Work Injury Compensation Claims

Work injuries should not be part of the job description. Every day in the press, accidents in the work place are reported, which have caused serious and sometimes fatal injuries to employees. Work injury solicitors work on your behalf to help you make a compensation claim if you have had an accident at work and it was not your fault.

Government health and safety statistics, which are compiled every year, state that in 2009.

• There were 1.2 people in the UK, suffering from illness which had been caused by or made worse by their work or place of work
• 131,895 injuries were reported under the ‘Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations’ (RIDDOR)
• That there were 246,000 reportable injuries

The fact is that every day, British workers suffer accidents at work, which can be due to the negligence of their employers. These statistics are based on incidents that have been reported.

The introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974 put the initiative on the employer to ensure that their employees were able to carry out their jobs without fear of work-related injury. These regulations are often mocked in the newspapers because it is thought that the fear of causing an accident is greater than the actual risk.

However, consider this:

From 1974 to 2007:

• The number of fatal injuries to employees in the workplace fell by 81%
• The number of reported non-fatal injuries fell by 72%

Some of these statistics can be attributed to a change in the industries of the UK as companies moved away from manufacturing and more towards the service industry.  That does not mean that these are not impressive figures all the same. The Act has saved people’s lives and continues to do so.

Work injury solicitors have been blamed recently for the ‘compensation culture’ where people are encouraged to make false or exaggerated claims in order to gain money in compensation. These figures show that there can be a very real danger of injury in the workplace. If you are involved in an accident at work, then you are entitled to claim and be compensated. Losing money due to injury is a serious thing to happen to anyone, and in the event that you are too seriously injured to resume your job, then you can be thankful that there are companies like workaccidentclaim.net that can help you make a work injury compensation claim.

Our company has experienced work injury solicitors who are trained to talk to you and listen to your story. We understand how the system works and are ready to guide you through every stage of the process of your claim.

Unreported Incidents

A large proportion of work incidents resulting in injury are unreported to the Government. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Report (RIDDOR) suggests that as many as two thirds of work-based injuries are not reported. Increased awareness of the need to report work injuries can lead to higher numbers of employees reporting accidents in their work place.

Reasons for not reporting injuries can include:

• Employers want to maintain low injury rate records so that their records look good when applying for new contracts
• To keep a high public confidence in their work
• To keep insurance costs down.

It is important that if you are injured at work, that you report it immediately and follow the company protocol. Your company may have an Incident Record Book, or a form to fill in for HR. You need to follow procedures and ensure that your employer knows that you have had an accident.

If you have had a serious accident, then keep records such as a written report of what you think happened, photos of the injuries and any doctor appointments or letters. These will all help you in your claim. The company should be given a chance to put right the problem that led to your work injury.

What if I don’t Claim?

If you don’t claim for your injury, then what’s to stop your accident happening to somebody else? You owe it to your fellow employees to make sure that what happened to you does not happen again.

A recent case reported in on the Government Health and Safety website (www.hse.gov.uk) told the story of a worker losing two fingers in a machine, while trying to maintain it. The employee received compensation because there should have been a guard on the machine to prevent such accidents. The subsequent inquiry brought under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act found that this was not the worker’s fault. It decided that the company should have checked that the equipment used was up to health and safety standards.

Imagine if the incident had gone unreported. The worker had lost two digits but the machine was not updated to reflect current health and safety standards. The next worker who was instructed to clean out the machine would also be subject to the risk of injury. By claiming for compensation, then something had to be done about it. The company was fined for not complying with the 1974 Act.

It can be difficult to know what to do in a situation where you have just been injured. Talking to an experienced solicitor can help you get a professional perspective on what has happened to you and help you to understand the steps you need to take. At workaccidentclaim.net we can advise you on your case and inform you how solid your compensation claim is likely to be.

Compensation is Not Just for Injury Claims

Compensation is not only awarded for injury claims. Other things are also taken into account. Workers can also claim for:

• Loss of earnings
• Expenses caused by being injured
• Other losses caused by being injured

Recovering after a serious injury can take a long time. You may have to have time off work beyond the usual sick leave limit. You may only be entitled to statutory pay while you are recovering. It is important to be able to claim for your loss of earnings because of your injury.

Similarly, you may be subject to other costs due to your injury. You may need to pay hospital car parking charges, extra prescription charges, even taxis to get about if you cannot drive because of your injury. Keep a note of all out of pocket expenses so that you can claim for them.

Do not be out of pocket due to your employer’s negligence. Make sure that you claim for your injury in full, receiving all that you are entitled to, by talking to a reputable solicitor who is experienced in dealing with work injury claims. Get in touch with us by using the form and discuss your case with a knowledgeable solicitor today.

You are Entitled to Claim if Injured at Work

It can be the simplest of things that leads to the worst of injuries. A prison officer tripped up and fell at work. They suffered serious facial injuries and won compensation for them. Accidents happen, but if they could have been avoided then you may have a claim.

