Anyone who works with high powered equipment or high temperature equipment can be exposed to electrical burns – the risk could be severe, and the consequences can be life threatening. We are fortunate to have a lot of rules and regulations here in the UK that impose strict duties on employers to take necessary action to protect employees from being injured in the workplace.
So if you have suffered electrical burn injury at work, can you claim?
Generally speaking these sorts of injuries arise from using equipment and so the prominent piece of legislation you need to know about is The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
First and foremost they say that work equipment needs to be maintained in an efficient state and in a condition of good repair – so any burn injury caused by a defect or malfunction may mean your employer is squarely to blame. They do also specifically address isolation and temperature as well. Isolation is key to ensure an employee does not sustain an electrical burn when using or maintaining certain equipment.
Regulation 13 is fairly self expiatory when it comes to high temperatures, and it reads as follows:
Every employer shall ensure that work equipment, parts of work equipment and any article or substance produced, used or stored in work equipment which, in each case, is at a high or very low temperature shall have protection where appropriate so as to prevent injury to any person by burn, scald or sear.
Regulation 12(3) addresses specific hazards when it comes to the use of work equipment and one such section is also potentially prominent when it comes to an electric burn injury at work. They say that measures should be in place to prevent things such as:
- (c)work equipment catching fire or overheating;
- (e)the unintended or premature explosion of the work equipment…
The crucial thing to know is that there are regulations that cover you so employers have an important duty to prevent electrical burns injuries arising. If you have suffered an electrical burn injury and you believe that your employer may be at fault, we can help you.
For more information about your rights to claim; what you can claim for; and about our unique agreements with our clients that can save you thousands of pounds, just call 0800 634 7575 today.
