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Stress Awareness Month 2022 – Stress At Work

Posted on 13th April 2022 by Jonathon

Tips on how to live stress at work

Stress awareness month has been going since 1992, raising awareness for causes and solutions is essential for mental health and overall happiness. The past 2 years have been a real challenge for us all, loneliness and isolation has left a lot of us struggling. However, one of the positives to emerge from this unparalleled situation has been the community spirit and support shown by so many to so many. Now we can finally ease back into our old routines and focus our efforts into improving our mental health and do what we can to ease our stresses. Deteriorating mental health can lead to health problems and work absence, so we’ve come up with some solutions to get you through stress awareness month.

What can we do during Stress Awareness Month?

Talk about your stress with friends and family and colleagues, how it affects you and what you do to relieve your stresses, recognising it is half of the problem!
Share your coping mechanisms, techniques that help you to relax, it could benefit someone’s life massively, whether this be meditation, or a hobby, or a good book you’ve read. Helping someone else is also a serotonin booster and may take your mind off your own stresses in the meantime.
Be aware of those around you who look stressed and anxious, we are all undoubtedly going to experience stress and anxiety again in the future, so why not help those who need it, your empathy and compassion may be returned when you need it too.
Take care of yourself – self care is so important for your stress levels; we all have a social battery. Take time out of your busy schedule to chill out or do something that makes you happy and forget about your stresses.
Eat, sleep, exercise. The three most important influences on stress levels, if you eat healthily, sleep routinely at least 7 hours per night, and take time to do a small amount of exercise per day, including just walking, you can feel your mental health and stress levels improve dramatically. Make sure to try as many of these steps as you can, and keep an awareness of your stress levels.
Tell your employer to research mental health for employees in order to reduce stress at work in the office. You can suggest mental health training. Click here

There are some health warnings for high stress levels, not looking after yourself can lead to even serious issues, such as:

Cardiovascular disease. The heart experiences stress before any other organ. Heart disease is the planets number 1 killer, to reduce your risk, reduce your stress.
High blood pressure. The main cause for haemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure. Stress levels can be directly linked to HBP.
Mental health issues can include depression, anxiety, and personality disorders.
Obesity and other eating disorders.
Menstrual problems.
Sexual issues such as dysfunction, impotence, and overall loss of sexual desire in men and women.
Skin and hair problems like acne, psoriasis, eczema, and permanent hair loss.
Gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and irritable colon.

If you have any of these issues from work related stress, click here to fill out a form to see if you’re eligible for compensation.

Other short term work-stress related symptoms include:

On your mood	On your body	On your behaviour
Headache	Anxiety	Overeating or undereating
Muscle tension or pain	Restlessness	Angry outbursts
Chest pain	Lack of motivation or focus	Drug or alcohol misuse
Fatigue	Feeling overwhelmed	Tobacco use
Change in sex drive	Irritability or anger	Social withdrawal
Stomach upset	Sadness or depression	Exercising less often
Insomnia	All above	All above

What can you do to reduce your stress levels and prevent symptoms of stress?

Eat and drink to optimize your health. Reduce stress by drinking less alcohol or eating too much. These actions may seem to help in the moment but may add to stress in the long run. Consuming a healthy, balanced diet can help to combat stress.
Exercise regularly, in addition to having physical health benefits, exercise has been shown to be a powerful stress reliever.
Stop using tobacco and nicotine products. People who use nicotine often refer to it as a stress reliever, however, nicotine actually places more stress on the body by increasing physical arousal and reducing blood flow and breathing.
Study and practice relaxation techniques. Taking the time to relax every day helps to protect the body from the effects of stress. You can choose from a variety of techniques, such as deep breathing, imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation. There are many online and smart phone apps that provide guidance on these techniques. Or use apps/sites to help, like this one: click here.
Reduce triggers of stress. If you are like most people, your life may be filled with too many demands and too little time. For the most part, these demands are ones we have chosen. You can free up time by practicing time-management skills like asking for help when it’s appropriate, setting priorities, pacing yourself, and reserving time to take care of yourself – Not just during Stress Awareness Month.
Assert yourself. It’s okay to say “No” to demands on your time and energy that will place too much stress on you. You don’t have always have to meet the expectations of others.
Set realistic goals and expectations. It’s okay—and healthy—to realize you cannot be 100% successful at everything all at once. Be mind ful of the things you can control and can’t control.

