Personal Injury Solicitors

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has found a reduction in the number of workers suffering fatal and serious injuries at work, including burns, fractures and amputations.

In recent years there has been a rise in the number of workers turning to personal injury solicitors for life changing injuries suffered in workplace accidents.

This had led to accusations that a compensation culture is developing in the workplace and many employers have worked hard to improve standards of health and safety.

The HSE also regularly issues guidance to employers and workers about health and safety in the workplace.

The latest data from the HSE shows an 11% fall in the number of serious and fatal workplace injuries in the UK, compared with data for 2011/2012 – representing a new low in serious workplace incidents among British workers.

In 2011/2012, a total of 171 workers lost their lives in workplace accidents in the UK – while between April 2012 and March 2013, a new low of 148 fatal workplace accidents was recorded in the UK.

The number of life changing or serious workplace accidents involving burns, fractures or amputations also fell by around 2,500 in the same period – from 22,094 to 19,707.

Chair of the HSE Judith Hackitt said that, although there were still too many workplace deaths occurring in the UK, employers in Britain were continuing to improve health and safety standards.

“This year's figures demonstrate that Britain continues to improve its health and safety performance, with important falls in the number of workers fatally injured and the number of employees suffering major injuries.

“But we still see too many deaths and injuries occurring in the workplace, many of which could have been prevented through simple safety measures. Getting this right is the key to ensuring that everyone can make it home safely at the end of their working day,” said Ms Hackitt.

The data reveals construction remains the most risky job for workers in the UK, followed by agriculture and the waste and recycling industry.

Some of the most dangerous equipment for industrial workers can be fork-lift trucks, which can be unstable if drivers are not sufficiently trained, flooring is uneven or the load is unbalanced.

Farm equipment such as harvesting machinery is a major hazard for agricultural workers – as well as working at height on farm buildings or farm roofs which are fragile or lack guard rails.

Accidents among workers at waste and recycling plants in the UK increased sharply in 2011. According to HSE figures to June 2011, nine workers died compared with just three in 2010.

At the time, the HSE’s Head of Waste and Recycling Peter Woolgar said:

“Waste and recycling must learn from other higher-risk industries – and not fall behind in managing workplace risks.”

If employers are found negligent through lapses in health and safety at work, injured workers could make a claim for thousands of pounds in compensation for injuries resulting from slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

Life changing work injuries or injuries requiring lifetime care – such as catastrophic brain injury – can lead to multimillion pound payouts for the victim.

For advice on making a personal injury claim following an accident at work, contact Duncan Lewis’ personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.