The other day I pulled into a car park where the ground was covered in leaves – it had been raining the previous day which made the ground extra slippery. Luckily, I spotted the leaves in time and managed to stop without skidding. I couldn’t help but think what would have happened if I didn’t see the leaves and then I skidded on them causing me to crash into another vehicle.

A slightly drastic thought I know; but things like this do happen, especially to those that least expect it to. Would it be the venue that owns the car park who was liable for any damage caused? Or would it be the drivers fault for failing to spot the hazard?

When we visit a venue they are expected to show us a duty of care upon our visit, which means keeping all hazards to a minimum when we are on their site. If they own the car park then they are expected to be responsible for making sure it is hazard free. Read More

For a lot of us, gardening is our favourite way to spend our Sunday afternoon – it’s a relaxing and enjoyable hobby. Some of us are extremely proud of our gardens and do everything to keep them in a good condition, even in the most miserable weather. Season’s such as winter make looking after our garden that little bit harder; when leaves fall off the trees in the Autumn, extra work is required to keep the garden tidy.

Although gardening is an enjoyable hobby, those doing so perhaps have a need to carry out their own risk assessments to make sure that they aren’t putting themselves at the risk of being injured. According to data from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), about 300,000 people are hurt in their gardens each year.
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Whatever our age, whether we are 18, or in our mid-thirties, we all love a good night out. There’s nothing better than spending a good few hours getting ready with friends, having a few glasses of wine, then hitting the town for a night of dancing. A night out down town is a way a lot of us celebrate the end of a bad week at work or welcome in the weekend.

Nightclubs usually have big events on at the weekend, which is when they expect the club to be at its busiest. They usually promote events by welcoming famous DJ’s; some clubs even have chocolate fountains or cupcakes to tempt party-goers to go to their venue.

Due to the amount of party-goers out at the weekend nightclubs need to take on extra staff to ensure there are no safety hazards in the clubs. Spillages happen frequently in nightclubs so staff have to constantly keep a look out. They also have glass collectors collecting empty bottles that have been put on the floor. Some nightclubs have a no drinks on the dance floor policy; this is to prevent anyone slipping on a spillage on the dance floor and can protect the nightclub from liability.
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have created a number of guidelines and regulations to prevent workers becoming injured in horrific accidents at work. One of their guidelines state that a risk assessment should be carried out before an employee carries out work, and that everything should be done to make that risk as low as possible.

The Daily Mail reports of a man who has suffered horrific burns to his face after he was engulfed in a fireball at work.

David Lightfoot had been asked to do some welding work on a silo at a chemical plant. The silo contained 380-tons of highly inflammable Terephthalic acid, a raw material used in the plastics industry. The Daily Mail reported that as soon as Mr. Lightfoot began to weld, a fireball engulfed his head.
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The Working at Height Regulations 2005 came in to force on 6 April 2005. The aim of the regulations was to bring together all requirements in order for safe working at height standards that are applicable to all industries. The Regulations apply to all those that work at height where there is a risk of a fall, liable to cause a personal injury.

The Work at Height Regulations were amended in 2007, these came into force on 6 April 2007 and apply to those who work at height providing instruction or leadership. As part of the Regulation duty holders must ensure:
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For most of us, our cars are our pride and joy, and we couldn’t imagine life without them. We go everywhere in them, whether it is to drive to work in a morning, or for days out at the weekend. However, there’s something about the vehicle we love that causes us to hate everyone else on the roads. 

When we’re driving, if the car in front or behind does the slightest thing wrong, we can become extremely annoyed. A lot of us use our horn to let them know they’ve annoyed us; others may use the occasional hand gesture. Either way if they do something wrong we don’t hesitate in letting them know.

We seem to dehumanise the person that we’re screaming at. If we saw them at work or in the street we wouldn’t start screaming at them, so why do it on the road? When people are in their cars they can become extremely annoyed or angry, and this sometimes is the cause of road traffic accidents.
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When it comes to Injury Law and whether you are entitled to make compensation claim there is often a lot of confusion amongst the public.

We often have people inquiring about a claim they want to make, but who are unsure about whether or not they have the right to do so, especially when it comes to accidents that involve emergency vehicles.

With accidents involving emergency vehicles it is the same procedure as any other as it is important to establish who was at fault, this will then tell you whether or not you are entitled to compensation. 
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When we think of injuries caused by accidents in the work place, we usually think of trips and falls caused by spillages or misplaced wires, or staff using faulty equipment that hasn’t had the sufficient checks it needs. However, that’s not always the case; a report in the Daily Mail is about a teacher who has been awarded £150,000 after she lost her voice trying to make herself heard in the classroom.

The report reveals that Joyce Walters, 50, damaged her vocal cords after straining to raise her voice above the volume of noise coming from a nearby playground. As a result, she was forced to quit her job and the 50-year-old says she now struggles with everyday tasks such as talking on the phone, and suffers from a sore throat when she raises her voice in bars.

In total, Mrs Walters received £156,000 in out-of-court settlements from her council after claiming she could never teach again. Experts say this is one of the largest payouts of its kind, and creates an example of the growing culture of compensation claims and payouts. Last year, another teacher was awarded £173, 595 for dislocating an ankle during playground duty.
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Taking part in regular fitness activities such as sport is highly encouraged by the government and our peers. Not only is it a good way to meet new friends and is a form of social activity, it also helps tackle common problems such as obesity, heart disease and depression. When we take part in any sporting activity it releases endorphins – a happy hormone in our body.

There are a variety of sports in the sporting world that we can choose to take part in, some which involve more physical activity than others. Due to the physical nature of some sports those taking part are aware that they are putting themselves at the risk of a sporting injury. Some sporting accidents can cause serious injuries; some so severe that those injured may not be able to take part in their favourite sport for a long time. A lot of sporting accidents are not the fault of the player themselves, but may be due to other circumstances; if this is the case they may be able to make an injury compensation claim.
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All of the theme parks throughout the UK are starting to close as the season comes to an end. With weather conditions such as ice and rain the rides will not be able to run as well as they would in the summer. The end of season for some theme parks gives them the chance to have new rides built in their theme parks and to test the old rides to make sure they are safe for when the new season begins.

Theme parks are a huge attraction in the UK with thousands of us visiting them each year. They give us a thrill that we would not be able to feel any other way. Some of us have our favourite types of rides, such as roller coasters, and others love them all. Some of us choose to stay away and watch from a distance. Whatever you do at a theme park they make for a great day out, if done in the right weather conditions.

Some people that choose to stay away from rides do so because they are afraid that an accident might happen, or they don’t trust the rides. All rides at theme parks are regularly checked to make sure they stick to health and safety regulations. If they fail any of their tests, the public will not be allowed to use them.
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