Causes of stress at work-related illness

Bullying and harassment. This is defined by the government as behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or offended. This can include unfair treatment, being picked on, undermined, or blocked for progression, whether face-to-face, by letter, email or phone. Similarly, abuse, threats or excessive demands will lead to a stressful environment.
Lack of support. If an employee is not given adequate support, assistance, or guidance, they may well lack confidence, feel overwhelmed and under too much pressure.
Workload. There is only so much work that any one person can undertake. If an employer is placing unrealistic demands on an employee, forcing them to work long hours, for example, stress-related illness is a likely outcome.
Denial of employee rights. The rights of workers in the United Kingdom are enshrined in law, such as the right to rest periods, breaks and annual leave. If an employer denies these rights to their workers, they can be stressed and have low morale. Employee rights: Click here.

Can you claim compensation for stress at work?

The short answer to this question is yes, you can claim personal injury compensation for stress at work. More precisely, for the health problems it causes, however, you can only do so if the stress-related illness is severe enough to warrant making a claim and a medical diagnosis has been made. Get expert advice now to see if you can take legal action and claim compensation.

How can we help?

At The Compensation Experts we speak with people on a regular basis who suffer from high levels of stress especially related to their occupation. Although it isn’t straight forward to bring a claim for work related stress there is still the possibility of receiving compensation successfully. If you would like to find out more or speak with one of our team, fill in one of our contact forms here or call us directly on 0161 413 8765.

Children’s Road Accidents

Posted on 24th March 2022 by Jonathon

In road traffic accidents, people can often think of two drivers colliding. However, there are many children’s road accidents that happen that people may not think about initially. Children are particularly vulnerable to road accidents as they cannot be held accountable for many of them.

Sometimes accidents that involve children happen that are unavoidable. But if your child has been injured in an accident that was the fault of a driver, then you may be able to make a claim on their behalf.

The most common children’s road accidents

The three most common children’s road accidents are pedestrian accidents, passenger accidents and cycling accidents.

The most common types of pedestrian accident include:

Drivers driving carelessly
Speeding
Hit and run cases
Drivers going through red lights

This is even more important for children as they may accidentally run or walk out into the road. Pedestrians are amongst some of the most vulnerable road users, so have the same level of protection as cyclists and motorcyclists.

Children’s bicycle accidents can happen for all sorts of reasons. However, in our experience, the most common accidents include:

Hit and run accidents
Faulty bicycle parts
Defects in the road and pavements, for example, potholes
Slippery road or pavement conditions due to ice, snow, or oil spills

If your child has had a bicycle accident due to one of these reasons, then it may be someone else’s fault and you may be able to make a claim on their behalf.

Passengers have far more compensation rights than other parties in RTA claims due to the fact that, in most cases, there is no way that a passenger can be deemed liable for the accident at hand. Drivers of any vehicle have a duty of care to ensure that you and other passengers don’t come to harm during travel, meaning that you’re eligible to make a claim should any car accident cause injury.

Making a claim on behalf of a child

If a child is injured in a road accident, they cannot make a claim for themselves. So, if this happens, a parent or guardian may be able to make the claim on their behalf. In these cases, any compensation is then held in a trust until the child turns 18.

The time limit for making a claim for children’s road accidents also differs from adults. Usually, in a personal injury claim, you have three years from the date of the accident to make a claim. However, with children’s road accidents, this three-year period doesn’t start until the child turns 18. So if your child has an accident, you have until they turn 18 to make a claim. They can then make a claim for themselves until they turn 21.

How we can help with children’s road accidents

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes children’s road accidents. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

The top 5 best and worst UK industries for compassionate leave

Posted on 16th March 2022 by Jonathon

Suffering a life-threatening personal injury or losing a loved one is a hard thing to experience, but, sadly, it’s something many of us will experience at some point in our lives.

Fortunately, all UK industries are required to give anyone in this scenario adequate compassionate leave, a period of paid leave for you to come to terms with what’s happened and spend time with family.

In the UK, the standard length of compassionate leave is three paid days annually, though this can differ depending on your circumstances and industry, with some sectors undoubtedly better for offering leave than others.

