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Average Briton Will Endure Thousands Of Work Related Accidents And Illnesses In Their Lifetime
A recent survey of 2,000 people shows that the average Briton will suffer more than 10,000 injuries, illnesses, and accidents during their lifetime and that the majority of them will be made up of bugs picked up from work and accidents in the workplace. The report, released by solicitors Slater & Gordon, shows that cuts and bruises make up the largest section of these and the figures mean that the average person in this country will suffer, in some way, once every three days.
The typical person spends up to 40 hours or more in the workplace so it is perhaps unsurprising that the workplace is responsible for most of our illnesses and injuries. Some of these incidents are unavoidable, for example even the use of antibacterial hand gel may not prove enough to prevent picking up a cold or other bug. However, there are a large number of such accidents and work related illnesses that can and indeed should be avoided.
It is the responsibility of an employer to ensure that all of their employees are safe and free from injury and illness. The term health and safety may be derided as a joke and filled with bureaucratic paperwork but, in reality, it is what keeps employees safe when they walk through the door until they leave at the end of the day. Followed properly, health and safety guidelines can prevent potentially life threatening injuries and illnesses. When ignored, however, it not only leads to more work related incidents but it can land the employer in court.
More than a third of those surveyed said that they had suffered an injury while at work and delving further into these figures, it is also shown that approximately one in five could identify a potential hazard or health and safety risk currently in their workplace. The first step to effective health and safety at work, and preventing work related accidents, should be identifying risk before taking action to remedy that risk. If employees are able to identify such hazards then action should be taken by the employer.
When people do suffer an injury at work, or contract a work related illness or industrial illness, they may have the right to claim compensation from employers. While this compensation will usually be covered by an employer’s liability insurance policy, it can lead to a drop in workplace morale and an increase in insurance premiums required in the future. It should be, therefore, in the interest of employers to prevent accidents and illnesses occurring in the workplace.
Suffering a long lasting injury at work means that an employee is often unable to complete their daily work. This can lead to a loss of earnings and may also mean additional healthcare costs and rehabilitation costs. Compensation is awarded to anybody that suffers at the hand of a workplace injury in order to ensure that they have the financial backing to be able to fully recover from the injury and be back to full health as quickly as possible.
MAKING A CLAIM
Making a claim for your personal injuries with Stocks Legal is really easy. You can speak to an experienced personal injury solicitor today by calling 0800 988 9055 or you can use our online claim enquiry form by clicking here. There is no obligation and you have nothing to lose by speaking to us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Topper is the litigation manager at Stocks Legal Personal Injury Solicitors. Mike is highly experienced in all types of personal injury cases. He is highly focussed on client care and getting the maximum compensation that is available for his clients and their families. He rightly sees personal injury claims as a real must for the English legal System as without a proper compensation structure, many injury people can be left with no support or ongoing medical treatment.
If you have any questions arising from this article to can contact Mike by calling 0800 988 9055 or by sending him an email by clicking here.
Access To Justice Accidents At Work General PI News StockslegalSep 16th, 20130 comments
TUC Accuses Government Of Brainwashing Over “Compensation Culture” Claims
The Trades Union Congress, or TUC, has said that the government is guilty of brainwashing the country into believing that there is a compensation culture and attempting to vilify those that have a legitimate cause to claim compensation for their workplace injuries. The TUC has said that the government, backed by Prime Minister David Cameron, is making this move in order to be able to reduce or remove the health and safety laws that are currently in place to protect workers.
The whole personal injury process has come under extensive changes in recent months as the government has attempts to reduce the amount of funding it receives while similarly reducing the amount of bureaucracy and red tape that is met by employers. These reforms have already been criticised by many organisations, individuals, and even the government’s own lawyers. This isn’t the only area in which the government shakeup is proving unsuccessful either.
The Health and Safety Executive, the HSE, has also released plans to change health and safety laws. These changes would mean that fewer near misses would have to be reported while there would be considerably fewer illnesses and injuries listed for companies that do need to submit a report. The HSE believes that this will cut the cost to businesses by millions of pounds a year but some of the proposed changes have been hit by criticism. The proposals are set to come into force in October 2013 but do not yet have parliamentary approval, which would be required.
Hazards, with the backing of the TUC, conducted a study and published a report on the success rate of work related injury claimants. The figures show that the success rate of such claims has plummeted 60% in the past decade.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said that “the government is trying to brainwash people into thinking the UK has a rife compensation culture” and he went on to say that the likely outcome of the changes would mean a “much higher rate of accidents, injuries and illnesses in the future”.
Access To Justice Accidents At Work CICA Criminal Injury Claims Cycling Accidents General PI News Industrial Disease Making A Personal Injury Claim Medical Negligence Claims Sporting Injuries Stockslegal WhiplashSep 13th, 20130 comments
Maintaining Healthy Work Life Balance Can Reduce Work Related Illnesses
Occupation health expert Dr Paul Fletcher has said that one of the keys to ensuring that an employee remains happy while at work is to maintain a positive work life balance. He also went on to say that ensuring a person remains happy and healthy while at work is not just down to the employer, although they obviously have a role to play in ensuring that employees are not at increased risk of illness or injuries.
