Lawford Kidd's Blog

Despite health and safety initiatives having even more scope into the world of employment and some campaigns to try and reduce the number of accidents that occur in the UK, sadly, millions of people are injured each year,

Often people are injured due to their own actions. However, a significant percentage of people suffer severe injury through no fault of their own.

If you are injured as a result of negligence or careless from another, then you could be entitled to take legal action and obtain compensation. Regardless of the extent of your injury, we believe that no one should be injured through no fault of their own. Many people are injured but are unsure whether or not they can obtain compensation, however, we have compiled a list of the most common types of accidents and what you need to make a claim.

Figures published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2014 showed that Britain is one of the safest places to work in the EU, however with 133 deaths and over 78,000 people injured in the last year alone, just how good are the health and safety standards in the UK?

Recent statistics show that as well as numerous employees sustaining injuries in the workplace, over 1.1 million employees suffer from a work-related illness, costing society, on average, £14.2 billion a year to treat.

Illnesses in the workplace cost employers 60% more than injuries throughout the working year. The report also showed that 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury in 2013/14.

Health and safety experts have called on landowners to take more care and responsibility when looking after trees on their land.

In light of recent fatalities and injuries sustained from falling trees and branches, members of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) are reminding landowners and managers of the potential risks that failing to look after trees on their land can pose to public safety.

Alan Plom, from the IOSH Rural Industries Group, said: “Every year across the UK members of the public are injured, or even worse killed when a tree falls on them.

“Landowners and managers need to step up to the mark and be aware of the risks that unsafe trees on their land pose to the general public – they could  be seriously hurt should a tree fall.”

There have been some high-profile incidents and widely reported civil cases relating to poor tree safety and management. Liability concerns amongst landowners have led to a defensive approach and often unnecessary felling of trees.

Mr Plom added: “Tree safety isn’t a laughing matter, it’s a must. Landowners need to balance the risks and benefits that having trees on their land can bring, and adopt a sensible, proportionate approach to tree safety.

“When assessing whether trees are safe it’s important that risks are considered without adopting an overly defensive approach that can have a harmful effect on tree stocks or individual trees.”

Tighter crowd controls must be introduced at many music and sports events in the UK to safeguard spectator safety, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has warned.

Formal safety training for stewards, the retention of all-seater stadiums and better management of crowd flows are among measures urged by IOSH after its poll of sports and music fans revealed many had been hurt at an event or involved in a crowd surge.

Most big gigs or matches are well-organised with health and safety the number one priority, said IOSH, but there are still events being held across the UK every year which fall well below the necessary safety standards.

Nearly one in three people feared for their safety at a major sports or music event, according to the poll of 3,000 fans. Of those who felt unsafe, half blamed overcrowding, while many cited drug or alcohol misuse (18%), fighting (13%) and rowdiness of crowds (16%).

More than one in ten said they had been injured or hurt at an event, and a third had been caught up in a crowd surge – where people push forward en masse.

The Institution wants to see music event organisers provide competent on-site training for all stewards employed, and better management of crowds once inside a venue.

IOSH’s call to action comes in the wake of a number of disasters over the past decade in which people have been crushed to death in crowds. IOSH’s Sports Grounds and Events Group also reiterated its call to maintain all-seater stadiums in Premier League and Championship football stadia – a call backed by the Hillsborough Family Support Group.

A report published by the Gas Safety Trust has revealed a dramatic rise in the number of deaths resulting from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the UK since 2010.