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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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Parks are usually small play areas provided by the local Parish council for children to use at the supervision of their parents. The Parish council is part of a city or metropolitan council that carries out tasks on their behalf. It is their responsibility to make sure that the parks are well maintained and that the equipment is safe.

Going to the park for a child is an exciting day out, and for any a parent a chance for them to watch their children play with or alongside other children and generally enjoy themselves . A lot of parks throughout the UK have been modernised and have new equipment put in for children to play with.

This was after stories appeared in the news about parents reporting some parks unsafe for their children to play in; some even found serious hazards, such as needles in the parks! One child wrote to the Queen asking her not to close the park he locally played in because he really liked it there – this just shows the importance of parks to young children.
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For most of us the reason we choose to join a gym is to help maintain a healthy lifestyle, loose weight or tone up in what some of us refer to as “problem areas”. When choosing which gym we join, we may look at which is the cheapest, which has the most to offer us, or the one we live closest to.

I believe that joining a gym has more benefits than working out at home. Not only do they have a variety of professional equipment that allows us to train different parts of our body, they also have trained fitness instructors to assist us in our fitness goals. Fitness instructors are there to ensure we know how to use all of the equipment safely and to write up fitness plans to cater for our needs.

When we first join a gym it is important that we are shown how to use all of the equipment properly; this usually involves us been given an initial induction by one of the fitness staff. After the induction, staff at most places will usually fill out some paperwork with us as proof that they showed us how to use the equipment. This acts as a legal document if we do become involved in an accident whilst using the gym.
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There has been a lot of discussion in the media about the state of some of the roads in Britain. Due to bad weather at the start of the year some roads have developed potholes. Potholes can be extremely dangerous to road users; not only can they cause damage to vehicles but they can also be responsible for road traffic accidents.

The government have spent millions of pounds repairing the roads in Britain, however some still have potholes in them. If you become involved in a road traffic accident and believe a pothole was to blame you should alert your local council. When doing so you should:
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A lot of us take part in sporting activities to help us maintain a healthy lifestyle. We are all aware that taking part in such activities can help prevent heart disease, obesity and depression. Taking part in any sporting activity releases endorphins; a hormone that makes us feel happier in ourselves.

Anyone who attends the gym regularly or takes part in sporting activities on a regular basis knows the impact they can have on our bodies. It may be that the day after exercising, our legs or arms ache more than normal, which we see as a sign that our training session went well.

Those who follow sport on TV or attend sporting events will be aware of how frequently accidents and injuries take place with such activities. In football matches you often see the players been rushed off the pitch due to injuries, or some players sitting games out due to injuries they have sustained.
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When you become injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, and are making a compensation claim, a court will look at all aspects of the accident to see exactly how you obtained your injuries. They may look at the speed of both vehicles to see if yours or the other drivers speed caused you further injury or other aspects such as whether or not you and any other passengers injured were wearing a seatbelt.
 
The reason they do this is because small implications such as not wearing a seatbelt or speeding can cause further damage to any injuries. So, for example, if you were involved in an accident and you suffered a whiplash injury however later on the court discovered that you failed to wear a seatbelt at the time the accident took place then your claim may be reduced due to your contributory negligence.
 
Contributory negligence may be used as a defence by the opposing party to decrease the amount of money you are allowed to claim. They may still be admitting responsibility for the road traffic accident, but are saying your failure to follow the law and wear a seatbelt caused you more injury than would have be sustained if you were wearing a seatbelt.
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Like most drivers, if I ever drive through a city centre at night or any roads near local bars where it is clear people have been drinking I am extremely careful. I’ll drive below the speed limit and check to see whether any of them are likely to run out in front of my car. Becoming involved in an accident with a pedestrian is a driver’s worst nightmare.

Pedestrians are extremely vulnerable to motor vehicles and if they become involved in an accident with one, they can suffer from extreme injuries depending upon the speed of the vehicle.

If you’re on a night out or have been drinking and become involved in an accident that you believe wasn’t your fault there are a few ways a court would look at this. They would look at where the accident took place so would consider if on the road whether it was at a pedestrian crossing or not. If so they would look at whether the pedestrian just walked out or whether the vehicle failed to pay due care and attention.
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The Highway Code describes children as extremely vulnerable when on the road. It states that drivers need to pay due care and attention when driving around places such as schools where children are expected to be. A lot of children don’t have a high understanding of danger and therefore it is extremely unlikely that a court will find contributory negligence against a child.

To make sure children are safe when going to and from school, local authorities employ lollipop men and women to make sure they cross the busier roads safely. However most schools only employ one lollipop man or women so it is up to the drivers to look out for children who may run out from behind parked vehicles.

From a young age, children are taught about road safety. For example: The Green Cross Code is taught to children in primary schools. This tells them to stop, look and listen before crossing a road. They are also reminded to look left and right a number of times before doing so. Some schools even watch videos on road safety with pupils to ensure they have a full understanding of the dangers of motor vehicles.
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Most of us make a weekly visit to our local supermarket to carry out what we all refer to as the big shop or the weekly shop. Some of us spend what feels like a fortune on food. We all try to choose a time that we expect the supermarket won’t be so hectic…some of us tend to avoid Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Supermarkets can get extremely busy at the worst of times, and the stress of trying to get everything you need in a busy environment and pushing a trolley around, can at times get to the best of us, especially if we’ve got the kids as well. Kids tend to hate anything to do with shopping; the only thing they like is putting a bag of sweets or a new toy in the trolley.

Unfortunately some supermarkets are the setting for a scene of an accident. It may be that there are tins or boxes piled up in a display at the end of aisle, and if someone accidentally nudges them with their trolley, they may fall over. Supermarkets also have cleaners on duty making sure that there are no hazards around such as spilt liquids on the aisles or broken glass.
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Unlike any other injury at work claims – asbestos related diseases can take years to make themselves known. On average it takes between 20-40 years for symptoms of the disease to show. When symptoms do become apparent they can have drastic effects, causing life-threatening illness from diseases such as Mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer that develops in the chest; it forms a membrane that wraps itself around the lungs and other organs. Unfortunately in some cases Mesothelioma can be incurable, and if it develops progressively it can become fatal.
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