Lawford Kidd's Blog

A recent survey has revealed that the main causes of major injuries to workers in the UK food industry are slips and trips, manual handling and falls from height.

According to the study by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s Food and Drink Group (IOSH), there were 125 major injuries and 584 over-three-day injuries across 30 companies in 2013/14.

Around half of the major injuries were as a result of slips, trips or falls on the same level, while one in five major injuries were also as a consequence of either manual handling or falls from height.

The winter season brings a great deal more of a certain type of accident – slips, trips and falls. More than a third of all accidents reported to the Health and Safety Executive are as a result of slips and trips. Slippery pavements, wet shop floors and dark nights all make leaving your home slightly more dangerous. Although such falls may seem minor, a serious one may leave you seriously injured and even with lasting effect. Whilst some of the incidents are genuine accidents for which no one can be blamed, often they are caused by carelessness or negligence on the part of someone with a legal responsibility to prevent them. In the latter circumstance, the injured party may have a right to receive compensation and recover the cost of loss of earnings and any medical treatment required.

What should I do if I have suffered a slip, trip or fall injury?

In order to have the best chance of success in reclaiming compensation, there are some things you can do.

Record the Accident - If you are seriously injured you should make sure you receive medical attention as soon as possible. Otherwise, you should report the incident to the person responsible and log it in the accident book if possible.

New research by LV= Broker has found that one in 20 small business owners have no insurance cover in place – equivalent to 230,000 businesses across the UK - leaving them vulnerable to liability claims, hefty fines and prosecution.

By law, all businesses employing staff must have employers’ liability (EL) insurance as a minimum otherwise they can be fined up to £2,500 a day by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Despite this, the research found that 350,000 small businesses that employ staff have no cover in place.

As well as being vulnerable to fines from the HSE, business owners could find themselves heavily out of pocket should one of their staff make a claim against them. According to LV= claims data, there has been an increase in the frequency of employer liability claims as more employees brings claims against their employers.

Uncontested claims for compensation for “slips and trips” and other injuries at work or in a public place in England and Wales can now handled by a simpler and faster legal system, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

The change will make no difference to the amount of compensation victims will receive for genuine claims but will reduce the unnecessary additional bills faced by insurers and enable them to pass on savings to customers.

The move is part of a package of reforms brought in by Government this year to tackle the high cost of insurance premiums. These have been blamed for schools, businesses, community groups, councils and others being unable to stage activities where there is any risk of someone getting injured, as well as increasing costs for drivers.