Lawford Kidd's Blog

January is slowly but surely drawing to a close, but during the month of good intentions, many of us have taken the opportunity to lose weight and get fit. However, whether you have succeeded or failed, there are many illnesses and injuries that can arise as a result of a new health and fitness plan. Hitting the gym may have resulted in an injury as a result of faulty equipment or poor advice, you may have taken dietary supplements that are unsafe or even undergone a cosmetic procedure that did not turn out as planned and caused you injury. This post looks at some of the most common injuries and illnesses arising out of the best of intentions, and when you might be able to make a claim.

A coroner has ruled that a primary school teacher, who was exposed to asbestos for years, died as a result of an industrial disease.

Elizabeth Belt, who had also contracted cancer, was killed following a battle with mesothelioma after being exposed to the substance when pinning artwork to pinboards in her classroom. Before her death, Belt had spoken of her exposure to asbestos in her school with the coroner confirming that it was this that eventually killed the 68-year-old.

A Dundee worker lost two fingers when his hand was trapped in a veneer press in a workplace accident.

James Doig had the two middle fingers of his right hand amputated after they were injured during an incident at Lam-Art Ltd. The Sheriff Court heard that although Mr Doig had experience and training in regards to using the machine, he had not been taught how to turn the machine on safely resulting in a fine for his company, Lam-Art, of £5,000.

The employee had been working at the company for 20 years and was only in charge of using the machinery when the normal operators were not in work. Although he was trained, another untrained worker had switched the machine on incorrectly, when Mr Doig then went to check the machine, the other worker who was on shift with Mr Doig touched the control panel, trapping Mr Doig’s fingers between metal plates in the machine.

A new study has revealed that teachers and lecturers have been awarded close to £300,000 in the last year, as a result of accidents in the workplace.

With Christmas just around the corner, people all across the UK are buying more than any other time of year. While most of the time people are satisfied with the goods they purchase, it is not uncommon for goods to be faulty, defective and even dangerous.