Pages On: Workplace Injuries

How We Can Help With Work Accident Claims in Bristol

Posted: 6 May 2017

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

Being involved in an accident at work is one of the most common types of personal injury claim that we deal with. Whilst work accident claims in Bristol will typically normally be made by people working in manual type jobs such as construction, they can still happen anywhere, and at any time.   Work Accident Claims Bristol – The Law It is your employer’s responsibility to ensure that you work in safe conditions and that their premises and working conditions comply with the law and in particular health and safety…

Violent inmate launches vicious attack on prison officer

Posted: 1 May 2016

Posted in: Arm Injury, Criminal Injury and Assault, Head and Brain Injuries, Shoulder Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A senior prison officer, who was working in the Segregation Unit at HMP Swaleside in Kent’s Eastchurch, has finally received compensation following being forced out of his job due to a violent attack by an inmate. Iain Fleming suffered horrendous physical injuries as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whilst working in the canteen. An inmate lunged at one of his colleagues brandishing two sharpened plastic knives, and attempted to stab him in the head. Mr Fleming rushed to restrain the inmate and found himself instead being stabbed and attacked. The inmate stabbed the…

Salisbury man awarded compensation for contracting mesothelioma

Posted: 25 April 2016

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Employer Negligence, Industrial Deafness and Disease, Mesothelioma

A 60-year-old Salisbury man, originally from Sardinia in Italy, has received a six figure sum in compensation for developing the fatal disease, mesothelioma whilst working as a chef. Mr Luigi Pes had moved to Britain, aged 31, in 1982. He had been working for La Gondola Italian Restaurant in Fisherton Street in Salisbury where he was exposed to asbestos from the seals on the pizza oven and in the store room ceiling. Mr Pes was not warned by his employers about the dangers that working with asbestos could pose to his health. When…

Ministry of Defence compensates talented chef

Posted: 12 April 2016

Posted in: Armed Forces Injuries, Employer Negligence, Workplace Injuries

A talented chef, who was serving in the British army, sustained injuries that were so severe he can no longer work within his trade. Hopewell Marindire, from Kettering, had been posted to Sennerlager training camp in Germany where he had been working in below freezing temperatures. He developed a condition known as ‘non freezing cold injury’ which caused him numbness, permanent intolerance to cold temperatures, damage to tissues and in considerable pain.  The chef, who was originally from Zimbabwe, had been working in conditions as low as 14 degrees Celsius wearing nothing…

Former pipefitter wins compensation for asbestosis

Posted: 22 March 2016

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Employer Negligence, Industrial Deafness and Disease

A former pipefitter who approached his union following a diagnosis of the incurable lung disease, asbestosis, has been awarded compensation after winning his claim against a former employer. 64-year-old Michael Adcock developed the disease after having worked for 18 years for a Leicestershire engineering company refurbishing boilers that had asbestos in their insulation. As part of his job, Mr Adcock had to remove insulation from boilers manually which caused asbestos dust to be in the air and then settle on his skin, hair and clothing. It was learned that he had worked at…

What is Mesothelioma and can you claim compensation for getting it?

Posted: 16 March 2016

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Employer Negligence, Industrial Deafness and Disease, Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a devastating disease. It is a highly aggressive form of cancer most commonly found in men who have been exposed to asbestos throughout their working life. The condition is contracted by breathing asbestos fibres into the lungs. The microscopic asbestos fibres aggravate the cells of the lungs and cause them to mutate into cancerous cells. Mesothelioma usually affects the lungs but can also be found in the stomach. Common symptoms of mesothelioma include chest pain, breathing problems, fatigue and weight loss. More than 2,600 people were diagnosed with…

Concerns over lung disease diagnosis

Posted: 30 January 2016

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Industrial Deafness and Disease, Medical Negligence

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has asked a senior NHS expert to look into concerns raised following the diagnosis of lung disease in ex-mineworkers. The concerns were raised when the Union of Democratic Mineworkers paid for 2 redundant ex-miners to have CT scans of their lungs privately. It was discovered that both miners from Nottinghamshire were suffering from pneumoconiosis despite previous X-rays in 2013 coming back marked as “satisfactory”. The union is now calling for all former miners to get CT scans following the results of Ray Nunn and Crawford Hunter, both…

