There is a now a wealth of health and safety legislation but many employers remain oblivious to the dangers their workplaces pose, or to the duties they owe to their employees and others to protect them.
The principal duty on an employer is to assess the risks of harm at his work and to take all reasonable steps to minimise those risks. If those assessments are not carried out, inadequate or not properly implemented then the employer will usually be liable for any resulting accident.
There is a wide spectrum of work injury cases, from construction site accidents to repetitive strain injuries to asbestos exposure.
The following are examples of recent cases we have dealt with:
Builder suffering psychological reaction following needlestick injury from discarded syringe. Employers failed to take action to prevent drug users using work site. Settled for £20,000.
Labourer sustained burns to ankle by liquid nitrogen leaking from pipe he was working on. Required plastic surgery. Case settled for £100,000.
60 year old machinist tripped over cable from her sewing machine, sustaining back injury. Recovered £70,000 damages.
Train driver traumatised by witnessing suicides but not counselled by employer and suffered severe psychiatric reaction. Case settled at door of court for £50,000.
Bank employee suffered stress after bullying from supervisor. Settled for £40,000.
Work accident claims are proved by evidence. If you think you have a claim you should contact us as soon as possible and in the meantime take the following steps:
Report the accident to your supervisor
Note witness contact details
Ensure if possible that an accident book entry is completed.
