Accident at Work

Rogers & Norton Solicitors have specialist lawyers who are experienced in handling claims arising from the work place.

Have you been injured as a result of an accident at work?

If you have had an accident at work, your claim will be handled with the same high level of care and expertise whether your injury is minor or life changing.

Your employer owes you a high duty of care in ensuring that you are safe at work

The law relating to compensation claims and the criminal law, enforced by the Health & Safety Executive, regard your safety at work is of paramount importance. Employers are legally obliged to provide you with safe equipment, machinery and plant. They also need to ensure that you and your co-workers are adequately trained.

Where appropriate, your employers need to provide you with suitable protective equipment. Should you suffer an accident at work because of the lack of a protective guard; flying debris; broken or defective equipment; an electric shock or as a result of a fall, you may be entitled to claim damages.

Your employer must ensure that the place where you work is as safe as possible. The floors and access routes must not be wet, cluttered with rubbish or have exposed cables upon which you may slip or trip.

Employers are also responsible for ensuring that the premises where you work, including outside areas such as car parks and pathways leading to the premises are safe and well lit. They must also ensure that the premises is suitably heated and ventilated.

An accident at work can occur in a variety of places

Construction sites can be dangerous places to work, so the Health & Safety Executive work hard to minimise the possibilities of death and personal injuries suffered in the industry. Figures from the HSE indicate that over the last 25 years, 2800 people have been killed on construction sites.

The main causes of injury include overturning vehicles; collapsing structures; unsafe scaffolding; slipping on wet and dangerous surfaces; fragile roofs; falling through fragile roofs and roof lights together with crush injuries. In particular employers in the construction industry are obliged to safeguard against exposure to asbestos.

Many victims are now only realising the effects of their exposure that occurred sometime ago. Although the exposure may have happened many years ago, it does not act as a bar against a claim for exposure to harmful substances such as asbestos.