Factory Accident Claims in Bristol

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

If you work in a factory in Bristol, then you will already be aware of how dangerous then can be. Accidents are more common in these working environments than any other place of work. We specialise in helping people in Bristol get factory accident compensation from personal injury claims. All calls are confidential, and we offer a free consultation to anyone calling us who thinks they may have a case. After a quick phone call with our team, we can quickly tell you whether you are eligible and then assign…

Government urged to compensate mesothelioma

Posted: 2 November 2015

Posted in: Armed Forces Injuries, Asbestos Exposure, Employer Negligence, Industrial Deafness and Disease, Mesothelioma

The government has been urged to make changes to the way in which veterans are treated when diagnosed with mesothelioma – a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Armed forces charities, senior military figures and politicians have all stepped forward in a bid to provide better support to veterans who were exposed to asbestos during their time in service, and have contracted mesothelioma as a result. They are demanding that all veterans will receive the same compensation as civilians, arguing that the government is currently breaching the Armed Forces Covenant. Thousands…

Warehouse worker wins damages after fall from height causes him to lose leg

Posted: 30 August 2015

Posted in: Falls from Heights, Foot Injuries, Leg Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A warehouse worker from Plymouth has been awarded more than £500,000 in compensation after falling from a height, causing him to have his leg amputated. 47-year-old Mark Jeffery fell while cleaning out the guttering of his employer’s Plymouth-based premises ten years ago, leaving him with a shattered leg, ankle and foot. Following a total of thirteen operations to recover his leg, eight years later Mr Jeffery was forced to have his lower leg amputated. Before his accident, Mr Jeffery was described as a ‘fit and active man’, always taking part…

Cambridgeshire police force pay out over £20k in workplace injury compensation

Posted: 27 July 2015

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Finger Injuries, Workplace Injuries

Following a Freedom of Information request, it has been revealed that Cambridgeshire Police has paid out over £20,000 in compensation to staff in a five-year period. Claims ranged from dog bites to injuries caused by a collapsing desk, with a total of 16 claims made since 2010, (of which seven were successful). The force was unable to specify which seven claims were successful because of the Data Protection Act. It was revealed that a total of 16 claims were made against the force by staff, including 6 trip or fall…

Teacher to receive £1.5m for workplace harassment

Posted: 22 July 2015

Posted in: Employer Negligence, School Accidents

A schoolteacher from Bishop Auckland is to receive £1.5million in compensation after years of suffering workplace victimisation. 43-year-old Karen Hall contacted Durham County Council chief executive George Garlick when the bullying became an issue, with the hope that he would take action. However, despite numerous letters and attempts of contact, he failed to acknowledge her plead for help. The former teacher of West Cornforth Primary School said she suffered eighteen individual instances of victimisation at work, which have left her with serious health problems. She said: “My health is still…

Tesco employee claims over heavy lifting

Posted: 25 June 2015

Posted in: Shop Accidents, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A grocery manager who claims that heavy lifting caused him to suffer a back injury is taking Tesco Stores to the High Court. 36-year-old Damian MacLean accused the company of negligence, with the belief that his back injury was caused by lifting heavy delivery cages in the store. Tesco Stores admitted liability for the injury in a letter written in January 2013, however, now disputes the amount that Mr MacLean is claiming for, arguing that the medical evidence does not support his claim. Mr MacLean made the assertion that his…

Support the Bristol Armed Forces Day on June 28 2015

Posted: 25 May 2015

Posted in: Armed Forces Injuries

Supporting Armed Forces Day On Saturday the 27th of June it’s Armed Forces Day in the UK – with a special Bristol event taking place on the 28th. At Personal Injury Bristol we are offering our own support and will be donating to one of the many different events that are happening in and around the UK. We believe that our servicemen and servicewomen deserve all the support that they can get for their efforts, and would like to bring attention to the Armed Forces Day website. On the website…