To help inform you which UK industries offer the best and worst compassionate leave, we surveyed 1,500 UK employees across a variety of occupations and ranked each sector from best to worst.

With this in mind, here are the top five best and worst UK industries for compassionate leave.

The best UK industries for compassionate leave

While many might assume that fast-paced and intense roles could be less accommodating with their compassionate leave policy, our results show that this is clearly not the case.

Without a doubt, the best UK industry for compassionate leave is healthcare, providing, on average, five paid days of compassionate leave.

Given their profession, this makes sense, as they no doubt fully understand the emotional and physical trauma you might be experiencing.

In fact, 77% of those we spoke with within the healthcare industry feel that they’re supported by their employer, with 78.4% feeling that their workplace is compassionate.

That being said, only 49.5% actually feel comfortable telling their employer that they need time off, perhaps evidencing the responsibility they feel towards their role.

Property is also an excellent UK industry for compassionate leave, again offering five days. But while 71.4% feel their workplace is compassionate, as little as 28.6% feel comfortable telling employers they need time off.

The remaining three brilliant UK industries for compassionate leave also offer five days total, with those we spoke to in the Information and communication, education, and data industries all holding similar opinions to those in the healthcare and property industries.

The worst UK industries for compassionate leave

An important thing to note when looking at compassionate leave is that, while three days is considered the standard, it is not the legal minimum. Given this caveat, it’s unsurprising that some industries fall short of this number.

Without a doubt, the worst UK industry for compassionate leave is agriculture, offering just two days, with a mere 54% of those we spoke to actually feeling supported by their employer.

To put this into perspective, this is the lowest rate of employer support felt by employees in any industry. In fact, just 45% of those in the agricultural industry feel comfortable telling employers they need time off, but 79% do at least feel that their workplace is compassionate overall.

Surprisingly, the next worst UK industry for compassionate leave is tourism, again offering just two days. Interestingly, however, 90% of the people we surveyed feel supported by their employer, with 89% feeling their workplace is compassionate and 70% feeling comfortable telling their employer that they need time off.

Other bad UK industries for compassionate leave include the creative arts, retail, and finance. While all of these industries offer three days as standard, large portions of those we spoke to feel uncomfortable asking for time off from their employers, with those in the creative arts finding it particularly difficult – only 38.1% feeling comfortable asking for time off.

How do UK industries view compassionate leave overall?

Even though there’s a clear variation in the length of compassionate leave offered by different UK industries, feedback from our survey shows that compassion is generally at the forefront of everyone’s minds regardless of where you work.

A full 79% of those we asked feel supported by their employer, with a further 78.7% saying that their employer is usually flexible in ensuring that they have suitable time off when needed. Additionally, a further 78.5% say that their colleagues have always been understanding and supportive.

Interestingly, however, just 27.3% of those surveyed are unaware of what their workplace compassionate leave policy is, and 46.6% still wouldn’t feel comfortable telling their employer that they need time off even if they did.

In general, though, it seems we’re pretty accommodating in the UK, with 80% of Brits feeling their workplace is compassionate, 70% feeling open to talking about personal matters with their manager, and 80% saying that their workplace policies provide all the guidance they need to support someone with a serious illness or who is grieving at work.

Some accidents in life are unavoidable. But if you’ve been the victim of an accident at work due to someone else’s negligence, then you could be entitled to compensation.

Data could help predict crash victims most at risk of brain injury following road traffic accidents

Posted on 10th March 2022 by Jonathon

Research from Imperial College has recently identified how speed, direction, and level of head protection can predict risk of brain injury following road traffic accidents. Traumatic brain injuries are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Nearly one in three are caused by RTAs.

A partnership between Imperial College London and TRL has investigated the relationship between TBI and collision. They used parameters such as speed, direction and force of vehicle impact. By studying more than 2000 collisions they have calculated the likelihood of different types of brain injury on British roads. They have also shown for the first time how collision parameters like changes in speed during collisions relate to different types of brain injuries. 

Lead author Claire Baker, PhD researcher at Imperial’s Dyson School of Design Engineering, said: “We looked in detail at which road traffic collisions produce brain injury. We now know which types of collisions lead to the most severe head injuries. This data can inform the emergency response and post-collision care pathways. 

