of the compensation claim.

Ultimately, it’s down to your solicitor to get to the bottom of who’s fault the case was.

Details that Enhance Your Case for Accidents at Work Compensation Examples in Construction

You’ll want to improve your chances of making a successful claim for Work Compensation Examples in Construction. Therefore, it’s important to know the following details alongside the date and time of the accident.

  • Address of the site;
  • Contact details of any witnesses who were present at the scene;
  • Person to which you report the accident;
  • Details of any medical treatment you received, including who provided the treatment and when;
  • Photographs of the scene of the accident;
  • A copy of the logbook recording the accident, or details of who records the information in the logbook.

Remember: the more accurate your description is, the better chances of success your claim will have. This owes to the clear-cut scenario and foundation put in place regarding construction accidents and how compensation works.

Time Limits for Claiming

When it comes to making the claim itself, there is a strict three-year time limit in place for claiming. The accident must occur within the past three years when claiming; otherwise, you won’t be eligible to make a claim.

So, were you hurt in a construction accident? The Compensation Experts can help you get the compensation you deserve. We have access to some of the best solicitors who specialise in construction accident claims. Moreover, they offer a large amount of experience with these types of cases and have supported people to secure the compensation that they deserve.

After you contact us and one of our friendly compensation experts speaks to you about your case, if we feel that your case is promising and you are eligible for compensation, we will send it to one of our solicitors who will get started on your case on a No Win, No Fee basis. This means that if your claim loses, you’ve no financial obligation and won’t have to pay a thing. Discuss it further with us when you get in touch for a preliminary chat.

For further information, and to find out whether you are eligible to make a claim, call us today. You can also browse our website or fill in one of our contact forms and one of our friendly compensation experts will contact you to discuss any queries and concerns you may be having.

PPE and your employer’s duty of care

Posted on by Jonathon

Regardless of where you work, your employer has a legal duty of care to ensure that you are safe while carrying out your duties. As part of this, they are required to do everything reasonably possible to remove or minimise any dangers or risks you may face while working for them.

In particularly high risk industries, such as the construction sector or factories that use heavy machinery, this includes providing you with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where needed, which has to be provided at no cost to you. There are many different types of PPE and the type of PPE necessary at a place of work will vary. To determine what PPE you will need in order to carry out your duties safely, a risk assessment has to be done as it is a legal requirement.  The most commonly encountered items of PPE are:

  • Safety helmet
  • Eye protection
  • High-visibility clothing (hi-vis)
  • Ear defenders
  • Protective gloves
  • Steel toe-capped/non-slip boots
  • Harnesses for working at heights.

The list is not exhaustive, but many workplaces will require their workers to wear at least one of these items during the course of their duties. Although some items can be expensive, your employer must provide you with these items should a risk assessment require them. It is also important that employers regularly reassess their workplaces and the risks involved in the duties they are asking their employees to carry out. In addition, employers are also required to;

  • Ensure that all PPE is stored correctly and not damaged
  • All PPE is adjustable or able to fit the user
  • The correct PPE items are used for the correct task
  • Ensure that adequate training is provided to employees on how to use PPE.

The cultural shift towards more risk-averse workplaces that are fully mindful of all relevant health and safety legislation, such as the Factories Act 1960, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all subsequent updates,  has seen a significant drop in workplace-related injuries over the last thirty years. Even where employers have done everything required of them though, there still remains an element of risk in most, if not all, workplaces.

How we can help

Your employer’s duty of care is a legal one. If you have been injured in your workplace and feel that your employer has failed to carry out to provide you with the correct protective equipment or hasn’t shown you how to use it properly, you might be eligible to make a compensation claim as a result.

At The Compensation Experts, we work with specialist law firms who have a track record making successful workplace injury compensation claims. After your initial consultation with one of our advisors, which is done on a free no-obligation basis, we will match you with the firm who best suits the circumstances of your case.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with us via the contact form on our website or by calling 0161 413 8765.

Workplace injuries: know your rights

Posted on by Jonathon

When you are at work, your employer has a legal responsibility to report any accidents, pay you sick pay and allow you to have time off because of an accident you suffer at work, should it be necessary.

To give you an idea of the scale of this issue, the most recent figures published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that:

• 581,000 injuries occurred at work in 2019
• 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury in the last financial year

While this is a decrease on the figures reported by the HSE in previous years, it is still unacceptable.

How to report an injury

All employers must keep an accident book. This is a legal requirement, and it is for the benefit of employees. It offers a useful record of what happened and when in case you need time off work or you need to claim compensation.

Who is responsible?

Your employer is legally required to do everything reasonably possible to ensure both your physical and mental well-being at work.

The first thing a responsible employer should do once the initial accident or injury has been dealt with is to carry out a risk assessment and do whatever is needed to ensure that a similar incident does not happen again.

It is important to remember that you and your fellow employees do also have to take reasonable action to ensure that your health and safety needs are taken care of.

Compensation

If you have been injured at work and you believe that your employer is at fault, you are within your rights to make a personal injury claim. Any claim must be made within three years of the date of the accident and you will usually need to hire a specialist personal injury solicitor to represent you.

How we can help

At The Compensation Experts, we work with specialist law firms who have a track record making successful workplace injury compensation claims. We and the firms we work with have a lot of experience in these cases and so, are well-placed to help you get the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled to. After your initial consultation with our advisors, which is done on a free no-obligation basis, we will match you with the firm who best suits the circumstances of your case.

If you decide to progress your claim, your solicitor will collect any evidence to help build the strongest possible case to support your claim. This evidence will be used not only to prove your entitlement to compensation but also to show the extent of your physical and financial suffering to ensure the amount you receive is fair.

Do not hesitate then to get in touch with us via the contact form on our website or by calling 0161 413 8765.