Fires can happen in an instant, and lead to life-long consequences. No more is this illustrated than in a recent case investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in which a man was severely burnt while refuelling a tank of petrol while at work. The accident...
Workplace injuries
Workplace injuries
How much time do I have to make a claim for an accident at work?
The Limitation Act 1980 (LA 1980), s 11(4) lays out the time limits which prospective personal injury claimants must adhere, and its rules are strictly enforced by the courts. For workplace accidents, a claim must be brought within three years from either the date of...
Out On A Limb – Upper Limb Injuries & Disorders At Work & How To Make A Claim
Upper limb injuries and disorders can have a profound impact on our ability to perform even the most basic daily functions. For the purpose of this article, we will treat upper limb disorders as separate from injuries due to accidents, in that the latter typically...
A Farmer’s Life – The Realities of Working in the British Agricultural Sector
For many, British farming conjures up thoughts of fresh air, endless rolling countryside, herding sheep across grassy moorlands, reaping the bountiful harvest in the autumn and tending the cattle. The reality is that while working in agriculture can be hugely...
Taking the load – Heavy lifting equipment accidents at work
Heavy lifting equipment is used across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, logistics, construction and healthcare, and it has transformed how we work for the better. Such machinery includes vehicle tail lifts, patient hoists, tele-handlers, fork-lift...
Workplace accidents in the UK manufacturing sector
It’s been a rollercoaster year for UK manufacturing. In October 2016, it was reported that activity in the sector had grown faster than it had in the previous two years, due to the fall in the value in the pound, following the vote to leave the EU. And this early...
Chemical hazards in the workplace
Chemicals are surprisingly prevalent in our modern world, and not just in large industrial organisations. Even small local businesses such as hairdressers, gardeners, cleaners and pest controllers use chemicals that if not carefully handled, can cause serious injury....
The dangers of repetitive strain injuries
To the non-medically trained eye, the terms ‘Tenosynovitis’, ‘Dupuytren’s contracture’, and ‘Epicondylitis’ might be lost on you completely. Thankfully these conditions can be grouped by a slightly more memorable name - ‘repetitive strain injury’ (RSI). Such injuries...
Is your employer pulling their weight? The Importance of Safe Manual Handling
The somewhat anodyne health and safety term, ‘manual handling’, refers to the movement of any item by lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing, or pulling; actions that many workers do all day, every day. While not all new employees see manual handling training as the...
Eye injuries At Work Are No Comedy Spectacle
According to the Amsterdam-based eye surgeon, Richard Zegers, out of 92 Laurel and Hardy films, 88 of them would have resulted in serious eye injuries for one or more of the actors. Oliver Hardy was the primary victim, and Stan Laurel’s finger was the most common...