A forklift accident can be very serious which means that if you suffer an injury at work relating to a forklift truck that you believe wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to compensation to help ease the physical and financial pain you may have suffered as a result.
How can I tell who was to blame?
There a few ways to help you decide where the blame lies with when you have an injury involving a forklift at work. The first thing you must ask yourself is whether you believe you have received proper training. There is an Approved Code of Practice that has been published that outlines the minimum training requirements that you should have when operating a forklift, even if its only occasionally. This should be followed by your employer and should cover all aspects of how to use a forklift.
Most workplace forklift accidents come down to a lack of supervision and a lack of, or poor standard of, training.
So ask yourself this – was I adequately trained? Did I require supervision? And if so, then was I supervised properly?
If you run these questions through your head and come to the conclusion that you weren’t properly trained/supervised then you may be eligible to make a claim against your employer as they did not take the proper steps to ensure your safety in the workplace
If the cause was down to a lack of knowledge and training on your part, you really shouldn’t be blamed for what has happened.
If you have suffered the injury as a result of a colleague operating a forklift then you should also be able to make a claim against your employer. It doesn’t matter whether they have or have not been properly trained though, as accidents caused by colleagues can normally lead to a claim against your employer using the rule of vicarious liability… This means that the negligence of a colleague can fall on to your employer!
Won’t I get in trouble for claiming against my employer?
Absolutely not!
In most cases the employer will have had hundreds or thousands of claims raised against them in the past, and most employers have insurance specifically in place for claims against them. In fact, a lot of employers encourage you to make a claim as their insurance will often cover them.
Even if you work for a small company where claims don’t really happen that often, it is still actually illegal for them to treat you any differently as a result of this claim.
At the end of the day it is THEM that is in the wrong, and not you; so do not feel like you shouldn’t make a claim because you believe you will be treated badly as a result.
How much are these claims worth?
It is impossible to put an exact figure on any type of case without proper medical evidence, as all cases are different and depend on a lot of factors before an accurate estimate of how much the claim is worth can be made.
But we can reassure you with the fact that we are specialist injury lawyers who specialise in all aspects of injury claims. This means that our legal team will be able to get you the maximum amount of compensation that you deserve to help ease the stress this injury has caused you by giving you some financial peace of mind.
If you want more advice on forklift claims or any other kind of potential work injury claim you may have then please give us a call on 0800 634 7575 and we will be happy to guide you through anything you are unsure of and help you make the right decision when it comes to making your claim.