Industrial illnesses and work related injuries cost British business billions of pounds every single year. In fact, figures from the HSE reveal that they are costing more than £13bn a year and this excludes figures for those that suffer from work induced cancer.
The most common form of work related illness is that of work related stress. 40% of work related illnesses are stress and the related problems that go hand in hand with elevated stress levels. Stress really can prove a killer and when somebody becomes stressed they are more prone to illnesses and other diseases which can further increase the healthcare cost as well as the total man hours lost to work related illnesses.
Dr Fletcher of IMASS says that while it is important that employers provide a healthy and safe environment for people to work in, it is important that employees take on some of the responsibility themselves. “You know your body and state of mind best” and he went on to say that the best approach is to “share your medical conditions with your employer – if you keep them in the dark, they can’t help you.”
The average person spends a lot of their waking hours in the workplace and this not only means that the workplace itself should be kept safe and healthy but it also means that people should be more inclined to look after their own health while in the workplace. However, it doesn’t always work out this way.
For those employees that do fall ill or suffer a workplace accident it is possible to claim compensation from an employer if negligence can be proven on their part.
MAKING A CLAIM
Making a claim for your personal injuries with Stocks Legal is really easy. You can speak to an experienced personal injury solicitor today by calling 0800 988 9055 or you can use our online claim enquiry form by clicking here. There is no obligation and you have nothing to lose by speaking to us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Topper is the litigation manager at Stocks Legal Personal Injury Solicitors. Mike is highly experienced in all types of personal injury cases. He is highly focussed on client care and getting the maximum compensation that is available for his clients and their families. He rightly sees personal injury claims as a real must for the English legal System as without a proper compensation structure, many injury people can be left with no support or ongoing medical treatment.
If you have any questions arising from this article to can contact Mike by calling 0800 988 9055 or by sending him an email by clicking here.
Accidents At Work General PI NewsSep 11th, 20130 comments
Health And Safety Executive To Make Accident Reporting Easier
The Health and Safety Executive has announced a number of proposed changes to the way that accidents at work are reported. They say that the changes will save businesses £5.9m over the next 10 years and make it easier for organisations to report accidents, cutting red tape, but critics are concerned that some of the changes may lead to reduced health and safety in the workplace. One of the changes would see a reduction in the requirement to report near misses.
Figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 1.1 million people were suffering from a work related illness in 2011/2012 and that there were 172 fatalities recorded during this period. They also estimate that workplace injuries and ill health cost society £13.4bn.
Health and Safety laws are often derided by many. When filing a report, a business currently has to choose between a selection of 47 different workplace illnesses – under the proposed changes this figure would be reduced to eight industrial illness categories and a shorter list of major injuries to select from.
Furthermore, the changes would also mean that fewer types of near misses, or dangerous occurrence would actually need reporting.
The HSE has said that the proposed changes would lead to considerably less paperwork and red tape on the part of businesses and health and safety representatives. They say that the cuts would save businesses £5.9m over the next ten years but, while the changes are broadly supported, there are critics that believe they should be approached with a degree of caution.
Paul Kimpton, the Building Safety Group managing director, has said that the changes are broadly welcomed but that the HSE should be cautious over making the changes. In particular he highlighted the reduction in reporting near misses saying that they are a valuable source of information and a means of reducing the risk of injuries and industrial illnesses in the future.
The new changes have yet to receive parliamentary approval but are set to go ahead in October 2013 if approval is granted. Changes may be witnessed before the final regulations are agreed and implemented.
MAKING A CLAIM
Making a claim for your personal injuries with Stocks Legal is really easy. You can speak to an experienced personal injury solicitor today by calling 0800 988 9055 or you can use our online claim enquiry form by clicking here. There is no obligation and you have nothing to lose by speaking to us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Topper is the litigation manager at Stocks Legal Personal Injury Solicitors. Mike is highly experienced in all types of personal injury cases. He is highly focussed on client care and getting the maximum compensation that is available for his clients and their families. He rightly sees personal injury claims as a real must for the English legal System as without a proper compensation structure, many injury people can be left with no support or ongoing medical treatment.
If you have any questions arising from this article to can contact Mike by calling 0800 988 9055 or by sending him an email by clicking here.
Access To Justice Accidents At WorkSep 9th, 20130 comments
27 Million Working Days Lost Per Annum To Illnesses And Accidents At Work
Workplace accidents and illnesses are not only damaging and dangerous to the employees that suffer them but also cost considerable money to businesses and organisations. It is in the interest of an employer to ensure that they follow health and safety legislation, provide training, offer protective equipment, and ensure that machinery and other items are well maintained and looked after.
