Farm Accident Claim for Compensation

Have you been injured whilst working on a farm? Have you thought about making a farm accident claim? Farming is one of the most dangerous industries to work in and injuries sustained during an accident at work on a farm can be severe and life changing. If you have suffered an injury due to your employer or farm owner’s negligence, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries, whether you were directly employed, or subcontracted to work on the farm.

Common Causes of Farm Accidents

Due to the dangerous nature of farming, there can be many different causes of farm accidents, some of which have been listed below. If you have suffered an injury which has not been listed, you may still be able to make a farm accident claim. Get in touch to speak to a member of our personal injury team who will provide you with specialist legal advice on whether we believe you have grounds to make a claim.

• Dangerous farm machinery, such as tractors, forklift trucks, slurry pits and other industrial machinery are common causes of accidents involving farm workers.
• Injuries due to slips, trips and falls on uneven grounds, wet floors, and spillages are common reasons for farm accident claims.
• Defective equipment used to carry out farming operations have also been known to cause injuries on farms.
• Dangerous farm animals, such as cattle and livestock have been known to cause a number of agricultural accidents.
• Falls from height on farms
• Manual handling accidents
• Accidents caused by dust, chemicals and other dangerous substances used on the farm
• Accidents caused by falling objects in stores and warehouses

Farm Accident Claim – Your Employers Responsibilities

Whether you are directly employed to work on a farm, or a self-employed subcontractor on a farm, the owner or manager of the farm have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to help ensure your safety whilst working on the farm.

The government have provided some guidance on ensuring health and safety for working on farms, and there are a number of laws in place to protect farm workers. Some of the steps your employer should take to ensure that you are safe whilst carrying out your duties include:

• Providing a safe working environment and working equipment, ensuring they are safe and free from defects.
• Carrying out regular inspections on the working environment and all working equipment
• Providing appropriate equipment to help workers carry out their tasks whilst working on the farm
• Providing appropriate PPE where required to ensure employees are safe when carrying out specific tasks
• Providing a safe system of work
• Providing appropriate and sufficient training for all employees and subcontracted staff.

If you have been injured as the result of your employer’s negligence or breach of their duty to keep you safe at work, you may be entitled to bring a personal injury claim.

What You Should Do After a Farm Accident

If you have sustained an injury whilst working on a farm, you should report the accident to a manager, supervisor, or farm owner and ensure that they log details of the accident in an accident report book. You should read over the details on the report before signing it and request a copy of this report.

Seek medical attention for your injuries straight away from your G.P. or at hospital to ensure you obtain appropriate treatment.

If there were any witnesses to your accident, you should try to obtain their contact details so that we can request a witness statement from them, if required. Take photographs of the scene of the accident, or the equipment that caused your injuries. We may also require photographs of your injuries.

If you decide that you would like to make a farm accident claim for compensation, get in touch with Beacon Law to discuss the process of making a claim.

Making a Farm Accident Claim Against Your Employer

When people consider pursuing an injury claim against their employer for any type of accident, they are often concerned about being dismissed or maltreated because of the fact that they are making a claim. 

Your employer cannot end your employment or to treat you badly  simply because you are making a claim against the company/ farm you work for. If you have experienced any negative treatment as a result of a claim you have brought against your employer, you should consider speaking to your trade union, Citizens Advice, or a specialist employment solicitor.

If you or a loved one would like to make a farm accident claim, Beacon Law help. We will discuss the circumstances of your accident and the injuries you sustained before we notify your employer of the claim. The claim will be brought against your employer who should have adequate employer’s liability insurance in place to deal with your claim.

We will keep you updated and provide specialist legal advice the whole way through your claim. If we can establish that your employer has been negligent, we will fight for the right amount of compensation for your injuries.

In most circumstances, the compensation will be paid by your employer’s insurance company, and not directly by your employers.

If you are unsure about whether you should make a claim, have a read of our recent articles on “Should I Make a Personal Injury Claim?” and our FAQ’s on making a workplace accident.

There are strict time limits of three years for making a personal injury claim, this can be extended in special circumstances; however, we would advise that you start your claim as early as possible to avoid your claim becoming statute barred.

Why Choose Beacon Law to Deal with your Farm Accident Claim?

Beacon Law are a team of highly skilled personal injury Solicitors and legal professionals with experience in all areas of personal injury law. We offer a high level of service to all our clients and work hard to ensure you receive the best level of compensation for your farm accident injuries. We offer assistance in a wide range of claim types, including, accidents at work, road traffic accidents, slips, trips, falls, and criminal injuries. Beacon Law is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. To find out about our no win, no fee funding, have a look at the funding section on our website.