We take on and win a high volume of claims for personal injury compensation. We are used to dealing with all sorts of different types of accidents and circumstances in which people are injured.

Whilst there are many ways you can be injured, the law that applies is usually the same when it comes to injuries in public places like shops, restaurants, or supermarkets; known as the Occupiers Liability Act. When it comes to defective premises claims against a landlord, the law is also similar. So too is it for incidents at work in which the applicable law is commonly The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
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When working it is important to know how and what you are lifting. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 attempt to bring in set standards for how manual handling should be carried out at work. However, it does not set a level of weight which should not be lifted.

What the Regulations seek to achieve

It is not the weight of something which should solely be taken into consideration as it can be inaccurate when determining what can be lifted. There is instead a series of measures which should be taken by employers which are as follows:
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Petrol stations can be dangerous places for slip and trips and it is important to remember that the owners of the forecourts have a duty of care over your safety. This is provided by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.

Common Accidents in Petrol Stations

Common accidents in petrol stations include slipping on the petrol/diesel spilled on the forecourt floor. It is possible to slip on any oil which cars have leaked which should have been cleaned. Trips are also common from the petrol pumps and any items which have been dropped or may be sticking out.
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I imagine that one of the last things you expect when you’re out and about is to suddenly come crashing to the ground due to slipping on a substance on the floor. The embarrassment alone is bad enough, never mind the devastating injuries you can end up with.

So what is your entitlement when it comes to claiming for personal injury compensation if you slip on a substance that has leaked on the floor? Say, in a shop / supermarket, or a restaurant perhaps?
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You’re driving along in your forklift truck as part of your working duties when suddenly something goes wrong. The vehicle could suddenly stop and lose power; a wheel could fall off; a pipe could burst and injure you; the list goes on. But rather than looking at all the eventualities of how a forklift truck could break and injure you, let’s look at whether you can claim for personal injury compensation if the forklift truck breaks and you are injured as a result.

The Law

A forklift truck would commonly fall within the category of work equipment. As such, it’s covered by The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 – a very important piece of legislation. In fact, the reason it’s so important because it places a heavy burden on your employer when it comes to work equipment.
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One of the main causes of trips at work is uneven floor surfaces. Common examples of uneven floor surfaces include raised tiles or where the floor has not been levelled correctly. These can cause accidents with lasting injuries.

The Law

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 12(1) states that: ‘every floor in a workplace and the surface of every traffic route in a workplace shall be of a construction such that the floor or surface of the traffic route is suitable for the purpose for which it is used.’
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The procedure to follow when there has been a road traffic accident is known as the Pre-Action Protocol for low value injury claims. The protocol was brought in on the 30^th April 2010 and applies to claims that have a value of between £1,000 to £10,000 up until accidents that occur until 31^st July 2013; after which the upper limit was moved to £25,000. The protocol should not be used if the value of the claim is or more than £10,000.

The premise of the Protocol being introduced is that it will encourage more contact between parties, with information being fully exchanged between them and investigations into the claim can be carried out more efficiently.  The Pre-Action Protocol is the route for all parties to follow before taking a claim to court. The route of the Protocol is broken up into 3 clear stages
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It sounds like something from a slapstick comedy sketch; but it’s normally no laughing matter if you are the victim of falling through an open trapdoor. The injuries can be serious if the height of the drop is considerable.

So if you have been the unfortunate victim of falling through a trapdoor, are you entitled to claim for personal injury compensation?

As a member of the public

As a member of the public, whoever is responsible for the trapdoor has the duty to ensure that no one is hurt as a result of it. The common law that applies here is the Occupiers Liability Act which imposes a duty on property owners to take all reasonable steps to ensure visitors are not injured.
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The reason why there are so many rules and regulations when it comes to health and safety in the workplace is to avoid employees being injured through entirely preventable accidents. Despite the fact that the rules and regulations are numerous, we take on and win a high volume of work accident compensation claims for personal injury.

When it comes to scaffolding accidents, the injuries can be devastating. There are a few regulations that cover health and safety when it comes to scaffolding accidents, so you should never end up falling through scaffolding. Whether the scaffolding was not erected properly or whether it was unsuitable, or whether it had become defective, you have a strong claim for compensation if you have fallen through scaffolding at work and being injured.
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Claims for compensation are split into two “heads” of damages; one is referred to as General Damages and the other Special Damages. The latter is any losses that you have suffered as a result of your claim such as loss of earnings, travel expenses, medication expenses and care and assistance.

This is calculated by your solicitor who compiles a schedule of loss to send to the defendant proving this head – this is why your representation may request wage slips and other documents to support your losses. General damages is the compensation awarded to you for the pain and suffering that has been caused by somebody else’s negligence; this is what this blog will focus on.
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