“Data needed to make these predictions are routinely collected in many modern cars. This means that algorithms using this data could quickly assess and relay the likely type and severity of TBI for each crash as it occurs. This will enable emergency operators to deploy the specific type of treatment needed, faster.” 

How this data will help with brain injury following road traffic accidents

The findings provide the data to automatically identify collisions that are most likely to cause TBI. This could provide the basis for existing crash notification systems to better predict and communicate the risk of severe injury to emergency services. This could help first responders ensure that patients quickly receive the most appropriate kind of treatment. 

Senior author Professor David Sharp, from Imperial’s Department of Brain Sciences, said: “Road traffic collisions often produce life-threatening brain injuries. Treating patients quickly gives us the best chance of reducing death and disability. Automatically identifying collisions that are likely to lead to severe TBI will improve the efficiency of our treatment.” 

They found that change in speed at impact were good predictors of brain injury, as were the impact direction and the presence of head protection worn by cyclists. 

More must be done to protect vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians. This could include vulnerable road user-friendly vehicle designs and segregated infrastructure for vulnerable road users.

Pedestrians and cyclists were six times more likely than drivers to suffer moderate and severe brain injury in the UK. The researchers say their work confirms that the best way to reduce the likelihood of TBI is to reduce the speed of collisions.

If you have suffered brain injury following a road traffic accident, then you may be able to make a claim. Where the victim cannot make a claim themselves, their next of kin can make a claim on their behalf.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes brain injury following road traffic accidents. So contact us by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

Road traffic collisions: almost 700 drivers caught speeding on new camera in its first week

Posted on 28th February 2022 by Jonathon

According to recent reports, a road safety group said that nearly 700 drivers in Cornwall were caught speeding by a camera in its first week of operation. Speeding is one of the main causes of road traffic collisions.

The Vision Zero South West road safety partnership fund the speed camera.

Superintendent Adrian Leisk, of Devon and Cornwall Police said speed was a contributory factor in many collisions. Devon and Cornwall police are part of the partnership.

He said: “Cameras such as these not only enable us to prosecute those driving at dangerously high speeds, but, importantly, allow us to refer the vast majority into driver education training.

Vision Zero South West – made up of a number of organisations, including Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Council and National Highways – said the aim was to stop all fatal and serious collisions by 2040.

It said there were 44 fatalities, and 624 people with serious injuries after crashes on Devon and Cornwall’s roads in 2020.

The camera caught 681 drivers in it’s first week, after going live on 8 February. Of these, five were referred to court, 72 received a conditional offer of a fixed penalty and points on their licence, and 604 were given the option of a driver awareness course, the partnership said.

Philip Desmonde, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for transport, said: “Speed limits are in place for a good reason. Sadly, too many people sustain injuries on Cornwall’s roads.

“These cameras are a valuable tool in educating drivers to slow down.”

Road Traffic Collisions

When you are in a road traffic collision, you can suffer with some long-term problems. This may mean that you are eligible to make a claim. Speeding and other types of careless driving are amongst the most common causes of road traffic collisions in the UK.

Being in a car crash or road traffic collision can lead to difficulty and even life changing injuries. To ease the burden, we can help you claim the compensation you deserve, as you recover. Common examples of serious road accident claims include compensation for:

Whiplash and neck injuries
Back injury
Head injuries and brain damage
Fatality – if a loved one has died as a result of a road traffic accident, you can claim compensation on their behalf.

Since the whiplash reforms, which were introduced on 31^st May 2021, and designed to value whiplash injuries as a fixed tariff purely dependent on how long the injuries last and whether there was any psychological impact, claiming for these injuries has now changed. However, we may still be able to help you make a claim.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes road traffic collisions. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. You can also call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

MoJ release simplified guide to help people use OIC portal

Posted on 24th February 2022 by Jonathon

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has published a simplified guide to using the Official Injury Claim OIC portal after the low take-up of the portal by litigants in person (LiPs). The MoJ published data after the first six months of the portal launch which showed that only 10% of people were using the portal, and the rest were still seeking legal assistance.

