As the cold and wet weather sets in for winter, more and more potholes are bound to appear as water leaks in to surface cracks, expands in freezing temperatures, and breaks open the ground. Having been the victim of pothole damage in my car, costing me £300 earlier in the year for a new tyre, alloy refurbishment, and re-tracking, I know how annoying it is.

But riding over a pothole on a bicycle can be far, far more devastating. Whilst drivers feel the annoying bump of a pothole, probably cursing the council at the same time, a bicycle rider is liable to come off of their bike and sustain serious injuries. We have dealt with many cyclist injuries that have been caused by potholes and the injuries are often devastating.
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We have taken on plenty of claims for personal injury compensation when it comes to collapsing chairs; but equally a collapsing table can result in a person sustaining an injury. What if you are leaning on it and it collapses? You’re likely to go down with it. Even if it collapses in general it could hit you and cause an injury.

So if you are the unfortunate victim of a table collapsing injury, what are your rights when it comes to making a claim for personal injury compensation?
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In the workplace there can be many hazards, especially when vehicles and workers are side by side, such as in a warehouse for example. In a warehouse you could potentially have multiple forklift trucks carrying loads and several workers stacking loads or unpacking goods. Moving around in a workplace such as this needs to be properly thought out and planned. This is generally done by using designated traffic routes. This could be a designated route or area where only site vehicles are permitted. This is quite straight forward as workers know not to stand in or cross the designated vehicle path unless it is safe and necessary to do so.
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Burns can be as annoying as they are painful. It can often take a long time for the pain of a burn to stop. On top of that, you may end up with some unsightly scarring which could last weeks, months, or even years. If you don’t know something is hot, people often have a delayed reaction which serves only to cause the burn to be worse due to prolonged contact.

So what are you rights when it comes to making a claim for personal injury compensation if you are suddenly burned by something when you are out an about? Perhaps in a shop, or a supermarket?
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Building sites are subject to a large amount of health and safety rules and regulation. They are inherently dangerous places and the employees working on a site need to go to great lengths to ensure they are not injured on a site. You’ve probably seen “Hard hats must be worn” signs and “Do Not Enter” warnings on the entrances of sites.

But what happens if you are not working on a building site but walking past it and you end up injured? Can you make a claim for compensation?
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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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I will attempt to explain how Solicitor’s and law firms value personal injury cases. Basically in this area compensation is payable based on the injuries sustained and the effect of those injuries have on the Claimant’s life.

After all, it is compensation for personal injury! The accident could be minor; a trip in the street for example. But the injuries could be more significant and if these injuries can be linked to the accident then the value of the claim could be higher. Equally there could be a very serious accident at face value, such as a head on road traffic accident collision. Despite this, the injuries sustained could be relatively minor.
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