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Going to work for most of us is part of life, whether we love it or hate it, it’s something we have to do. We need money to pay the bills, and working is the way to earn that much needed money. Whatever job role you have you expect to be safe whilst at work. Whether you work as a receptionist or a contractor it should be in your employer’s interest to ensure your safety whilst at work.

Upon starting a new job role there are numerous amounts of training that you should go through with your employer. They should go through fire training with you, this means showing you what to do in the unfortunate event of a fire drill. They should also show you the basic health and safety training. Part of this training includes manual handling; this is where employees are shown the safest way to lift objects. This is essential no matter what your job role, as a receptionist you may need to lift heavy delivery boxers, or in a job role such as a builder where you are working with heavy equipment on a day-to-day basis.
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A whiplash injury is caused when there is a sudden movement of the head / neck, causing it to jerk or jolt violently away from your body. Anything that causes your neck to jolt sideways, backwards or forwards may cause the injury. It often results in the ligaments, tendons and muscles in the neck being overstretched.

The most common cause of a whiplash injury is a car or a motorcycle accident; this is because when they become involved in a collision there is a sudden stopping force, which is the cause of your head moving violently away from your body. Even collisions that occur at a low speed can cause a whiplash injury.
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For some motorists, motorcyclists are their worst nightmare! Motorcyclists are seen by some drivers as hazards on the road. They often appear as if from nowhere, and speed past drivers on some of the most dangerous roads. However, the latest government campaign called Think! Bike aims to change those views. They don’t want drivers to judge motorcyclists as rebels on the road; they want us to see them as people – i.e. a mother or a father, or as someone’s daughter.

Motorcyclists are 57 more times likely to be injured in a serious or fatal crash than car drivers. That is why it is important that motorists keep an eye out for bikes when on the road. They should check their blind spots before turning to make sure that no bikes are behind or to the side of  them.

If you are a motorcyclist, you must also show a duty of care to other road users. A lot of motorbikes are seen as speed machines – this doesn’t mean they are. Just like any other vehicle, as a motorcyclist, you should still stick to the speed limit. Failure to do so could result in a road traffic accident, and puts the lives of you and other road users at risk.
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If you work, you’re probably at least vaguely aware of the importance of health and safety at work; particularly if you work in the manufacturing industry, or in a factory, or in another similar role. All employers have an important duty of care to ensure that their employees are not harmed during the course of their employment, which is why there are so many rules and regulations employers must follow.

But still, rules are broken and regulations are not followed correctly, and employees become injured through the negligence of their employers. If your employer has failed to maintain the important duty of care they have for you, and they are found to be negligent, you are entitled to make a claim for compensation for the injuries and suffering you have had to endure. So, how’s it work then?

Well, it is a legal requirement for your employers to have an employer’s liability insurance policy in place to cover all of their employees for any injuries they sustain during the course of their employment. You are completely free, and legally entitled, to claim for compensation from it. In fact, the insurance is there for that very purpose!
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If you have recently been involved in a car accident but are unsure whether your injuries are down to whiplash it is essential you read on.

Whiplash is a form of injury that involves any damage caused to the neck. Injury is normally caused by sudden impact that forces the head to jilt. This usually results in the ligaments and tendons in your neck becoming damaged.

Symptoms of whiplash include pain around the neck and surrounding areas, including your back, arms, shoulders and head. You may also feel a tingling in your fingers, or muscle spasms. Other symptoms include sickness, headaches and loss of movement.
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After having a few drinks at a local pub or in more busy areas, such as the city centre, pedestrians are more likely to run out in front of moving vehicles. This is because the levels of alcohol in their system stop them from considering the dangers of doing so. That’s why if you’re driving through an area with local pubs, it is important that you do so with great care; especially at night.

When drunken pedestrians become involved in accidents they are usually subject to contributory negligence. This is when evidence, such as them running out in front of a moving vehicle, shows that they have contributed to the accident. The court will need to look at all aspects of the accident in detail when deciding what percentage of negligence both the driver and the pedestrian showed. They will do this by looking at a number of facts and how the intoxication of the pedestrian contributed to any injuries.

An example given in the Guide to RTA Liability outlines what aspects a court would look at when deciding who showed the  most negligence.
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With a lot of the population in the UK relying on motor vehicles as our main method of transport the roads are becoming more and more busy. The worst time on the roads and what all drivers really want to avoid is the drive to and from work in the morning and around teatime. A lot of us tune into our local radio station on the way home to hear about any traffic jams, and if possible we try to avoid them.

Even the most minor of car accidents can cause serious injuries, for example if someone drives into the back of you it is highly possible that you will suffer from a whiplash injury. A whiplash injury is caused when a person’s neck is forced to jilt either backwards, forwards or sideways. This can damage the neck and its surrounding area. Unlike most injuries whiplash injuries can take days to make themselves known, it may be that you begin to feel aching pains around the neck, if this happens you should see your GP.

Road traffic accidents involving motor vehicles are a big worry to our government that is why they use precautions such as speed bumps, and speed cameras to try and get drivers to slow down. They often hold T.V campaigns that try and warn drivers what could happen if they become involved in an accident.
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The use of tanning salons especially amongst young people is becoming more and more popular. A lot of us think that a tan looks healthy and beautiful, which may be true. However we don’t think about the consequences about using tanning salons.

Exposing our bodies to UV rays doesn’t only cause our skin to age prematurely it also creates a high risk of skin cancer. Magazines, TV programmes and skin products are constantly warning us about the dangers of tanning salons. So should we be held to blame if we do suffer injury from them?

Accidents at tanning salons can cause confusion within the injury law, because we should all be fully aware of the dangers of sun beds, after all we are constantly being warned. Yet at the same time they are still legal to use, and when we pay to use them the tanning salon is providing us with a service so should be responsible for our health and safety.
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If you have suffered from a whiplash injury you’ll know the implications it can have on everyday life. Whiplash injuries may make it difficult to carry out everyday tasks, such as cleaning around the house. They may also prevent you from going to work whilst you are recovering from them.

Any type of accident can cause a whiplash injury, however most whiplash injuries are caused in car accidents. Anything that forces the neck to jilt forwards, backwards or sideways can cause such an injury. It injures the muscles and ligaments in the neck, it can have an affect on surrounding areas in the body causing suffering such as back problems.

In most cases a whiplash injury will take a few hours of even days to make itself noticed. You may begin to feel aches and pains around the neck. After any accident you should seek medical attention, they will then be able to assess your injuries. There is no special cure for a whiplash injury. Your GP may prescribe you pain killers to take away the pain, but it normally just requires you to rest to recover.
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When out on the road a lot of us hold assumptions of the law, for example we may think that if we have to slam our brakes on and a driver goes into the back of us then they will be held liable. However that’s not always the way the law works.

If you become involved in a car accident by going into the back of another vehicle because they choose to brake suddenly without giving any sufficient warning, the negligence depends on why that driver decided to break all of a sudden. This means that the burden of proving why they stopped lies on the lead driver.

If a dog or a small child ran out in front of the car, giving the driver behind no warning would be seen as a reasonable cause for the lead car to make a sudden stop, however if a small animal such as a squirrel or hedgehog was the cause of them stopping then they would be seen as negligent.
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