While some accidents at work are very minor, with victims not requiring hospitalisation and not needing to take any time off work, other cases see people sustaining life-changing injuries and facing huge financial repercussions that only accident at work compensation can help them to cope with.
For instance, a worker at Plymouth-based steel manufacturer Condor Allslade recently suffered dreadful injuries when he was struck by a 1.4-tonne steel beam. The unnamed has not been able to work since the incident, which took place on June 10th 2011 and saw him suffering from crushed discs, a skull fracture, broken ankle bones, a broken knee and a blood clot that affected his lung.
Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the firm had not undertaken proper risk assessments and had not implemented simple safety devices that would have prevented these steel beams becoming unsteady.
The steel beam that landed on the worker was positioned on top of a metal trolley and had not been secured when the employee knocked it with the hook of his crane. He had to be airlifted to Southampton hospital and was hospitalised for a month. Despite the fact that more than two years have passed since the accident, the worker is still having to undergo surgery and other forms of medical treatment.
What could the business have done to prevent industrial accident claims?
Tragedies like this point out exactly how essential accident at work compensation can be and show that it is not just industrial accident claims employers should worry about when implementing safety measures in the workplace. The injured worker in this case was a 64-year-old fabricator and welder and businesses do not want to harm trained, skilled staff members by failing to consider their health and safety obligations.
Furthermore, HSE also enacted a prohibition notice on the site, which prevented staff from conducting any other work on unsupported steel beams that were not secured on to trolleys, which would have reduced the amount of work that could be done on site until these safety issues were resolved. And while the firm may have had to have paid accident at work compensation to the unnamed worker in an industrial accident claim, it also faces a fine of £16,000 and court costs of £5,074 after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety regulations at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court.
Craig Varian, Inspector at the HSE, pointed out that while risk assessments may be denigrated as a 'tick box' exercise or as technicalities, this accident showed how important the exercise actually is. The company could have easily implemented measures in place that would have prevented the accident, and it actually did implement these measures after the incident took place, he continued.
Unfortunately, this happened too late to prevent the worker suffering these terrible, debilitating, lifelong injuries, Mr Varian added.
The manufacturing sector and accident at work compensation
According to the HSE, the last five years have seen an average of 31 people dying in workplace accidents in the manufacturing sector. Furthermore, more than 4,500 people reported major injuries in a typical year, while this timeframe would also see approximately 19.500 people sustain injuries through accidents at work that kept them away from their jobs for at least three days. Around 2.8 million people are employed in the sector.
Manufacturing also poses a range of other risks - airborne particles and other materials can cause workers to suffer health complaints, which can be long-term.
However, despite the high number of injuries suffered by people in the industry, workers should not accept risk as a part of the job. If you are employed in the sector, you should take reasonable care to ensure you do not become injured, and you can start an industrial accident claim and receive accident at work compensation if you can show that the accident was someone Else's fault.
Businesses are not allowed to fire you or treat you negatively if you make an industrial accident claim while still employed by them and should have an insurance policy that will cover your compensation costs. This means that even if you love your workplace, you do not have to be reluctant to make an accident at work compensation claim - you can still keep your old job and the business will continue to run as normal following your court case or settlement.
Furthermore, your industrial accident claim could also prevent your colleagues from becoming injured. If a worker had sued Condor Allslade before the incident that led to the employee suffering his dreadful injuries, it is likely that they would have improved their safety practices and that the tragedy would have never took place.
Manufacturing also poses a range of other risks - airborne particles and other materials can cause workers to suffer health complaints, which can be long-term.
However, despite the high number of injuries suffered by people in the industry, workers should not accept risk as a part of the job. If you are employed in the sector, you should take reasonable care to ensure you do not become injured, and you can start an industrial accident claim and receive accident at work compensation if you can show that the accident was someone Else's fault.
Businesses are not allowed to fire you or treat you negatively if you make an industrial accident claim while still employed by them and should have an insurance policy that will cover your compensation costs. This means that even if you love your workplace, you do not have to be reluctant to make an accident at work compensation claim - you can still keep your old job and the business will continue to run as normal following your court case or settlement.
Furthermore, your industrial accident claim could also prevent your colleagues from becoming injured. If a worker had sued Condor Allslade before the incident that led to the employee suffering his dreadful injuries, it is likely that they would have improved their safety practices and that the tragedy would have never took place.
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