The previous guide, which was 64 pages long, was widely criticised for not being user-friendly and over-complicated. The new MoJ guide is 14 pages long and in clearer English than the previous guide. It sets out five steps to bring a claim. However, the new guide asks users to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines to value their injuries, which may add further confusion.

The new guide says: “For additional help in valuing a claim, relevant helpful extracts from the ‘Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases’ have been included in the appendix of the OIC ‘Guide to making a claim’.

“This is a book used by lawyers and judges to help assess the value of a claim which has suggested compensation levels for a range of injuries.

“The amounts included in this publication are only guidelines and the full circumstances of the accident should be considered when assessing the value of your injuries.”

Road Traffic Accidents and Alternatives to the OIC Portal

When you have a road traffic accident and are suffering, you may not want the added stress of having to navigate the OIC portal. This was particularly true in the first few months of the OIC portal, with most people still opting to alternatives. This is why road traffic accidents and alternatives to the OIC portal exist.

If you have been injured in a road traffic accident, then you may be able to claim compensation. This is especially true if someone else was at fault for your accident. Since the launch of the OIC portal, both drivers and passengers are encouraged to use the portal when they have an RTA, however, many are still seeking alternatives. This is why we may still be able to help.

You could claim road traffic accident compensation for an injury, if you were not at fault. The most common reasons for road traffic accident claims are:

Another driver’s error or lack of concentration
Poor conditions due to inadequate lighting or large potholes
Unclear signs
Other distractions such as smoke from a bonfire in a neighbouring field blowing across the road

If you are a protected party, then the rules surrounding road traffic accidents and the OIC portal do not apply, and you can still make a claim the traditional way. Protected parties are:

Pedestrians
Cyclists
Motorcyclists
Pillions (motorbike passengers)
Mobility scooter users
Minors

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes road traffic accidents and alternatives to the OIC portal. Contact us by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

Accidents in bars: thirteen people injured after floor collapsed

Posted on 21st February 2022 by Jonathon

Thirteen people have suffered injuries after a mezzanine floor collapsed at an east London pub. Accidents in bars can be relatively common. However, if an accident such as this happens, then you may be able to make a compensation claim.

According to recent reports, firefighters rescued seven people who were trapped after the collapse. Four of these then went to hospital.

London Fire Brigade station commander Sacha Clement said crews found seven people who were trapped upstairs on the remaining part of the mezzanine floor.

“Crews used a ladder to bridge between the floor and the internal staircase to get them safely out of the building,” the station commander said.

LFB said crews from three fire engines from Homerton, Bethnal Green and Leyton fire stations and two rescue units from East Ham and Edmonton stations attended the scene.

A spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council said it is working with the emergency services and a structural engineer to assess the privately-owned building. A statement from the bar said the venue would remain closed “for now”. They added: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected.” It said “thankfully” no-one had sustained critical injuries.

Accidents in Bars

There are many different accidents in bars, pubs and nightclubs that could cause accidents for both patrons and employees – more so when you take into account alcohol consumption. Common causes include:

Drink spillages and broken glass on the floor
Poor lighting
Cluttered stairways
Defective flooring
Unsafe furniture

The landlord who owns the pub, bar or nightclub has a duty of care to ensure they maintain all interior and exterior areas, such as car parks and beer gardens. This means they are obliged to keep patrons and workers safe from harm. However, landlords can sometimes fail to spot or repair something that could potentially cause an accident. This is when you could potentially have the right to claim for compensation.

All bar owners must make sure they follow the rules set out in the Occupiers Liability Act 1957. They must do this to minimise the risk of accidents happening. If you have an accident in a bar, pub, or nightclub, and it is due to the fault of the owner or landlord, then you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim. 

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes accidents in bars. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

Northern Gas Networks Ltd fined after fatal gas explosion

Posted on 17th February 2022 by Jonathon

Northern Gas Networks Ltd were recently sentenced for safety breaches after a fatal fire and gas explosion accident at a residential premises in Mirfield.

Leeds Crown Court heard that, on 11 February 2019, West Yorkshire Fire service attended a fire and explosion in Huddersfield Road, Mirfield, West Yorks. They discovered the occupier during a search of the property whilst it was still on fire. She unfortunately died the following morning in Pinderfields General Hospital.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the source of the gas escape was a fractured six inch cast iron main running under the carriageway to the front of the property. The investigation found that the main did not appear on Northern Gas Networks drawings. Therefore, they had not maintained it in accordance with the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996.

