The health and safety statistics for 2010 show that although construction accounts for 4% of the employees in Britain, 7% of reported injuries happen to employees in the construction sector.
The accident rate in construction accounted for 42 fatal injuries in 2009 to 2010. 35% of the cases involved high falls and 24.8% involved electricity.
Personal injury claims involving health and safety breaches in the construction industry require expert advice from experienced personal injury lawyers. Lawford Kidd have 30 years’ experience of dealing with these claims. Many accidents involve more than one party. An employee may work for a sub-contractor who works on site for a builder where the whole work site is controlled by a larger enterprise. It is essential to identify who is responsible for the health and safety and which insurer will deal with the accident claim.
A number of specific regulations cover construction including the Work at Height Regulations and the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007. These regulations impose duties on a number of participants in the construction project, including clients, designers and contractors. The objective of the regulations was to improve health and safety within the construction industry. Failure to comply with the requirements of the regulations can result in a criminal prosecution and also give rise to a personal injury claim.
Defective or improperly used work equipment, such as ladders, often give rise in construction accidents to personal injury claims. In 2010 the Court of Appeal found employers liable for an injury to an employee who fell from an unfooted ladder and stressed that the employer has to assess whether a ladder is an appropriate piece of equipment for doing a particular job.
Research by Loughborough University identified as major causes of construction accidents;
• slips, trips and falls
• injuries while handling, lifting or carrying
• injuries when struck by moving objections
The report commented that there had been a greater emphasis on safety in the proceeding five years but safe practice could be overridden by production pressures.
If you have had a construction accident Lawford Kidd’s personal injury lawyers can help you in identifying the insurance company responsible and recovering proper compensation. Please phone for free advice on 0800 027 1480.