Building Site Accident Claims for Compensation

Common Reasons for a Building Site Accident

Working on a building site can be dangerous due to the number of hazards present on a site. Obvious hazards on a construction site can include the failure to maintain the cleanliness of the building site, being struck by falling debris, falling into unguarded holes or trenches, the collapse of tunnels or other excavations, lack of personal protective equipment, faulty machinery, falls from scaffolding ladders and cranes, failure to properly plan the job, and cutting corners at the expense of safety.

Common Construction Site Injuries

Injuries on a building site are very common and some can be serious and even life threatening. The most common types of injuries that may be suffered due to a building site accident include:

Head injuries – Unfortunately, head and brain injuries are sustained quite often on site and are usually the result of falling objects hitting employees on the head or employees falling from heights. Quite often, employees working on construction sites are not provided with the correct PPE, such as hard hats to prevent them from sustaining serious head injuries.

Spinal cord injuries – Spinal injuries are another very serious type of injury which are occasionally suffered due to an accident on a building site. These types of injuries usually happen due to falls from a height, such as an unstable scaffold.

Broken bones – One of the most common types of construction site injuries are broken bones. These can be suffered as a result of many different types of accident, such as a slip, trip or fall, a fall from height, being hit by a moving vehicle on site or falling down an uncovered hole on site.

Eye injuries – Eye injuries can be severe, and may have a negative impact on a construction worker’s personal and professional life. These types of injuries are usually caused by dirt, dust and debris on site getting into a worker’s eye due to a lack of, or insufficient eye protection.

Sprains and strains – Sprains and strains can be painful and can cause an employee to require time off work as a result. These types of injuries are usually caused by trips and falls and lifting objects without the proper lifting equipment or training.

These are examples of a few types of injuries that may be sustained on a building site; however, there are may more. If you have sustained any type of injury, do not hesitate to get in touch to initiate your building site accident compensation claim.

I Have Been Injured in a Building Site Accident – What Should I Do?

If you have been injured in a building site accident as a result of your employer’s negligence, you may be able to make a claim for compensation against your employer. Before making a claim, you should:

• Report the accident to a senior member of staff on site. You should ensure that details are recorded in an incident report and request a copy of the report. Your employer may have to report the accident to the Health and Safety Executive.
• Seek medical attention. If you have been injured, you should attend your G.P. or a hospital to obtain treatment for your injuries. Keep hold of any receipts for parking or medical treatment as evidence of your additional losses.
• Obtain evidence to support your claim. If possible, take photographs of the scene of the accident, your injuries, or anything which may be relevant to support your claim. It may also be useful if you can obtain witness statements from anyone who witnessed the incident.
• Contact Beacon Law. If you would like to make a claim against your employers for an accident on a building site, get in touch with us using the contact details below to start you claim.

Does it Matter if I’m Employed or Self-Employed?

Quite often, construction workers are self-employed. However, you could still be classed as employed for the purposes of making a claim if the company you work for controls or directs the work you are doing, or provides you with the equipment you need to do the job.

Therefore, if you are classed as self-employed, for the purposes of tax, you may still be able to make a claim. The law surrounding accident at work claims has progressed to allow tradesman to be considered as employed in certain circumstances. It is therefore essential that we are able to argue that you are employed as opposed to self-employed. If we can establish this as a fact, we are able to bring a claim against your employer or other contractor for a breach of your health and safety rights.

Injuries sustained whilst visiting a building site

Your may be required to visit a construction site for many reasons. Those vising a building site are protected under The Occupiers Liability Act of 1957. This act places a duty of care upon the building site owners to keep their property safe and free from hazards . Visitors to a site should be provided with the correct PPE, such as helmets and hi-vis vests before they are allowed to enter the premises . Construction site managers should ensure all walkways are safe and free from hazards for visitors and workers alike.

If a visitor to a site has been injured as the result of the site management’s negligence, a construction site accident claim may be made by the injured party.

Get in touch with Beacon Law today to find out if you could make a claim as a visitor to a construction site.

Building site accident claims: How much compensation?

It is difficult to determine how much compensation you may be entitled to from the outset of your claim. All construction site accident claims will be unique, so there is not one set amount of compensation that can be awarded for victims of this type of accident.

The amount of compensation that can be awarded in a personal injury case is determined by different factors. Each case differs depending on the severity of your injuries.

If an injury is particularly severe, the compensation award would generally be higher. Although some injuries may not appear to be severe initially, it may worsen later in life so this will be considered.

Compensation is usually divided into two categories: general damages and special damages.

General Damages – This refers to the amount of compensation you receive for your physical pain, suffering and loss of amenity.

Special Damages – Special damages refer to any direct financial losses that you may have suffered because of your accident and injuries. Typically, these may include loss of earnings, medical treatment costs, travel costs or the costs of care provided to you.

We use the GC Guidelines as well as recent case law to help provide a valuation on your injuries.

Some serious knee injuries, for example, can be awarded anywhere between £20,880 – £76,690. Alternatively, if your fall on a construction site caused a simple arm fracture, you may be owed between £5,280 – £15,300.

If you sustain a head injury, the amount of compensation you could receive can vary from £1,450 for minor head injuries to £265,000 for more severe brain damage.

If you are still unsure about how much compensation you can receive, there are compensation calculators online which provide an estimate for different injuries, although these are not always accurate.

Claiming against your employer or owner of a construction site can be quite daunting, so our legal representatives can discuss the appropriate funding methods for your claim. At Beacon Law, we operate on a “no win, no fee” basis so you don’t have to face any financial risk to give you the best chance of being successful with your building site accident claim.

How Can Beacon Law Assist?

If you’ve suffered an injury through an accident on a construction site, then contact our specialist personal injury solicitors today for legal advice and assistance on making a building site injury claim. Beacon Law are a highly experienced Personal Injury Solicitor’s firm. We can assist you in pursuing a personal injury claim against your employers for an accident on a building site on a no win, no fee basis. We have expertise in these types of claims, and We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

To find out more about time limits, claim valuations, and support provided, please visit the claims process section on our website.

Get in touch with our team by filling in the form at the top of the page, using our live chat facility, or give us a call on 03301332857.