Workplace accidents

Workplace accidents can have serious consequences, affecting both employees and employers. They can range from minor incidents like slips and falls to major accidents causing severe or even fatal injuries. Beacon Law is a specialist personal injury law firm with a team of experienced solicitors who are ready to assist with workplace accident claims. 

If you have been injured at work in an accident that wasn’t your fault or due to someone else’s negligence, then you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Our team of personal injury lawyers are highly experienced in this area of the law and can assist you in claiming the compensation you deserve for your workplace injuries. 

Common types of workplace accidents

Workplace accidents can vary widely depending on the nature of the work and the industry. However, some types of accidents are more common across different workplaces, such as:

• Slips, Trips, and Falls: These are among the most common types of workplace accidents and can occur due to wet or slippery floors, uneven surfaces, cluttered walkways, inadequate lighting, or improper footwear.
• Struck by Objects: Workers can be injured when they are struck by falling objects, moving machinery, or vehicles. This can happen in construction sites, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other workplaces where heavy objects are handled.
• Caught in or Between Objects: Workers may get caught in machinery, equipment, or between objects, leading to crush injuries, amputations, or fatalities. This can happen if safety guards are missing or if workers are not adequately trained in operating machinery.
• Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs): Jobs that involve repetitive motions or awkward postures can cause RSIs such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, or bursitis. This is common in assembly line work, data entry, and other tasks that require repetitive movements.
• Electrical Accidents: Workers can suffer electric shocks, burns, or electrocution when working with faulty wiring, exposed electrical parts, or improperly grounded equipment. This is particularly prevalent in the construction, maintenance, and electrical engineering industries.
• Chemical Exposures: Exposure to hazardous chemicals or toxic substances can cause skin irritation, respiratory problems, chemical burns, or long-term health issues. This can occur in laboratories, manufacturing plants, and other workplaces where chemicals are used or produced.
• Fires and Explosions: Workplace fires and explosions are extremely dangerous occurrences and can result from faulty equipment, improper storage of flammable materials, electrical faults, or human error. They pose a significant risk in industries such as manufacturing, mining, and construction.

Employer’s Responsibilities

The workplace should be a safe environment where employees feel safe. Your employer has a duty of care under the ‘Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974′. To prevent injury at work and ensure all employees are safe in the workplace. 

Additionally, the workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) regulations (1992) and ‘The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999‘ impose a duty on your employer to ensure that the work environment is always clean and maintained to a high safety standard. Employers should regularly carry out risk assessments and inspections of the working area to maintain employee safety.

If an accident at work occurs, then your employer has a responsibility to report it to the Health and Safety Executive in some circumstances.

What is the process of making a workplace accident claim?

During your initial consultation, our specialist solicitors will provide you with legal advice about workplace accident claims and will inform you about the relevant limitation rules.

Our personal injury lawyers will then ask you for details about your accident and the initial injuries that were suffered as a result. This will help our injury lawyers to assess the likelihood of your claim being successful.

During these initial stages of your claim for compensation, it is vital that you gather the relevant evidence to support your claim. Relevant evidence may include CCTV footage of the incident, medical records, accident books, photographs of your injuries, and witness statements.

Your personal injury solicitor may also ask that you undergo an official medical examination in order to receive medical reports about the injuries that you have sustained. These medical reports will provide vital medical evidence of the nature and extent of your injuries. Even if you have received other medical care prior to starting your workplace accident claim, a more thorough medical assessment may still be needed to produce detailed, accurate, and reliable medical reports.

If we think that your workplace accident claim would be likely to succeed, we will offer a no win, no fee basis; if your claim is unsuccessful, you will not be required to pay any legal fees.

How much compensation could you receive?

The amount of compensation awarded will aim to put the claimant in the position they were in before the accident that resulted in their injuries took place. The amount of compensation awarded will depend on the pain and suffering caused by the injury or disease, as well as the severity.

General damages that could be awarded will also depend on the impact that the injuries have had on the claimant’s daily life, whether any long term care is needed, and whether any structural adaptations need to be made to the claimant’s home in order to assist their new way of living.

Special damages will also be awarded to compensate for any further financial loss that the claimant has suffered as a result of their original injury. This could include compensation for a loss of earnings due to the time spent off work, loss of future earnings if the claimant has been left unable to work, the cost of medical treatment, travel costs, and the cost of ongoing care if this is needed.

We advise that you keep evidence of all financial losses suffered as a result of your injuries. This could include receipts and invoices from medical treatment and evidence of any loss of earnings.

How can Beacon Law assist?

Beacon Law are a law firm of specialist personal injury solicitors. We have helped many of our clients claim compensation for workplace accidents, enabling them to move on with their new way of life.

Please call us on 0330 1332 857, and we will be happy to assist you with your query.

Beacon Law are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. To find out about our no win, no fee funding options, have a look at the funding section on our website.