Northern Gas Networks Ltd of Thorpe Business Park, Colton, Leeds pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company paid a fine of £5 million and costs of £91,487.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Neil Casey said: “This incident, that put the lives of the elderly residents of a care home at risk and cost a homeowner her life, has highlighted a failure by Northern Gas Networks Limited to follow their own safety procedures, in this case requiring the prompt and effective investigation and correction of anomalies in their records. Other gas network operators should take the opportunity to learn from this tragic incident.”

Fatal Accidents

Losing someone you love in a fatal accident can be devastating emotionally. It can also affect you economically if you were financially dependent on the deceased. During this difficult time, compensation may be available to help families deal with their changing circumstances.

Pursuing compensation in fatal accident claims can be complex and time-consuming during what undoubtedly is a very distressing time for the family.  We understand this and use our experience and dedication to process your claim as quickly and compassionately as possible.

Fatal accident claims differ from other types of personal injury compensation claims because there are two routes to compensation. Put simply, you can make a claim for fatal accident compensation if you are either:

Executor for the “estate” of the deceased for the losses suffered by the deceased during his lifetime
One of the dependants of the deceased under the Fatal Accident Act 1976.

Often these groups of people are the same. They are usually the spouse, children and/or parents of the deceased.

How we can help with fatal gas explosion accidents

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes fatal gas explosions. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

Recycling company fined after 18-year-old employee suffers injuries at work

Posted on 14th February 2022 by Jonathon

According to recent reports, a recycling company had to pay a fine after an 18-year-old employee suffered injuries at work whilst clearing a blockage in a waste metal chute. The court found that the company were guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They had to pay fines of £17,500.

The employee suffered injuries at work when he fell through a chute that was approximately four meters above a concrete yard. The accident occurred when the employee was clearing a blockage. Another employee, who was waiting in a telescopic handler to collect the waste metal in the machine bucket, saw him fall and moved the machine to try and catch him. The employee was hit by the bucket and sustained injuries including several broken bones.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there was no risk assessment or safe system of work in place for clearing blockages. The company had not considered the risk of employees falling through the chute from that height.

Speaking after the hearing, the HSE inspector said: “This significant injury to an 18-year-old employee in his first employment could have been easily prevented. The remedial action taken to prevent future blockages implemented after the incident had no cost implication for the company. Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise risks from clearing blockages.”

Injuries at Work Caused by An Unsafe Working Environment

There are several responsibilities an employer must uphold to make the work environment injury free, including:

Maintaining and using machinery in a proper manner, and upgrading defective machinery
Ensuring you undertake proper training
Proper installation of risk involvement procedures
Conducting risk assessments and notifying employees of the results
Providing adequate PPE and safety equipment

If the employer doesn’t provide the above, the workplace environment is deemed unsafe. As a consequence, the employer becomes negligent. Similarly, if any workplace is unsafe and an accident occurs, your employer may be liable for a workplace injury claim.

Your Employer’s Responsibility

Your employer is responsible for making sure you are safe at work. They must follow rules and regulations set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to keep you safe. They must also make sure they carry out risk assessments to make sure any work you do is safe. This is the same for any machinery you use at work.

If the recycling company had carried out a risk assessment of the equipment and the work that their 18-year-old employee was doing, then he may not have had an accident. Similarly, if you have an accident at work and your employer did not adequately risk assess the work, and you have an accident, then you may be able to make a claim.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes injuries at work. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

Tinnitus Week and Tinnitus in Industrial Deafness

Posted on 10th February 2022 by Jonathon

This week 7^th-13^th February is Tinnitus Week, run by the British Tinnitus Association. Tinnitus is one of the main symptoms of industrial deafness, which you may experience because of the job you do. Tinnitus in industrial deafness is most common in industries such as production and construction. However, you can suffer from tinnitus in any job where you work with loud noises.

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the perception of noises in the head and/or ear which have no external source. It derives from the Latin word for ringing. The sensation can be constant or intermittent and it can vary in volume.

