Accidents at Work

Accidents at work are unfortunately not uncommon as we at The Injury Lawyers know only too well.  Despite stringent health and safety laws, it would seem that employers are not always doing all they can to ensure that their workers are protected when at work.  Although they have a duty of care to look after the welfare of their workers, whether that is through the provision of proper and thorough training, or by making sure the right equipment is available and in a safe working order, it would seem that on some occasions employers do not take the right precautions.  This means that accidents at work occur.  It was only this week that it was reported across several media sites, in particular the Harrow Observer, that Raakesh Patel, a factory worker who produces bagels in Harrow, was involved in a serious accident at work whereby he lost the tops of two of his fingers when they were sliced off by the machinery he was using.

The Harrow Observer reports that Mr Patel’s employers knew that the machinery he was using was faulty, but still allowed him to use it.  As such, when Mr Patel was trying to unblock some dough from the machinery, one of the rotating blades used to cut the dough came on and cut the tops of two of his fingers off.  This was despite the fact that the machine’s safety device should have stopped the rotating blade moving, demonstrating that the machinery was clearly faulty.  As many of you would agree, this is something that no-one would wish upon themselves.  Somewhat fortunately, the local hospital Mr Patel attended was able to save one of the tops of his fingers and re-attach – he was not so fortunate with the other finger.  He will now have a visible reminder of this accident for the rest of his life.

Clearly the machinery was faulty.  The rotating blade used to cut the bagel dough had been allowed to operate when it should not have been able to do so.  Worse though was the fact that Mr Patel’s employers were aware that the machinery was faulty, and yet did not remove or replace the machinery.  The accident report book at the company Mr Patel worked at had entries regarding the faulty machine and yet they did not act.  This meant that this sorry accident occurred and now Mr Patel has to live with his employer’s negligent decision for the rest of his life.  Although Mr Patel did receive compensation, this will never replace the lost top of his finger.

If you have had an accident at work and you believe your employer failed in their duty to ensure your health and safety, it is vital that you contact a quality injury lawyer as soon as possible.  If you have sustained an injury at work, you may be entitled to compensation.  We ask that you report the accident to your employer and make a record of the incident in their accident book as soon as possible, and get in touch with a professional injury lawyer who will be able to advise you of the next steps in obtaining the compensation you may deserve.