Military Injury Claims – Armed Forces Compensation in Bristol

Posted in: Armed Forces Injuries, Workplace Injuries

Call now to talk to a specialist accident claims expert for free guidance on whether you are able to claim for armed forces compensation. Our no win, no fee* solicitors** can help Bristol service people with military injury claims. We know that your work is highly specialist, and our solicitors** have a huge level of respect for those who have or are currently serving in the armed forces. It is dangerous work, and you were under no illusions about the risks, but even so, when an accident happens it can…

Slips, Trips, and Falls in Bristol – Claim Compensation

Posted in: Public Place Accidents, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Slip

If you have been hurt after slipping over, tripping up, or have had a fall in Bristol, then you could be due some form of personal injury compensation. Our solicitors** work on a no win no fee* agreement and with one call to us, you could find out how much you could be owed. Call our Bristol number now on 01174 534 375^ to talk to an accident claims expert with a free consultation. If there is a slip, trip, and fall claim to be made, then we will tell you the…

Industrial Injury Compensation Bristol - Work Accident Solicitors

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

Bristol has a long and impressive history as an industrial hub for the UK. Whilst industrial injury compensation in Bristol used to be commonplace, thankfully the cases we deal with have now started to reduce due to improved safety standards. However, industrial injury claims are still on our agenda, as accidents can and still do happen, even if on rare occasions. Suffering an industrial injury at work is not common, but it will still happen in certain circumstances. When they occur, you need the peace of mind in knowing you can…

Repetitive Strain Injury – RSI Claims in Bristol

Posted in: Repetitive Strain Injury, Workplace Injuries

If you believe that your work has resulted in a repetitive strain injury, then you could be due a compensation claim. Employees are permitted to make RSI claims for compensation if their working environment has resulted in their pain and injury. Any damages will be paid for from your employer’s insurance policies – meaning your claim won’t affect your boss’ pocket. If you are unsure or worried about making a repetitive strain injury claim due to the relationship you have with your work, then call us. Our experienced claims team…

Office Accident Claims – Compensation for Work Injury

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

Call now to find out how much you could be eligible for. All employers and businesses have a duty of care towards their employees and office workers. If you have been injured in an office accident, then you could claim personal injury compensation if our solicitors** can establish blame with your employer or a co-worker. Office Injury Claims in Bristol If you are concerned about creating an issue with your employer when making an office accident claim, then please note that any compensation that you win will be paid from…

Construction & Building Site Accident Claims in Bristol

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

At Accident Claims Bristol we only every work on a no win no fee* agreement. This means you can get access to justice without the need for financial risk. We also offer a free telephone consultation. Call us today on 01174 534 375^ to discuss your circumstances and tell us more about the accident or injury you suffered at a construction or building site. We will quickly be able to tell you whether you are eligible to claim for compensation payouts. Building Site Accident Claims in Bristol Those working in the building and construction…

Did You Contract an Illness Due to Your Working Environment?

Posted: 20 March 2015

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Industrial Deafness and Disease, Workplace Injuries

Bristol’s history as a centre of trade and industry is an interesting aspect to our local culture.  Whilst not quite at the levels that it once was, there are still some very active businesses who work in older traditional type industries. We would like to think that all of them adhere to the best health and safety practices, but that’s not always the case unfortunately. In the past this was particularly true, and it’s only now that some workers are experiencing illnesses that were contracted as a direct result of…

Industrial Disease Claims in Bristol

Posted in: Industrial Deafness and Disease, Workplace Injuries

Our personal injury solicitors all work on a no win, no fee* agreement for industrial disease claims. When you call us, you will be able to take advantage of a free consultation over the telephone. With a decade of experience, we are expertly placed to help you make an industrial disease claim in Bristol. Industrial Disease Solicitors** Bristol Your employer, whether past or present, is legally bound to ensure that workers are safe from harm, disease, and illness whilst working on premises or otherwise. If the business or company does…

Industrial Deafness & Hearing Loss Claims in Bristol:

Posted in: Industrial Deafness and Disease, Workplace Injuries

Hearing loss due to industrial noise affects many people. We are specialists in helping workers to make industrial deafness claims in Bristol. We work on a no win, no fee agreement* allowing anyone quick and easy access to justice for tinnitus and other hearing related problems resulting from their workplace. Make an Industrial Deafness Claim in Bristol We try to make the process of claiming for compensation as simple as possible. If you call our hotline and helpline, you can talk to an accident claim specialist who will take details…