The symptoms of tinnitus include

Ringing
Buzzing
Hissing
Droning
Whistling noises in the ear even in silent rooms

It is not a disease or illness; it is a symptom generated within the auditory system and usually caused by an underlying condition. The noise may be in one or both ears, and it may feel like it is in the head. It is difficult to pinpoint its exact location. It may be low, medium, or high pitched and can be heard as a single noise or as multiple components.

Tinnitus in Industrial deafness

Tinnitus is one of the symptoms of industrial deafness. Industrial deafness and noise-induced hearing loss claims are common in construction, manufacturing, and the military, but they can occur in other industries too.

Industrial deafness develops over years of exposure to excessive noise. It often does not present itself clearly until a victim has left that job. 

Industrial deafness can be caused by:

Working with power tools or machinery without having adequate protective equipment
Employers not telling staff about the risks of working with loud noises
Working in a noisy environment with inadequate protective equipment

Health and safety laws clearly state that if a worker is exposed to noise levels of 80 decibels either daily or weekly, then they should receive training about the dangers of noise levels and given access to hearing protection to reduce the risk of hearing damage like industrial deafness. Even with hearing protection, no employee should work where the average noise level is over 87 decibels. Employers therefore have a duty to monitor the sound levels accurately to ensure the working environment is safe.

The statutory limit for filing most personal injury and industrial disease claims is 3 years. However, because tinnitus symptoms often manifest several years after the exposure, you will have 3 years from the date of your tinnitus diagnosis to make a claim for compensation.

Claiming Against Your Employer or Former Employer

All companies in the UK have insurance, and it is the insurance company that settles all workers’ complaints that are related to industrial deafness and tinnitus claims. You will essentially be filing a claim against the insurance company, and they are responsible for compensating you for your work-related tinnitus. Even if a company has ceased trading it may still be possible to file a tinnitus compensation claim.

How We Can Help with Tinnitus in Industrial Deafness

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with industrial disease claims. This includes tinnitus in industrial deafness. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.

Revealed: which areas of the home are the most dangerous?

Posted on 8th February 2022 by Jonathon

When we think of home, our first thoughts are often of safety, security, and warmth. Many of us see our homes as our personal safe space in the world, a place where we can relax and unwind away from the stresses of life. Rarely, if ever, do we consider how we might potentially injure ourselves during daily activities around the house.

However, studies continuously show that the home is one of the most common places for accidents to occur; unfortunately, we Brits can be a rather accident-prone lot. In fact, you might be surprised to find out that in the last 12 months alone, the average adult in the UK injured themselves at least twice while at home.

An accident at home can range from something as simple as a cut or bruise to potentially life-changing accident. Many of us have pulled a muscle while manually handling boxes or tending to the garden, but injuries can happen anywhere in the home.

To find out which areas of a typical UK household see the most accidents, and help you avoid injuring yourself in the future, we polled 2,000 Brits to find out whether they’d been injured in the last twelve months, where they suffered this injury, and what it was that injured them.

The top 5 most dangerous areas of the home

Perhaps it should come as little surprise that the most accident-heavy room in any household is the kitchen. While everyone knows they need to be careful when cooking, the use of knives, boiling water, and hot ovens makes accidents almost inevitable. As a result, 46.1% of all injuries from those we spoke to happened in the kitchen.

The next most accident-prone area of the home is the garden, following closely behind the kitchen with 35.6% of accidents occurring here. Again, with the numerous tools and gadgets we use while tending to our backyard, it shouldn’t come as a huge shock that many people end up suffering some form of gardening injury.

What might be more surprising is that 17.8% of person injuries in the home seem to occur in the living room. You might be wondering how someone could injure themselves while sitting on the sofa, but furniture-related injuries are far more common than you might think. Whether it’s missing the edge of your seat or trapping your hand behind the cushions in search of your phone, the humble couch and coffee table are responsible for more than a few injuries.

For the fourth most dangerous room, we come to the bathroom, with 17% of injuries happening on its slick surfaces. In many ways, it might come as a surprise that the rate of injury here is lower than in the living room, especially considering how wet bathrooms can get, but it seems people take greater care to avoid slipping in the bath than when sitting down.

Last but not least, the fifth most dangerous place in the home is the stairs. While visions of tumbling head over heel down one or more flights can be the stuff of nightmares, stair injuries are thankfully far less common than is often portrayed in soaps and the modern media.

