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We take on a surprising amount of personal injury compensation claims for workers who have been injured whilst on duty in nursing homes. So if this has happened to you, here is a little advice about your rights to claim in common nursing home injury scenarios.

The vast majority of injuries sustained involve manual handling. It’s common for a lot of patients to have severe mobility problems, so a large part of a role in a nursing home is lifting and manoeuvring people in and out and around beds.
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As a firm of lawyers who only represent victims for personal injury claims, we take on a lot of workers compensation claims for accidents and injuries that occur in the line of duty. We have expert knowledge to be able to advise you right from the start as to whether you have a claim for compensation, and to fight for your rights to claim.

We take on a surprising amount of claims for personal injury compensation where a lack of training has resulted in employees being injured in the line of day. So here is a little advice about your rights to claim.
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Claiming compensation from your employer can be a little daunting for many people. There is a worry about what your employer might think of you, or whether they will treat you any differently or even whether they may get rid of you!

This quick blog is here to put your mind at ease.

The law protects you

You cannot be sacked or treated any differently for making a claim for personal injury compensation. If you were, you may well have an employment claim to make against them as well! So don’t worry, you are fully protected; a fact that your employer should be fully aware of.
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There are loads of employment regulations that your employer is duty bound to follow. They exist to protect you from being injured whilst working. Let’s face it – all jobs come with hazards, and when it comes to working with electrical equipment and machinery, which is a part of almost every job, there are certain things that can go wrong.

The human body is a great conductor of electricity, so if you are exposed to something, you are liable to end up getting shocked. A piece of exposed wiring, or water near an electrical switch could end up with an injury. So what’s the duty, and can you sue your employer for personal injury compensation if you receive an electric shock at work?

Commonly its machinery that will shock you, so the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 apply. The great thing about these regulations is that Regulation 5 can impose a strict liability on your employer. This means they may have no choice but to pay you compensation if you are injured because a piece of equipment has somehow become defective. If you innocently use it and end up getting an electric shock, the regulations should apply.
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It is the duty of your employer to ensure that the flooring of the workplace is safe for employers. Injuries and accidents can commonly occur due to poor or defective flooring in the work place.  Accidents can happen due to uneven flooring, broken tiles, rough ground, spillages or even a lack of matting or carpeting.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) regulations 1992, set out that a floor “must be suitable for the purpose which it is used” and should be in good condition with “no hole or slope, or be uneven or slippery” so as to not pose a risk to the health and safety of employees.  The 1992 regulations also set out that “every floor in a workplace” must be kept free from “obstruction” and any “substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall“.
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Building and construction sites by nature can be very dangerous places, with building sites remaining one of the most high risk areas for injuries and fatalities in the workplace. According to HSE, building sites account for 22% of all fatalities within the work place, with construction being the biggest sector for fatalities and major injuries at work.

Common Causes of accidents on building sites:

• Struck by falling tools or materials
• Falls from heights such as scaffolding or ladders
• Ladder accidents
• Slip, Trips and Falls
• Crushing injuries caused by machinery
• Injuries sustained through lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Employees not being properly trained on how to use equipment, or properly trained in the correct procedure for work on a building site

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Overreaching can cause tension and stress to the muscles in your back which is often agonising. The Working at Height Regulations provides standards for employers and employees to meet to ensure that they don’t overreach and cause an injury.

Where overreaching occurs

Overreaching is common when working on ladders as you can reach for something too far away. This causes stress and tension to the back muscles which can cause lasting damage. It can also occur on scaffolding or other moving platforms. If a user overreaches, he or she can fall and subsequently sustain more injuries than was necessary.
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Back strains are common where heavy lifting is part of your job. It is important that you take care of your back but equally important that you employer takes necessary steps too.

Common problems

It is not only what is carried which can cause injuries but the way in which something is carried. Twisting and bending to pick up or poor posture when carrying objects can strain your back and damage muscles or plates.

Duties of Employers

Where it is reasonably practicable, employers should avoid the need for their employees to undertake manual handling where it can cause them injury. Where it is not reasonably practicable, they must make a suitable and adequate assessment of all of the manual handling operations, take steps to reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level possible and take steps to provide information to employees of the precise weight and the heaviest side of any load where the centre of gravity is not in the middle.
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Building sites can be dangerous if basic health and safety rules are not adhered to. The Health and Safety Executive government website provides a vast array of information containing basic rules and regulations. It is said that site organisation and management is of paramount importance. This does make sense as on building sites you can have individual workers, teams of workers and vehicles such as dump trucks. Traffic management is essential to ensure that individuals are safe when vehicles are moving and transporting materials close by on site.
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is there to help to protect against health and safety hazards in the workplace. Under the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, PPE is to be defined as all equipment in which is “intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his health and safety“.

Safety and work boots are therefore seen as protective work equipment, and therefore must be worn in the work place where necessary. Such Protective work equipment should only be provided with a cost to the employer and an employee is not expected to provide their own equipment.

Both employers and employees have a duty with regards to safety shoes. Under the 1992 regulations, it states that it is an employer’s duty to ensure that all PPE provided is kept “maintained in an efficient state” and is in “good repair“. Safety shoes must be chosen sensibly be the employer so that they are suitable for the job in hand. Employees have a duty to wear the appropriate safety shoes if they are provided.
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