We Can Now Help With New Work Injury and Asbestos Claims

Posted: 5 March 2015

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Workplace Injuries

As we reported in our last blog post, our online marketing manager had some very exciting plans for the website including plans on new content updates. We are very pleased to say that those plans went live today with new pages on the website concerning how to make an asbestosis claim in Bristol, plus a huge amount of information about work accident compensation claims. This generation of new and compelling content is all part of our commitment to residents and workers in the Bristol area who want immediate and effective…

Accident at Work Claims in Bristol: Injury Compensation

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Workplace Injuries

We are specialists in accident at work claims in Bristol. We help people in Bristol and Avon to claim for personal injury compensation for an injury they have suffered in the workplace. With an expert team of solicitors and lawyers, we can support you in getting the justice and compensation that you deserve for the injuries that were not your fault. We work on a no win, no fee* agreement, meaning you can receive legal representation despite your financial circumstances. How to Claim for Accident at Work Compensation in Bristol All…

Staff injury compensation costing council

Posted: 13 February 2015

Posted in: Hand Injuries, Repetitive Strain Injury, Workplace Injuries

Staff personal injury compensation is costing Barking and Dagenham Council £20,000 a month according to recently released figures. The figures were released following a Freedom of Information request, which detailed that the council paid out to 90 separate incidents between January 2009 and September 2013, averaging out at just less than £20,000 a month. The total paid out to claimants during this time was £1,123,347. One of the council’s finance department employees was awarded £85,245 in June 2009 for a repetitive strain injury, while a second member of staff was awarded £33,645…

Welder sues firm for £200,000 after being hit by a metal frame

Posted: 29 December 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Head and Brain Injuries, Neck Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A welder who was hit by a falling metal frame has sued a Downham firm for up to £200,000 in compensation. 40-year-old Scott Fewster had been working as a welder at a skateboard ramp manufacturers, called Highline Extreme, when a metal frame fell on him. He said that the metal frame pushed him back onto a concrete floor, which left him with severely debilitating injuries. He suffered injuries to his head and neck, soft tissue injuries to his forearms, and severe bruising all over his body. He said he was…

Outcry over dog destruction

Posted: 28 September 2014

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Shop Accidents, Workplace Injuries

A wave of public anger has overcome the Derby community after a destruction order was placed on a dog forced to bite a shop assistant by its owner. Tia, a “pitbull or Staffordshire” type dog, was forced by her owner, Jessiah Johnson, to attack a shop assistant in November last year. Magistrates ordered the destruction of the dog following the incident, which has resulted in a public outcry with people arguing that the dog should not be held responsible. Tia was ordered to bite the assistant by its owner, after…

Chemical leak leaves man hospitalised

Posted: 29 August 2014

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

A chemical leak has left a man in hospital. A delivery driver phoned firefighters yesterday morning with the fear that there was a chemical leak inside his vehicle. The van had been delivering a heavy duty acidic de-scaler to a house in Ashbury, near Faringdon, when the incident happened. It is believed that the dangerous chemical leaked out through the packaging and into the delivery van, affecting the driver. Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service said that they received a phone call just before 9am with a delivery driver…

Wife of asbestos victim appeals for information

Posted: 24 August 2014

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Employer Negligence, Mesothelioma

The widow of a former dockyard worker who died as a result of asbestos exposure has appealed for information surrounding her late husband’s working conditions. Kenneth Strong died at age 80 after battling mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure, for five-months. His wife Jean is appealing to her husband’s colleagues to assist in an investigation into the working conditions of the dockyard. Ken died earlier this year after contracting mesothelioma, a cancer in the lining of the lungs, at work. He began work at Devonport Royal Dockyard at the age…

Mother sues over son’s shattered dreams

Posted: 26 July 2014

Posted in: Armed Forces Injuries, Falls from Heights, Head and Brain Injuries, Workplace Injuries

The mother of a young man who had dreamed of a career in the Royal Marines since a young age is suing them for over £1million after her son fell during a dangerous training exercise. The exercise required the men to complete a high-level assault course called ‘Tarzan’. When 19-year-old James Cobby reached the stage known as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, he fell 7m hitting a high-tension cable on the way down. Mr Cobby (now 22) suffered life-changing injuries from the fall and will require 24hr care for the rest of his…

