When an employer fails to make a place of work safe for its employees, and an accident occurs due to their negligence, workers are within their rights to pursue compensation. Employers are also normally prosecuted and fined by the Health & Safety Executive when it is proved they have failed to provide a safe working environment.
Falls in the workplace are a common occurrence and can be due to a failure to maintain or provide safety guards or equipment; a lack of safety inspections or inadequate training or supervision.
Injuries sustained after a fall can be anything from a broken limb to more serious head trauma or spinal damage. Unfortunately fatalities are common when a fall from height is involved.
Employers prosecuted for fall incidents
Recently a steeplejack company and a firm hired to repair the scaffolding used for a repair project on a chimney were fined over the death of steeplejack John Alty in 2007. He was working alongside a colleague at the site in Bolton when the scaffolding collapsed sending him plummeting to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His colleague managed to cling on to a ladder and survived.
A south coast construction firm was recently found responsible for the injuries sustained by a delivery worker who fell six metres down an unguarded lift shaft. He broke his back in the fall; an injury that changed his life.
Life changing fall injuries, such as a broken back or any form of head trauma, must be adequately compensated for. Medical and social care and loss of earnings are just some of the issues that will need to be covered financially.
It is important to consult a specialist injury claims solicitor who has specific experience in serious injury compensation cases. At Stephensons, we can give you access to this specialist help, so if you or a member of your family has suffered life changing injuries as a result of a fall, or any type of accident at work, call us today on 01616 966 229.
By personal injury solicitor, Kate Sweeney
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