Accidents and Injuries at Work
There are many different types of workplace injury that may give rise to a claim. Regardless of your occupation, if you sustain an injury at work, you could have a right to claim compensation. The Labour Force Survey reported that 441,000 working people sustained a non-fatal work related injury in 20220/21. In addition, 1.7 million work-related ill health cases were reported, including work-related stress, depression, and anxiety. In many circumstances, such workplace injuries could have been avoided by employers if they had implemented the correct measures to minimise the risk of an accident.
Slips, trips and falls
Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common causes of injury at work. Everyone in the workplace has a part to play when it comes to preventing slips and trips and such accidents are usually the consequence of poor housekeeping in the workplace.
Your employer is under an obligation to provide a safe place of work. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 imposes a duty on an employer to ensure that the work environment is clean and maintained to a high safety standard.
Muscle Strains and Repetitive Strain Injury
Musculoskeletal disorders can affect muscles, joints, and tendons in all parts of the body. Such injuries made up 28% of work-related injuries in 2020/21 and can be caused by a variety of jobs, with construction being the prevalent industry. Repetitive Strain Injury can become severe enough to inhibit simple activities with crippling and debilitating pain.
Crashes and collisions
Crashes and collisions can happen in any vehicle related jobs. Injuries caused by a moving vehicle account for 10% of non-fatal workplace injuries in 2020/21 . The most common vehicle for such accidents are forklift trucks.
Occupational Deafness
Occupational deafness is a type of sensorineural hearing loss. It is caused by prolonged exposure to high level or noise or vibrations at work.
Accidents caused by insufficient PPE
Under the Health and Safety Act 1974, your employer is under a duty to ensure your safety at work. This duty includes providing any appropriate PPE in order for you to safely do your job. Personal Protective Equipment includes eye protection, face masks and head protection and they should be provided to you, free of charge under the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002.
Vibration injuries
Vibration injuries occur when you are exposed to vibration at work through the use of hand-held or hand-guided power tools. As a result of this exposure, your injury may develop into Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) or Dupuytren’s Contracture.
Asbestosis – Occupational Lung Disease
A range of lung diseases can be caused by exposures in the workplace including very serious diseases, such as cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This type of work related injury often only develops many years after the workplace exposure that caused or contributed to them.
Whilst these are the most common work related injuries, if you have suffered an injury at work which does not come under these headings, you may still have a right to claim. Contact us to discuss your case with a member of our personal injury team. You can email enquiries@cartridgeslaw.co.uk or call us on 01392 286774.