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Construction accident compensation claims

Injuries at work on construction sites

Construction sites are notoriously dangerous with a high risk of injury.

Accidents on construction sites can happen at work in a variety of circumstances and in some of them it may be possible to bring an accident claim for compensation. Serious injuries can occur as a result of falls from heights, from falling material, electrical faults, and so on.

Strict time limits apply for making a personal injury compensation claim, so please seek expert legal advice as soon as you think you may have a valid claim for compensation.

Regulations governing safety at work

An employer has a duty of care to his employees under the law of negligence. In addition, all employers are now subject to a statutory code of regulations designed to protect everyone in the workplace - employees, contractors and visitors. These regulations cover a number of key areas such as

Work Equipment - this includes machinery, tools and suchlike
The Workplace - this covers a variety of matters relevant to construction sites such as cleanliness, condition of floors and traffic routes, falls or falling objects, doors and gates, and so on
Manual Handling - this covers all forms of lifting and manual handling
Protective Equipment - this covers all cases where protective equipment (safety helmets, gloves, goggles, etc.) is required
There are regulations which specifically relate to construction sites such as The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 and others which are highly relevant such as The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998

The regulations now are framed in such a way that employers are obliged to avoid risks entirely if this is possible; if it is not possible, they are obliged to minimise the risk to the lowest possible level.

Construction site accidents

A particular complication of construction site accidents is that there may be many different companies on site.

In order to succeed in a claim for accident compensation if you have suffered an accident at work, you have to prove what happened, that it happened as a result of the employers' (or someone else's) negligence or breach of a statutory duty, and that your injuries and losses have occurred as a result.

Remember that even if an accident was partly your own fault, you may be successful in a claim (although your damages / compensation would be reduced to reflect your own level of blame).

Accidents that happen as a result of a mistake by a work colleague can also be pursued. This is the principle of vicarious liability which renders the employer liable for the negligence of his employees. This principle even applies in most cases if you are injured as a result of a prank by a work colleague during the course of employment.

If an accident at work happens, wherever possible always keep a record and take photographs if possible; take the names and home addresses of witnesses; keep evidence of doctors visited and treatments, and keep receipts for any injury related expenses. Visit our section on gathering information and evidence for more details.

It is always important to obtain prompt specialist advice.

Clear Answers' specialist lawyers will be able to assess which company or companies should be pursued for compensation in the event that your accident at work is attributable to more than one of the companies on site, will advise you whether a claim for compensation is possible, and will give guidance and assistance on how a claim can be pursued. Visit our section on information and advice for more details on making a personal injury compensation claim.

Successful injury at work cases we have dealt with

Clear Answers' specialist solicitors, Thompsons Solicitors, deal with all types of injury at work accidents. We have extensive experience in handling successful accident at work compensation claims, including accident claims on construction sites, and very many satisfied clients. Please go to our Injury at Work Compensation Claims That We Have Dealt With section to read just a few examples of our successful cases.

Construction site injuries news stories

Clear Answers injury at work solicitors deal with a large number of accident cases each year, many involving injuries which happen on construction sites.

Below is just a small sample of construction site claims that we have successfully fought. To view the full story click on the link beneath the description. Alternatively you can visit our Personal Injury News Section to view other successful personal injury compensation claims that Clear Answers solicitors have been involved in.

Annual HSE fatal accident at work figures

In March 2009, the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) reported a provisional 6-month figure of 90 fatal accidents at work (see our News item “HSE latest fatal injury numbers” dated 2nd March 2009). Based on historical data, this was on target to be a record low, with a significant decrease on the previous five-year average. The provisional figure was in fact a 22% decrease on that average.

Figures issued by the HSE for the 12-month period to end of March 2009 have confirmed this trend with an annual figure of 180. However, it must be remembered that this figure is provisional until June 2010 when fatalities that can occur some time after the accident at work will be taken into account.

More about Annual HSE fatal accident at work figures

Industrial disease compensation awarded to tunneller

Some years prior to his retirement, our client had begun to experience severe breathing difficulties. When he was diagnosed with both silicosis and lung cancer, as a result of the negligent exposure by his employers, he was advised to seek personal injury advice about making a claim for personal injury compensation.

Our client had worked for a large number of construction companies during his working life, as was typical in the construction industry, as workers moved on from one completed project to another. Sadly, he was negligently exposed to concrete and other dust products by many of them, a situation which was also typical of the construction industry at that time.

Our specialist personal injury solicitors were able to negotiate a substantial sum in industrial disease compensation for our client’s pain and suffering.
More about Tunneller diagnosed with both silicosis and lung cancer

Construction worker seeks personal injury advice after amputation

The circumstances of our client’s injuries at work were the result of the management’s failure to meet the requirements of workplace regulations.

Our specialist personal injury solicitors, who have vast experience and in-depth knowledge of fighting for compensation following serious accidents at work, were forced to issue court proceedings when the defendant refused to accept liability for our client’s serious injuries.

However, before the trial, our solicitors were able to negotiate acceptable injury at work compensation and our client received 100% of the compensation awarded, which was £335,000.
More about Construction worker suffers amputation

Compensation claims

If you do have a valid personal injury compensation claim resulting from an accident on a construction site, and you decide to instruct Clear Answers to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for yourself. Telephone us now on 0800 783 9019 or complete one of our online compensation claim forms.

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