When supplying products to consumers, the products must always be safe. It is the responsibility of producers, manufacturers, shops and wholesalers to ensure the safety of the product they are selling. Injury may occur when a product is sold in a defective manner, or have been sold to the consumer without adequate instruction and warning.

Under the Supply of goods and Services Act 1982, all products which are sold must be safe. Manufacturers or sellers of the product must ensure that they:
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Pre-Action Protocol for low value injury claims from road traffic accidents was brought in on the 30^th April 2010. The Pre-Action Protocol applies to all low value injury claims, which will bring around £1,000 to £10,000.  All general damages will be considered with regards to any pain, suffering and loss of amenity, but the protocol is not to be used if the damages awarded are going to be over £10,000.

The Protocol sets out what is expected of claimants and defendants at the start of proceedings where damages are being claimed because of a personal injury sustained from a road traffic accident. The premise of the Pre–Action Protocol being introduced is that it will encourage more contact between parties, with information being fully exchanged between them.

The introduction of the Protocol was also designed to allow claims to be run more efficiently, as cases are encouraged to settle earlier and therefore to be dealt with in a more efficient and quick manner. A reason being for this is that it allows for early notification of any road traffic accidents, and allows the insurer and defendant to be notified early on that a claim is being brought against them.
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Whiplash is in an injury to the neck which has normally been caused by a sudden movement. That forceful and sudden movement caused damage to the tendons and ligaments within the neck, resulting in potentially severe pain and discomfort.

Whiplash normally takes 6-12 hours to develop and takes time to become evident. The symptoms suffered usually worsen after the incident and they may continue to get worse for several days or weeks. Whiplash is normally a short–lived condition, and it is uncommon that the symptoms would last longer than 6 months.

Chronic whiplash is often used as a term when whiplash is suffered for a period of 6 months or more; even spanning over years. Chronic whiplash can be a cause of severe pain and may require a course of painkillers or even physiotherapy.
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A bit of a niche area of law this one – can you make a claim for compensation if you fall because of loose and wobbly steps or paving slabs? Falling at the hands of a wobbly surface is fairly easy to do – no one expects the ground to suddenly move beneath them; unless you’re in a fun house…

There are two common types of claims where this could occur. Let’s look at them both:

In the Street / Public Grounds – Highways Act

If you fall due to a wobbly step or paving slab whilst out and about on public land, in the high street for example, the claim will typically be pursued against the authority who has responsibility for the area. This will normally be the local highways authority or the local council.
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To put it simply a claim would be made under the Athens Convention if you sustained injury through an accident which was not your fault, whilst onboard a ship at sea. In some instances a claim may be brought under a different law or regulation such as via The Package Travel Regulations 1992. It is essential that you seek legal advice as soon as possible so that your Solicitor can advise you as to your best course of action.

The Athens Convention declares a carrier liable for damage or loss suffered by a passenger – if the accident which caused the damage occurred in the course of the carriage and was due to the fault or negligence of the carrier. A carrier can limit his or her liability unless the carrier acted with intent to cause such damage or acted recklessly and with knowledge that such damage would probably result.

The injury could be caused due to the negligence of the captain. Injury could also be caused as a result of slipping on wet decking, for example.
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Working at height poses a great risk to safety, accounting for a quarter of all workplace deaths. Falling from a height is the one most common causes of an accident within the workplace causing minor/major injuries and fatalities. Of course most of the time the fall isn’t from a great height, with 70 per cent of all accidents being caused from falling from below head height.

Injuries likely to be caused by falling from a height are as follows:

• Twist or swelling to the knees
• Sprained or broken limbs
• Back pain or slipped discs
• Soft tissues damage to the body area

The Working at Height Regulations 2005 were introduced to try and prevent accidents caused by a fall from height, and the regulations are to apply to anywhere where there is a risk of falling. The 2005 regulations set out that a height is to be defined as ‘any place, including a place at or below ground level‘, which liable to cause a personal injury.
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Although this procedure does sound like something that only the rich and famous can have in Hollywood, it is becoming more increasingly popular with everyone who has always craved for a derriere like Kim Kardashian or Beyonce.

Unfortunately however, as with many other popular cosmetic surgeries there are things that can go wrong – not only inherent risks that you would usually associate with surgery but unfortunate things caused by other people’s negligence. Therefore, it is important to understand what you can do if you find yourself suffering at the hands of someone else’s negligence.

Some of the main injuries caused by this procedure include:
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Slips and trips at work are one of the most common causes of accidents at work, resulting in 40% of all major injuries in the workplace. 10,000 employees alone were injured in the UK last year from slips and trips at work. Injuries can range from broken bones and fractures to minor cuts and bruises.

The common causes of slips and trips at work:

• Cleaning
• Flooring
• Environment
• Obstacles
• Colleagues
• Footwear

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, is in place to ensure the health and safety of all employees within the workplace.

Under Regulation 2 of the act, an employer has the duty to ‘as is reasonably practicable‘ ensure ‘the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees‘. An employer must ‘provide instruction, and training‘ to all employees that will be working with the workplace, and therefore be fully competent in using it.
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Personal injury claims against supermarkets are common, with customers commonly slipping or tripping in the supermarket aisles. Any owner of a supermarket owes a duty of care to visitors of their store under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957. When that duty is breached, a personal injury is sustained due to the supermarkets negligence.

Under the 1957 Act, ‘An occupier of premises owes the same duty, “the common duty of care”, to all his visitors, except in so far as he is free to and does extend, restrict, modify or exclude his duty to any visitor or visitors by agreement or otherwise‘.

Visitors are to include customers, store staff, suppliers and delivery drivers.  An occupier is to be seen as the individual in general control over the premises or in this instance supermarket in question.
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We specialise and deal only with claims for personal injury compensation. We have particular expertise, and many years of experience, in representing victims of work accidents. Work accidents are fairly common because there are a lot of rules and regulations that an employer can breach. We have regulations covering most scenarios. Here are some examples:

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

These cover traffic routes and therefore slips and trips, general health and safety of the workplace, falls or falling objects, doors and gates, windows and skylights, and all sorts of things. The common ones are slips and trips. So if you have an accident in relation to any of the above, you may be able to make claim for personal injury compensation.
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