February 23rd, 2009 -- Posted in personal injury, work health |
A guide to some of the most common work related injuries
Slips, trips and falls
Slips, trips and falls are the most common work place injury. Wherever you work, be it in an office, supermarket, shop or factory there are plenty of trip hazards to catch you out. Some of our trips are born out of our own clumsiness; however other trips may happen as a result of negligence or carelessness on a colleague or employers part.
Burns
If you are an electrician, construction worker or kitchen staff, you can be at risk from burn injuries. Some burns can be minor, though painful, but some can be far more serious with permanent scarring and in some case can prove fatal. Even making a cup of tea in the staff kitchen can lead to being burnt so always be careful around anything hot.
Back and neck injuries
Back and neck injuries can unfortunately affect anyone in any profession. People lifting items incorrectly are a big cause of back injuries. These items don’t even have to be particularly heavy, even something like a box of paper for your copier could cause damage to your back. Stiff, painful back and necks can also be caused by poor posture, lack of movement and badly designed work stations, while workers who spend most of the day standing run the risk of suffering musculoskeletal injuries. It is advised to take regular breaks to keep your muscles moving and working.
RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury)
Recent work place injury research suggests that 1 in 50 workers suffer from RSI. Those who are most at risk from RSI tend to be those who use their hands and arms for much of the day such as typists, factory workers and drivers. Symptoms of RSI include numbness and pain in the wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
Vibration injury
Workers who use powerful machinery and power tools are running the risks of vibration injury commonly know as ‘white finger‘. White finger can cause a tingling sensation and numbness in the fingers and hands as well as turning the affected fingers and hands white. Those who are most at risk of contracting vibration white finger are construction workers, mechanics and ground workers.
December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in personal injury |
Personal Injury is a term used by the legal system for when you have been injured in a situation such as an accident on the road, a trip at work, faulty goods or medical negligence. It usually comes down to an accident that has been caused by someone else whether directly or through negligence. The injury sustained can also be psychological as well as physical.
When making an accident compensation claim for a personal injury there are many things people overlook and make mistakes with. The more detail you can provide and the fewer mistakes you will make will give you a much stronger case.
If the injury was caused by or related to criminal activity, then you should report the incident to the police as quickly as possible. These claims can be made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. But to qualify you will have had to report the incident within two years of it happening and have a crime reference number.
Personal Injuries caused in road accidents should also be reported to the police within 24 hours, you should also make your insurer aware of the injury. To help back up your claims and prove who was at fault, witness statements should ideally be taken. These may need to be used in court at a later date.
Medical attention will need to have been sought for a successful slip or fall injury, as you will have to prove the extent of the injury when you make your claim. If the accident happened in a public area then the local council will probably be responsible for the claim. They will be prepared for such claims like this as they will have public liability insurance for these situations.
Accidents that happen at work will be considered a breach of your employment contract if it is due to negligence. If there is a breach of duty of care then compensation claims are fairly easy to win and recoup lost earnings and compensation. All employers should legally have special insurance to cover these claims.
As well as all these things mentioned, you should also talk to a accident compensation company who will tell you what you need for each individual case and can help you make your accident compensation claim.
At the end of the day, you need good evidence to prove that an accident wasn’t your fault and it was due to someone else. You should always seek out legal advice to make a successful claim.