Police officers receive £3m in compensation

Posted: 24 July 2014

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Bicycle Accidents, Faulty Work Equipment, Workplace Injuries

New figures have revealed that Police officers receive an estimated £3million in compensation for minor injures every year. Injuries in the last year ranged from officers falling off bikes to being bitten by dogs. According to legislation, however, Police forces are only supposed to pay damages if more could have been done to prevent the accident from happening in the first place.  This would involve ensuring that the work environment was safe and that protective clothing suited the nature of the work. The biggest compensation sum received was £138,000 by an…

Worker prosecuted following acid burns

Posted: 17 June 2014

Posted in: Leg Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A member of staff at an industrial estate has been taken to court after one of his colleagues sustained serious burns from a plastic bottle filled with sulphuric acid. Mark Mellard (46) had picked up the plastic bottle on his way out of work, which had been left unattended by the sink, before he felt it burning on his leg. He disposed of the bottle and washed his leg with cold water. The severity of the burn damaged Mr Mellard’s nerve endings, so he proceeded to walk his dog before going to…

Asbestos victim denied compensation

Posted: 12 May 2014

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Employer Negligence, Mesothelioma

A cancer patient has been given ‘enormous sympathy’ but no compensation for her cancer caused by asbestos expose in her workplace in the 1970s. 58-year-old Marie McGregor was 15 when she worked in Lewis’s Department Store in Liverpool. She had been employed by the British Shoe Corporation (BSC) which managed a concession there.  In 1976 a workman was employed to fix the store’s escalators. Although Mrs McGregor and her colleagues thought nothing of it at the time, the store was covered in a thin layer of white dust that gathered on…

West Country most dangerous place to work

Posted: 3 May 2014

Posted in: Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

New figures have revealed that the West Country is the most dangerous place to work in Britain. A report has found that over 6,500 people were injured and 12 people died while working in the South West of England between 2012 and 2013 – a figure higher than anywhere else in the UK. With a national average of 78.9 deaths/injuries for every 100,000 employees, the figure for the West Country currently stands at 81.4. The publication by the Health and Safety Executive has accused businesses of being responsible by not putting…

Injured teachers receive record £26m in compensation

Posted: 20 April 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Foot Injuries, Head and Brain Injuries, Neck Injuries, Pedestrian Injuries, Pothole Injuries, School Accidents, Shoulder Injuries, Workplace Injuries

Newly released figures have revealed that school staff have been awarded a record of £26 million in compensation. One teacher received £110,000 after tripping on a pothole in the driveway of the school she worked at. She is just one of the hundreds of school staff who have claimed for a work-related injury.  The NASUWT teaching union assisted many of its members in claiming compensation, winning teaching staff more than £20 million in 2013. This figure was up a third on the previous year, with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL)…

Council paid out £150,000 compensation in last five years

Posted: 15 March 2014

Posted in: Public Place Accidents, Workplace Injuries

Recently released figures have revealed that Thanet Council has paid out around £150,000 in compensation to personal injury claimants in the past five years alone. The figures were attained as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Gazette newspaper, finding that a total of 70 claims had been made against the council in the last five years. In only the past year, a total of 13 claims were made, with a total of £28,298 being paid-out  The highest payout in the last year was £22,6802010 was the…

Call for improved safety for rail workers

Posted: 19 February 2014

Posted in: Public Transport, Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Ten years after an accident that took the lives of four men working on a railway line, a rail union has called for the safety measures of workers to be improved. The Rail, Maritime & Transport (RMT) said that not enough improvements have been made to protect workers following the accident that happened a decade ago, and that action must be taken now to prevent the accident from repeating itself. The men were killed by a runaway 16-tonne wagon on the West Coast Main Line at Tebay. A memorial service…

Redbridge council sees highest payouts for accidents at school

Posted: 25 January 2014

Posted in: Finger Injuries, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries

