Start your claim Request call back
01614138765

TELEPHONE UK Based Experts
Open 7 Days a Week 8.00am - 7.00pm

UK Based | Open 7 days a week 8:00am - 7:00pm

Month: February 2021

What Are Occupier’s Liability Accidents?

Posted on by Jonathon

Any private premises in the UK has an owner; someone who is responsible for keeping people who visit the premises safe. Private premises can be anything from shops to car parks. Occupier’s liability is the area of law that deals with this duty of care and occupier’s liability accidents. It concerns anyone who owns a property that the public can visit.

The Difference Between Occupier’s Liability and Public Liability

Occupier’s liability refers to anyone who owns a property that the public can visit. Due to this, they are sometimes wrongly referred to as public liability accidents. However, the difference is in the owner of the place where the accident happened. Public liability generally covers places that the council own and are responsible for. Occupier’s liability covers places that are privately owned.

Occupier’s Liability Accidents

The types of accidents that generally come under occupier’s liability accidents include accidents in shops, supermarkets, car parks, restaurants, and private residences. Owners of properties must take steps to help ensure that people do not have accidents on their premises.

There are many causes of accidents that fall under occupier’s liability. Some of these include:

  • Slipping on wet surfaces
  • Tripping over uneven floors or obstacles left in walkways
  • Being struck by a falling object, such as an item falling from a shelf
  • Accidents in car parks due to poor layouts or bad lighting
  • Malfunctioning lifts and automatic doors

These causes of accidents are easy to avoid. The owner of the premises should ensure that they put measures in place to avoid accidents like this from happening. They must ensure they follow rules set out in the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 to minimise the risk of accidents happening. If they fail to do this then they may be liable if someone has an accident on their premises.

Children and Occupier’s Liability Accidents

Some of the more common occupier’s liability accidents involve children. If children are visiting a place that falls under occupier’s liability, then the owner must take extra care to minimise the risk of children having accidents. This is because children tend to be less careful than adults whilst out in public.

If your child has had an accident is a public or private place, then you may be able to claim on their behalf. If your child is under 18, then a parent or guardian may make a claim for them. Their parent or guardian also has until the child turns 18 to make a claim. If the child is over 18 then they have until they are 21 to make a claim themselves.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who deal with all manner of personal injury claims. This includes accidents in private places. This means that they have the expertise to help you with your potential claim. Contact us today by filling in our contact form or by calling us on 0800 182 2185 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.

What is the Difference Between Raynaud’s and Vibration White Finger?

Posted on by Jonathon

Raynaud’s Phenomenon is a common condition that does not usually cause any problems. However, people often confuse it with Vibration White Finger. The difference between Raynaud’s and Vibration White Finger is that VWF is actually a secondary form of Raynaud’s syndrome that is caused by prolonged us of vibrating tools.

Vibration White Finger is also known as Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). People have developed HAVS as a result of prolonged exposure to intense vibration tools over a long period of time.

The Difference Between Raynaud’s and Vibration White Finger

Vibration White Finger, also known as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is a secondary form of Raynaud’s Phenomenon. It usually affects those who work with, or have worked with, vibrating tools over a long period of time.

There are a few things that can cause confusion between the two conditions. The main reason people think that Raynaud’s and Vibration White Finger are the same condition is because of the two having similar symptoms.

The symptoms of Raynaud’s include:

  • Pain
  • Numbness
  • Pins and needles
  • Difficulty moving the affected area

The symptoms of Vibration White Finger include:

  • Whitening or blanching of the fingertips
  • Numbness and tingling in the fingers or hands
  • Cysts in finger and wrist bones
  • Lack of dexterity or grip strength
  • Loss of sensitivity of touch

The two conditions can also be worse in the cold. Vibration White Finger has the same symptoms as Raynaud’s with added ones on top of it.

Causes of Vibration White Finger

Vibration White Finger is caused by the use of vibrating tools over a long period of time. This can be a part of your job, but if you did not have the adequate protection whilst at work and you have Vibration White Finger, then you may be able to make a claim.

Some of the tools that can give off enough vibration to cause VWF include: jackhammers, grinders, breakers, jigsaws, and hand held power tools. This list is not exhaustive, ad any power tool has the potential to cause VWF.

As people who use power tools for a living will be particularly susceptible to VWF as they are using them on a daily basis for long periods of time, employers have a duty to inform employees of the risks associated with the work and to provide adequate safety equipment, such as vibration-absorbing gloves.

Other ways to help prevent VWF include:

  • Taking regular breaks from using vibrating tools
  • Ensuring tools have a regular maintenance schedule and are in good order
  • Undertaking training to ensure you are using tools in the correct way

What to do if you think you have Vibration White Finger

If you think you may have Vibration White Finger, the first thing you should do is make an appointment with your GP to get a diagnosis of the condition. The next thing you should do is make a note of the companies you worked for and how long you worked at each one, the tools you used and the average amount of time you used them per day. This information will help you if you wish to make a claim for VWF.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with all manner of industrial disease claims. This includes Vibration White Finger. Contact us today by filling in out contact form or by calling us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.