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Scaffolding or working from height can of course be very dangerous, especially if proper safety procedures are not in place. When working from height there is a lot for employers to consider. As with any job, safety should be of paramount importance and should never be compromised. When working from height workers need a proper and safe platform from which to work, and scaffolding can provide this. It is also a place where workers can keep tools etc but again there is need for caution to prevent any tripping hazards.

Not having barriers on scaffolding is clearly unsafe. Barriers could prevent injury and stop workers from falling if something does go wrong. Say a worker trips up on the scaffold itself or over equipment. A barrier may prevent the worker falling and therefore preventing serious injury.
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Trapping your fingers can be very painful, and I am sure it is something that most of us have done before. In the workplace trapping your fingers could result in a much more serious injury, such as severe lacerations or even the loss of fingers/hands. Some machinery can be dangerous if not properly maintained or supervised, or if the person using it has not been properly trained. Fortunately there are regulations which employers should comply with, and compliance with the regulations is designed to keep workers safe and free from injury. Despite laws and regulations, accidents do continue to happen.
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There are many ways you can be injured by a broken or defective door in the workplace. It could suddenly jam mid operation, causing a jarring injury to your back or limbs. It could break off and hit you. It could slam shut and hit you or trap a part of your body if a slow release mechanism fails.

But what are your rights when it comes to making a claim for personal injury compensation if you are injured due to a defective or broken door in the workplace?
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Slipping on stairs can result in some fairly devastating injuries; particularly if you end up falling down a full flight of steps. Fractures, back injuries, head injuries; you could end up with a lot of time in bed and a lot of time off work.

So what are your rights when it comes to slipping on wet stairs in your workplace? Is your employer liable?

The Law

The applicable regulations are The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. There is a specific section dedicated to the condition of floors which reads as follows:
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As a firm of personal injury solicitor’s we deal with all types of personal injury claims. These claims can be wide ranging in nature, from road accidents to work accidents, to trip/slip accidents in the street or in a supermarket. We also deal with industrial disease claims (for hearing loss, vibration white finger, etc). If you have sustained injury when working in a workshop, then you may be entitled to claim compensation. A workshop can be a dangerous environment if not properly managed and supervised.
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Working at height is inherently dangerous; that’s why there are specific regulations that address the issue of working at height, and it is important that both employers and employees abide by them. When it comes to equipment, the duty is on your employer to ensure that equipment is provided, where necessary, to prevent you being injured.

So let’s take a look at some of the key regulations about work equipment when working at height is concerned:

(3) Where work is carried out at height, every employer shall take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.
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Many people will be asked to do all sorts of “ad-hoc” tasks buy their employer. This could include going up in to loft spaces in an office, or perhaps in an area being renovated. As daft as it may sound to some people, if a person is not aware that the floor they are stepping on is not a proper floor – i.e. it’s perhaps a suspended / false ceiling – stepping on it could be disastrous.

So what happens if you are asked to negotiate somewhere and you are not aware that the floor you are stepping on is just a ceiling with little or no support? What happens if you then fall through it and you are injured as a result?
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If you have been the victim of a trapping injury in a machine or equipment at work, here is what you need to know about your legal rights under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1992. This brought in provisions to ensure the safety of the equipment or machinery which you use at work and ensures that your employer is maintaining it effectively.

How does PUWER protect me at work?

It is not only industrial machinery which can cause accidents as it can be any equipment which is used at work. PUWER is wide in scope and does not only apply to businesses which use certain types of machinery or equipment. It applies to companies, government departments, local councils, charities and even law firms!
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Working in a warehouse or manufacturing environment can often mean a lot of packaging is opened up and storage or work spaces can become cluttered and untidy. Cardboard is a primary culprit for causing slipping accidents; you step on a piece of it and you can easily end up slipping and falling down.

So what are your rights when it comes to making a work injury claim for slipping on cardboard in the workplace?
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What are your rights for making a claim for personal injury compensation if you are hit by a forklift truck at work? Can you sue your employer even if it was caused by the negligence of a colleague?
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