New figures have revealed that Redbridge Council has paid out almost £100,000 in compensation to people involved in accidents at school.  Out of all of London’s 32 boroughs, Redbridge Council sees the 5th highest amount of payouts, with neighbouring Waltham Forest compensating as little as half of Redbridge Council, with only a third of the claims.  The figures showed that over the last five years, the council has received 61 personal injury claims that relate to children, staff, parents, visitors, and contractors. Figures uncovered by the freedom of information disclosure…

Pharmaceutical firms fined £120,000

Posted: 14 December 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Workplace Injuries

Two pharmaceutical companies have been fined £120,000 after harmful chemicals leaked, causing many staff members to fall seriously ill. Archimica Chemicals and Euticals, both of which have recently gone bust, both admitted to health and safety breaches following the incident. Archimica Chemicals admitted to six charges, while Euticals admitted to two. One of the former factory workers, Nigel Verdon, said that his “life had been turned upside down” after he was left with brain damage following one of the leaks. The father of two, from Cheshire, had been exposed to methyl…

Life on medication for Hereford metal worker

Posted: 25 July 2013

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

Steven Bond-Lewis will spend the rest of his life on medication following a serious accident at his workplace. The metal worker from Hereford was crushed by falling machinery containing molten metal, leaving him with such severe organ damage that he expects to live the rest of his life on medication. After having spent eighteen days on a life support machine, Steven had to endure operations including the removal of half of his bowel and operations for the 25% burns sustained in the accident. The 37-year-old required psychological support to come to terms…

Leading cheese company fined following tractor death

Posted: 20 June 2013

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

JA&E Montgomery Ltd have been fined a total of £120,000 after one of their farm workers was killed when the sub-standard tractor she was driving overturned. 26-year-old Kim Webb was out checking the cattle when she was thrown out of the vehicle in June 2009.  She was crushed as the tractor overturned and was later pronounced dead in hospital.   The tractor Kim was driving failed to meet health and safety regulations, missing both a seatbelt and roll-over bar, which are both essential safety devices for tractors. Because of this, Somerset-based JA&E…

Risk assessments could have made a difference to seriously injured worker

Posted: 25 April 2013

Posted in: Foot Injuries, Head and Brain Injuries, Knee Injury, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A Portsmouth steel manufacturer was sentenced earlier this week, after one of its workers suffered life-changing injuries when he was hit by a falling 1.4 tonne steel beam. An HSE investigation found that the company had not carried out a proper assessment of the risks involved in the particular work process, and so had failed to put in simple safety measures that would have prevented beams from being knocked and becoming dangerously unstable. The worker, a fabricator/welder, who does not wish to be named, suffered numerous injuries including a fractured…

Company fined for worker's injuries

Posted: 18 April 2013

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Falls from Heights, Foot Injuries, Hip Injuries, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A self-employed roofer has been fined after an employee suffered major injuries falling through a skylight at a Nuneaton industrial estate. The employee was re-cladding the asbestos roof when he fell seven metres to the factory floor below. He fractured his pelvis, back and foot and was unable to work for several months. The self-employed roofer was responsible for the work and was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found he failed to do enough to prevent or mitigate the fall. He was fined £1,000…

A quarter of construction sites fail safety inspections

Posted: 9 April 2013

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Falls from Heights, Workplace Injuries

Inspectors for the Health and Safety Exective recently carried out a month-long exercise to improve standards in the construction industry – one of the most dangerous industries in Britain. They made unannounced visits to construction sites in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk to ensure companies are managing high-risk activity, such as working at height. They also checked for general good order, assessed welfare facilities and checked whether personal protective equipment, such as head protection, was being used appropriately. A total of 17 of the 71 sites they inspected were found not…

London firm in court for worker's injury

Posted: 4 April 2013

Posted in: Arm Injury, Leg Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A London-based chemicals company has been prosecuted after a worker was run over by a forklift truck and had to have part of his leg amputated. The long-serving employee, who had worked for the company more than 40 years, suffered major crush injuries to his right leg and had to undergo an above-the-knee amputation in hospital. He also sustained ligament damage to his left leg, a dislocated left elbow and was in hospital for four weeks. He has been unable to return to work at the company since. Westminster Magistrates’…

Workman fined for friend's fall through roof

Posted: 20 March 2013

Posted in: Arm Injury, Employer Negligence, Falls from Heights, Workplace Injuries