According to the most recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive, during the 2012/2013 year there were 148 fatal injuries amounting to 1 death for every 200,000 workers. In these cases, it is possible for family members to claim compensation payments from the former employer on behalf of the deceased. This is down from 172 deaths during the 2011/2012 year.
During 2011/2012 there were 591,000 people that suffered a workplace injury and 212,000 of these led to an absence of three or more days while 156,000 injuries led to seven or more days off work. 114,000 were considered to be major injuries.
While 148 deaths were caused by accidents at work, it is estimated that 12,000 deaths each year are caused by work related illnesses, also referred to as industrial illnesses. Furthermore 1.1 million people suffered or were suffering from some work related illness during the 2011/2012 year and 452,000 of these were new cases that had not been reported the previous year.
Common work related illnesses include musculoskeletal disorders, stress, depression, anxiety, skin disease, respiratory disease, and vibration related disorders. Any employee that suffers from these types of work related illness may have a right to seek compensation from their former employers because they have not provided adequate training or ensured that employees are kept safe during their time at work.
Overall, during 2011/2012, 27 million working days were lost due to illnesses and work related accidents. This equated to a total financial loss of £13.4bn, figures that exclude cases of work related cancer. While fatalities appear to be decreasing there are still an alarming number of accidents and injuries, as well as assaults, that take place on employees while they are in the workplace.
Access To Justice Accidents At Work StockslegalSep 7th, 20130 comments
Legal Aid Changes Make It More Difficult For Injured Works To Claim Compensation
Changes to the Legal Aid system mean that it is no longer possible to receive Legal Aid funding for personal injury cases and this means that if you suffer an industrial illness or work related injury then you will not be able to receive Legal Aid assistance to pay for court costs or legal fees. The changes have come under considerable scrutiny from many quarters and for various reasons – while the changes are supposed to cut down on the number of fraudulent and false claims, they may also prevent genuine claims from being filed.
Legal Aid has been cut for many types of court case, including personal injury cases. If a case is successful then the winning claimant should have most of the costs paid for by the losing party. However, they will not pay solicitor fees and this leaves considerable doubt in the minds of many injured parties.
Solicitors offering a no-win-no-fee service offer obvious appeal in these instances. The solicitor will take a success fee if they win the case but losing the case still means that there may be considerable financial penalties. It may be necessary to pay for the legal costs of the successful party and these can mount up quickly.
There are a variety of payment options and formats that are usually made available to the claimant. Solicitors may charge per hour or offer a no win no fee service. They should also provide some kind of indication regarding the likelihood of success so that the claimant can determine whether it is worth progressing. However, this doesn’t alter the fact that many people with a genuine case to claim compensation from employers will be forced to reconsider for fear of losing money on a lost case.
Workplace accidents and injuries can prove devastating. They can lead to considerable time off work as well as requiring considerable medical treatment. This is what compensation is meant to cover but the fear of not being able to afford legal costs means that many people will be forced to forego necessary treatment and they may return to work too early and exacerbate their illness or injury.
Access To Justice Accidents At Work General PI News StockslegalSep 6th, 20130 comments
Types Of Medical Negligence Claim More Varied Than Most Think
Medical negligence claims are on the rise and there are many more people coming forward than ever before with horror stories and worrying tales of how they have been misdiagnosed or given incorrect treatment by their doctors. However, these are just two forms of medical negligence. Other cases where patients could potentially have a case to claim compensation from healthcare providers and healthcare institutions include the prescribing of incorrect medication and even incidents where patients become addicted to prescription drugs.
Prescription drugs do typically come with side effects. Certain drugs, such as codeine based painkillers are highly addictive and guidelines and limits are set so that patients are less likely to become addicted to the drug. Where it can be proven that a doctor or other healthcare provider continued to prescribe addictive drugs, leading to addiction on the part of the patient, it may also be possible to claim compensation.
One campaigner, Barry Haslam, has taken his fight against prescription addiction to Westminster and a meeting with the shadow health secretary Andy Burnham. My Haslam himself was addicted to prescription drugs and, having beaten the problem, he has campaigned to ensure that others are not able to fall so easily into the same trap.
Injuries resulting from botches procedures will usually carry the possibility of compensation. Unfortunately, incidents such as the removal of the wrong limb or incorrect organ do happen. Thankfully, these incidents are the exception rather than the rule but if they do occur then compensation will usually be awarded according to the type and severity of injury or illness caused, the cost of care over the rest of the victim’s life, and the total amount of earnings that the victim will suffer.
Patients that feel they have suffered at the hands of medical negligence are able to make a claim against the healthcare provider or institution that failed them. It is necessary to prove negligence and loss in order for the claim to be ultimately successful. It is also important to enlist the help of a professional and experienced medical negligence solicitor in order to have the greatest chance of winning a compensation claim.
Accidents At Work General PI News Industrial Disease Making A Personal Injury Claim Medical Negligence ClaimsSep 6th, 20130 comments
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