The five most common household items that cause injuries

So, now you know what rooms to be most careful in, let’s take a look at the five most common household items that are likely to cause you injury.

Unsurprisingly, with kitchens being the most likely place to suffer an injury in the home, knives and hobs are the top causes of injury in the average UK house. Kitchen knives make up for 19.4% of all injuries in our study, while hob burns contribute a further 9.6%.

General kitchen furniture also ranks highly for injuries around the home, responsible for 9.1% of those reported to us. With chairs and tables often being used as makeshift stools to reach high places, uncareful footing can potentially lead to falls.

Further trips, slips, and falls often happen due to wet floors, something 7.9% of those we asked had the misfortune of experiencing. As for our final culprit for injuries around the home, 7.3% of individuals asked had experienced an accident involving the use of various gardening equipment.

The UK cities with the worst home injuries

With those stats in mind, hopefully, you now know what to look out for to avoid potential injuries in the home. And as an added bonus, we’ve used the data gathered to estimate which cities are the most accident-prone in the UK.

At the top of the list is Manchester, with 81.7% of homeowners having suffered an accident around their house, closely followed by Norwich which saw 76.8% of adults admitting to at-home injuries. Other top cities include Bristol, Newcastle, and Glasgow, with 73.9%, 72.1%, and 71.2% of those we asked, respectively, having suffered an injury at home.

If you want to find out more about injuries around cities in the UK, you can take a look at our piece on the UK’s most accident-prone cities.

Many of the injuries we experience in life can be avoided if we pay just a little bit more attention. But sometimes, we suffer due to someone else’s negligence.

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with personal solicitors who have experience in handling accident at home cases; if you were the victim of an accident at home that wasn’t your fault, get in touch to see what compensation you could be eligible for. In the meantime, check out all the latest from our team of experts!

How the New Highway Code Rules Affect Pedestrian Road Accidents

Posted on 7th February 2022 by Jonathon

The new Highway Code rules came into effect at the end of January. In the new rules, there were several changes to the amount of protection that vulnerable road users have. One of these groups is pedestrians. The aim of the new rules is to give vulnerable road users more protection on the roads. It will also aim to decrease the number of pedestrian road accidents.

The New Highway Code Rules

The new “hierarchy” is included in H1 of the new rules. This looks to ensure a more mutually respectful and considerate culture of safe and effective road use. Pedestrians are at the top of the hierarchy, as they are the most vulnerable of all road users. All other types of road users now have a greater responsibility for keeping pedestrians safe on the roads.

There is a new rule – H2 in the revised Code – which gives priority to pedestrians at junctions waiting to cross a road.  This is in addition to the existing rule that pedestrians who have started to cross the road into which a vehicle is turning must have priority.

The new rules state that at a junction you should also give way to pedestrians waiting to cross the road into which or from which you are turning.

The New Rules for Pedestrians

There are also new rules that pedestrians must follow to keep themselves safe on the road. Pedestrians should use pavements and footways if provided. Where possible, pedestrians should also avoid being next to the kerb with their back to the traffic. In addition, the advice in the Code now requires pedestrians to always remain aware of their environment and avoid unnecessary distractions. 

The new rules also state that, when crossing a road, pedestrians must ensure that they cross in a place where they are visible to drivers. This means that if pedestrians are unsure whether they can be seen by a driver perhaps due to parked cars or other obstructions they should find a more suitable crossing place, even though they have priority over vehicles coming in to or out of the junction.

How the New Rules will Affect Pedestrian Road Accidents

Ultimately, the new rules have been introduced to protect pedestrians. If all road users read up on, and stick to, the rules, then the government hopes that it will drastically reduce the number of pedestrian road accidents that happen per year.

Pedestrian road accidents can cause serious injuries. This is because pedestrians rarely, if ever, have any way of protecting themselves from a vehicle. Subsequently, if you have a pedestrian road accident, you may find that it impacts your mental health is impacted as much as your physical health.

We work with some of the leading pedestrian road accident lawyers in the country. They are experts in pedestrian road accidents. This means they can help you to claim compensation for the mental and physical effects of your accident.

How We Can Help with Pedestrian Road Accidents

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes pedestrian road accidents. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly experts.