UK WORKPLACE ACCIDENT
COMPENSATION CLAIM SETTLENTS ADVICE

An employer has a duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of employees. This duty arises through common law (which is law made by judges over many years) and through occupational health and safety legislation which has been passed as an Act of Parliament. In addition there are now many laws, rules and regulations as a result of membership of the European Union. Health and Safety is now a very broad topic and workplace accident compensation claim settlements require advice from specialist personal injury solicitors to ensure that cases that should succeed are not rejected as untenable.

Your employer must ensure that:

• The premises in which you work are safe.
  
  Not only does the physical fabric of the property need to be in a good state of repair and compliant with building regulations but also the environment within which work is carried out must also be safe which means that the interior of the property should be clean and clear of debris or waste prosducts, that walkways and stairs are not obstructed and that floors are generally not wet or slippery.
• The equipment that you use in performing your job is suitable and safe.
  
  In addition to ensuring that the right equipment is provided and used for any particular task this requirement demands an ongoing inspection regime to identify risk in advance of an accident. Machinery and tools should be properly inspected and kept adequately maintained. Safety equipment should be used and any worker who refuses to use safety equipment for his own or others protection should be warned and if appropriate ultimately dismissed.
• Co-workers are well trained and competent.
  
  This is a strict requirement and is of particular importance in regards to new equipment or new members of staff. An employer has a duty of care to ensure that staff carry out their work in a safe manner, not putting other employees at risk. Employers should ensure that training is given to new, inexperienced employees and those from non-English speaking background, to ensure that they can carry out their duties safely. If an accident is the fault of a co-worker then the management or owner of the business is ultimately held responsible for any personal injury caused by that co-workers negligence.

The cause of many common workplace accident compensation claim settlements includes:

• using unsafe or defective equipment, machinery, vehicles
• lifting, handling, carrying heavy objects
• lack of proper clothing or equipment
• careless co-workers who cause you injury
• inadequate training and supervision
• dangerous premises; slips, trips and falls
• inadequate safety procedures
• exposure to fire or explosion
• electrocution, drowning, asphyxiation as a result of an unsafe system

Here are 3 good reasons to choose our lawyers:

1. Our lawyers will provide you with legal advice on your rights and entitlements to compensation with no further obligation.
2. Our solicitors are specialist accredited expert members of the Law Society personal injury panel with extensive experience in negotiating, settling and litigating accident compensation claims.
3. If you decide to instruct any of our specialists to obtain compensation for you, they will act on a “no win no fee” basis. Compensation is paid in full and win or lose there is no charge.¹