WOOLLISCROFTS SOLICITORS

PERSONAL INJURY DEPARTMENT - Accidents at Work

In spite of a wealth of Health & Safety legislation designed to protect people whilst at work, the fact remains that, according to data published by the Health & Safety Executive, in 2009-10 some 5.1 million working days were lost due to workplace related injuries.
The sad truth is that many accidents at work are avoidable and only occur as a result of negligence on the part of employers and / or the failure of employers to comply with the Statutory Duties owed by all employers to their employees.
At Common Law all employees have a duty to provide their employees with things such as:-

suitable training;
care in the selection and training of fellow employees;

competent supervision;
a safe place of work;
a safe and suitable system of work;

Plant and machinery that is safe to use.

In addition, as a result of Health and Safety Legislation introduced by Parliament employers are also subject to a whole host of “Statutory Duties” contained within Regulations covering a wide range of matters including, for example:-

a duty to undertake Risk Assessments;
a duty to provide training;
a duty to provide Protective Personal Equipment;
unsafe workplaces;
trips or slips on unsafe surfaces within the workplace;
lifting and other forms of “Manual Handling” at work;
working at height;
injuries due to falling objects;
the safety, suitability and maintenance of Work Equipment;
accidents involving defective, inadequately maintained or unguarded Plant or Machinery;
exposure to hazardous substances.

It is not just employers who owe Duties of Care to workers. For example, employees who undertake work away form the premises of their own employer are owed duties by not only their employer but also the individual or business responsible for the land or premises visited by the employee in the course of their employment.

Construction Sites

Special Health & Safety legislation applies to accidents occurring on Construction Sites, and in this situation workers are owed duties by not only their employers but also, for example, by the Main Contractor responsible for the Construction Site as a whole. Accordingly, in this scenario even a Self-Employed worker may, for example, be entitled to make a Personal Injury Claim against a Main Contractor in they sustain injury as a result of the Construction Site being unsafe.

Employers Liability Insurance

Employers are required by law to maintain Employers Liability Insurance. Accordingly, if you pursue a Personal Injury claim against your employer it will generally be an Insurance Company, and not your employer, which actually deals with and meets the Personal Injury claim.
If employers fail to comply with their obligations in respect of Employers Liability Insurance that may result in them being exposed to personally liability.

Some important matters to bear in mind if you intend to make a Personal Injury claim

Ensure that details of your accident are entered in the Accident Book (although if the details are not actually completed by you we would advice against putting your signature to details completed by a third party – because we frequently encounter situations where, in the cold light of day, our clients advice us that they do not necessarily agree with the version of events set out in an Accident Book entry to which they may have been invited to put their signature);
If you have sustained a Major Injury, or a less severe injury which nevertheless prevents you from working for a period of at least three days, ensure that your employer has discharged their obligation to submit a “RIDDOR Report” to the Health & Safety Executive in accordance with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (this duty also applies in the case of accidents at work resulting in death);
Always take independent legal advice from specialist Personal Injury Solicitors, such as Woolliscrofts Solicitors, before signing any documents which may be presented to you by your employer following an accident at work – such as an Accident Report Form, Witness Statement or even a document agreeing to provide you with Sick Pay to which you do not have a Statutory or Contractual entitlement (we have, for example, seen situations where an employer gets their employee to sign a document agreeing not to pursue any Personal Injury claim against them in return for receiving enhanced Sick Pay);
Take photographs of your injuries (remembering to keep a note of who took the photographs and the date upon which the photographs were actually taken);
Keep a daily journal of your pain and suffering and how the accident and/or resulting injury generally and specifically affects your life;
Keep any evidence for payments made as a result of the accident and/or injury including, but not limited to quotations, receipts cheque stubs, bank statements and the like;
Keep a record of any journeys which you have to make for reasons relation to your accident and/or resulting injuries (such as, for example, journeys to and from appointments at the Hospital or with your General Practitioner), i.e. the date of each journey and the number of miles travelled (obviously journeys by Bus or Taxi would fall under the previous category of items of expenditure in respect of which you should keep Bus Tickets or Taxi Receipts);
Be aware that the other side may attempt to use video surveillance to video you to try and show that your injuries are not as serious as you or your medical evidence suggests which could ultimately reduce the compensation that you would otherwise be entitled to.

Time Limits

It is extremely important to bear in mind the fact that strict time limits exist in relation to making all types of Personal Injury claims - and different rules apply in respect of certain types of claim and, indeed, in relation to different categories of Claimant (such as adults, children) and, indeed, depending upon other factors (such as whether or not the are suffering from Mental Incapacity or, in a limited circumstances, the actual or presumed “Date of Knowledge” of the Claimant of certain matters)

Accordingly, if it is your intention to pursue a Personal Injury claim, DON’T DELAY, CONTACT US to find out if you may be entitled to compensation and, if so, the time limit within which any claim which may be available to you would have to be made.

Why use Woolliscrofts Solicitors?

Woolliscrofts Solicitors are proud to have been serving the interests of our clients throughout North Staffordshire, South Cheshire and, indeed, nationally for over a century.
We have a dedicated team of Solicitors specialising in pursuing claims on behalf of the victims of accidents which have resulted in Personal Injury, who can help you meet the challenge of making a claim for compensation. We will help and support you during the claim process and give you a realistic appraisal of the level of damages which we believe you can expect to recover.

Committed to your Success

Here at Woolliscrofts Solicitors we are Committed to your Success.
All of the Solicitors in our specialist Personal Injury Department are members of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel and / or the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). Woolliscrofts Solicitors only act on behalf of Personal Injury Claimants, and so do not accept instructions from Insurance Companies representing those responsible for causing accidents and injury to others, and we are truly passionate about representing the interests of victims of accidents.

“NO WIN, NO FEE” – RECEIVE 100% OF YOUR DAMAGES

Most of our Personal Injury clients instruct us under the “No Win, No Fee” scheme – receiving 100% of their compensation and leaving the opponent’s Insurance Company to pick up the costs of the case.

GETTING IN TOUCH WITH WOOLLISCROFTS SOLICITORS

So, if you have been injured as a result of an Accident at Work and think that you may be entitled to compensation contact Woolliscrofts Solicitors on FREEPHONE 0800 083 97 87, or send us a free no obligation enquiry by e-mail.
We will be able to tell whether we believe that you have reasonable grounds to pursue claim for compensation, explain the next steps necessary to get your claim underway and answer any questions which you may wish to put to us.

There is no charge for an initial enquiry, contacting us does not commit you to using our services and Initial Interviews are FREE.

Initial Appointments available at a time and place to suit you

If your injuries prevent you from getting to one of our offices we offer Hospital and Home Visits. In addition, if weekdays are inconvenient for you, Initial Interviews are available between 10.00am and 4.0pm on Saturdays by prior appointment.