Using machinery safely at work is a very important issue that can have catastrophic consequences if things go wrong. A trainee employee at a quarry was injured when his 30-tonne vehicle overturned and slid 16 feet down an embankment. The access ramp edge that the vehicle was driving across, gave way leading to the fall. The employee lost consciousness and spent two days in hospital following the accident. The following inquiry discovered that the quarry company was in breach of three separate health and safety regulations, including one that stipulated that an edge protection barrier should have been fitted. This would have most likely have prevented the vehicle from falling.

It is the responsibility of all companies to ensure that employees are not exposed to risks from heavy construction vehicles. Safety procedures are vital in order to minimise accidents.

If you work for a quarry company or a construction company and you have been injured, then talk to a reputable solicitor who has a background in work injury compensation claims. Talking to someone with the right experience will make all the difference and could enable you to claim compensation for your accident.

Working in the construction industry can bring its share of work injuries. Working with heavy machinery, scaffolding, dangerous materials such as Asbestos and in unpredictable circumstances all mean that health and safety guidelines need to be followed in order to protect the workforce.

It is not just the machinery that can fail. Recently a director and his company were fined because it was found that workers at their factory were routinely exposed to high levels of lead. The following inquiry found that there was a failure to supply safety equipment and basic training to the employees. The company had not monitored the air supply to check that it was within normal limits of pollution and it did not act once limits had been breached. Employees at this factory would be perfectly within their rights to claim compensation, should they become ill as a result of their working conditions.

Environmental risks also need to be reduced in the workplace and you can claim, even though the damage was done many years before. It is only recently that Asbestosis claims have started to rise and that is because it takes a long time for the disease to develop. It is linked to work done over thirty years ago in some cases.

Companies are still being fined today under the 1974 Health and Safety Act because they have exposed their workers to Asbestos unnecessarily. Strict guidelines have been laid down so that the risk of injury to employees is minimal but employers need to follow the guidelines.

Making an Injury Claim

Employers are required to take out insurance to cover work injury claims by law. This ensures that if employees need to claim because of an accident at work, then the employer can be covered and will be able to pay the claim. Accidents can happen because of a one-off incident, but procedures may still have to be changed in order to ensure that the accident does not happen again. If you have been made ill or injured because of your work then you are entitled to claim.

Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."

This means that employers are required to:

• Provide safety equipment
• Monitor the environment where hazardous substances are used
• Instruct and train their employees in the safe use of equipment
• Provide protective clothing
• Fit machinery with protective guards if necessary

Failure to keep up their responsibilities as an employer may mean that the workers may be subject to work injuries or even death. It is important that safety equipment needs or problems be brought to the attention of the employer. If they will not pay attention or alter the company practices then there may need to be a challenge to them in the form of compensation claims should an employee be injured as a result of their negligence.

Contacting a Work Injury Solicitor

There can be a certain reticence about contacting a solicitor who specialises in work injury claims. You don’t want to cause a problem for your employer or you worry about the safety of your job. It’s natural to feel that way: no one wants to be the one who informs on a company. You could be worried about the impact that such an action might have on your relationship with your work mates or the possibility that it could harm your chances for promotion.
While it’s true that you may be in for a difficult few months while the claim is brought forward and sorted out, consider these possibilities:

• You say nothing and the situation continues as it has done for a long time
• Another colleague suffers a similar or worse accident or injury to yours
• Young trainees, lacking in experience are more likely to suffer an accident
• You may have incurred loss while dealing with your accident or injury and now you are out of pocket and possibly permanently scarred.

Scary as it is to contact a solicitor and talk to them about what happened to you, it is even more of a worry as to what can happen if nothing is done. The work place carries on as normal and your work colleagues are exposed to exactly the same risks as you are. Sometimes employers need a wake-up call to inform them what they should be doing. Your compensation claim could be that wake-up call.

Talk to an Experienced Work Injury Solicitor

It is so easy to talk to a solicitor specialising in work injury claims in this day and age of internet companies. There is a choice of a simple call back form in order to discuss your case, or there is a more involved accident form which offers basic details. This gives the solicitor talking to you a chance to check the details and know what kind of a case he is taking on. All of our solicitors are friendly, approachable and experienced in matters of work injury compensation claims ensuring that it is easy to tell your side of the story.

You will be advised as to the validity of your claim within an hour by the solicitor that you have contacted. If you have got a valid claim, you will also be advised how to fund it. Here at workaccidentclaim.net we work on a no win, no fee basis. The costs of the case will be met by the insurance of the party that are being claimed against. You will not be offered loans to cover the costs of the case and there are no hidden fees or costs. We will deal with your claim from the first call to the arrival of the compensation cheque and we offer a completely professional service.

Having an accident at work is bad enough, and if it leads to a serious or life-changing injury then that is worse. Ensure that your work is a better place to work in the future and change those dangerous procedures that are a threat to the health and safety of your fellow workers. Be fully compensated for the pain and the loss of activities that work injuries bring. Calling in a professional work injury solicitor to help you with your compensation claim and ensuring that you do not lose out by your accident may be the best decision that you ever made. The claim is made on a no win, no fee basis, using the best solicitors experienced in work injury compensation claims.

Contact workaccidentclaim.net today using the form and get started on your compensation claim. You may be glad you did. Case studies as reported on http://www.hse.gov.uk website.