Accidents at Work...

Whilst you are at work, you are under the care of your employer or the contractor who employs you and they have a duty to provide you with a safe place of work, a safe system of work and safe work equipment. You must be properly trained for the job you are doing, with adequate and safe work equipment, a safe way of doing your job and with colleagues that are competent at doing their job.

If your employers neglect their duty towards you, and you have an accident, you are entitled to make a claim against your employer's insurance policy for compensation for your injuries. For example, your injury may be caused by inadequate or defective work equipment or by a lack of training.

You may also have a potential claim if your accident does not occur at your employer's premises, for example, if you are a contract cleaner, working on a construction site or driving a lorry or van. Your employer still has the same duty regarding a safe place of work, safe system of work and safe work equipment.

Even if you are self-employed you may have a potential claim if your accident occurs due to the negligence of the party who has overall responsibility for the premises where you are working, namely the party who has overall control of the building site where you are working, or the owner of the premises that you are cleaning. The test is whether the party who has control over your working environment has neglected their duty towards you and therefore has caused your accident.

You can also claim for any financial losses that you have incurred as a result of an accident, such as a loss of earnings while you are unable to work due to the injuries you sustained, or travel expenses incurred whilst attending your GP, physiotherapist, or hospital.

Main Contact:
Simon Rowley