A self-employed maintenance worker has been fined after a friend, who was helping him on a job, fell through the roof of a disused factory. The injured man, in his forties, suffered a broken elbow when he fell three metres through the asbestos cement roof at a disused rubber factory in the Forest of Dean. HSE found that the maintenance worker, who was employed to dismantle the roof of the building, did not plan the work properly or have any safety equipment in place that might prevent or mitigate the…

TUC updates its guide to workplace safety

Posted: 12 March 2013

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Industrial Deafness and Disease, Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The TUC has published an updated version of its guide to workplace safety, entitled ‘Hazards at Work’. The publication comes at a time of increased concern over a reduction in the number of workplace safety inspections and an increase in workplace fatalities. The TUC says that the current upward trend in workplace fatalities will be not be reversed unless there is an increase in the enforcement of health and safety law in all workplaces. The guide has 24 chapters on the common hazards and causes of ill health at work…

Fatal accident in warehouse

Posted: 11 March 2013

Posted in: Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Employers are failing to effectively manage the risks facing workers in the storage, warehousing and road haulage sector, according to the Health and Safety Executive. A recently reported fatal accident in a Corby warehouse provides an all too real example of how serious the consequences of these failings can be. Fatal accident The incident concerned forty-four-year-old Desanka Todorovic, who had entered the warehouse to collect flat-pack boxes. She was standing next to some racking as a forklift truck brought down some pallets. Sadly, the racking holding the packaging collapsed and…

Firm fined after pedestrian is struck by falling masonry

Posted: 6 March 2013

Posted in: Pedestrian Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Shop Accidents, Shoulder Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A Portsmouth firm has been fined for safety failings after a member of the public was struck by masonry during unsafe overhead work in Surrey. The 29-year-old passer-by cut and bruised his shoulder and experienced muscle spasms as a result of the incident. Guildford Magistrates’ Court heard that the firm was undertaking work above shops to clean stonework and install pigeon spikes. A mobile elevating working platform (MEWP) was correctly being used for the task, but as it was being repositioned it struck a building and dislodged a chunk of…

Blueprint to improve safety in the waste industry

Posted: 19 February 2013

Posted in: Workplace Injuries

A blueprint for addressing the terrible toll of death, injury and ill health for workers in the waste and recycling industry is to be published following a landmark summit. Senior figures from across the sector met in Solihull to agree the key health and safety issues facing the industry and what needs to be done to tackle its poor health and safety record. Between 2004/5 and 2011/12, the HSE received reports of 97 employees and 19 members of the public being fatally injured – and 3,722 employees suffering major injuries…

Gloucestershire paper company fined for safety failings

Posted: 24 January 2013

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Hand Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A Gloucestershire paper producer has been fined after an employee’s hand was crushed in an unguarded machine as he tried to clean it. The 43 year-old worker received a serious crushing injury, cuts and bruising to his right hand when it was drawn between the rollers of a paper coating machine, he was unable to return to work for two months. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that the rollers had to be cleaned periodically, sometimes several times a day, when the coating material is changed.…

Enterprise Bill “stacks odds against workers”

Posted: 15 January 2013

Posted in: Employer Negligence, Workplace Injuries

Government plans to change workplace law are a license for rogue bosses to let safety standards fall, claim the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). APIL is lobbying for a Government amendment to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill to be dropped as it is debated in the House of Lords. “The Government is trying to overturn 100 years of legal procedure by making the injured worker have to provide all the evidence to prove that the employer who has injured him was at fault,” explained APIL president Karl Tonks.…

At work drivers taking deadly risks on roads

Posted: 9 January 2013

Posted in: Car Accidents, Road Traffic Accidents, Workplace Injuries

Recently published research has found that many people who drive for work are risking their own lives, and those of others, by texting, speeding and grooming behind the wheel. The results from a survey carried out by Brake and Direct Line show that: Nearly a third (31%) text while driving, compared to 28% of non-work drivers.Nearly one in six (17%) admit grooming while driving, compared with 14% of non-work drivers.More than a third (37%) admit driving while talking on a hands-free phone, compared with 24% of non-work drivers.More than half…