Lawford Kidd's Blog

Expert claims & compensation solicitors. We can help you if you have suffered an accident or injury in Scotland. Call us on 0808 258 1233 or fill in our online contact form.

Agricultural sector poses many risks to workers

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently appointed a new head to its agricultural section after the existing head - Graeme Walker - retired. He is being replaced by Rick Brunt, who was formerly in charge of field operations for the North West.

Leading the agricultural division is an important responsibility because, despite improvements in recent years, agriculture remains one of Britain’s most dangerous industries.

Agriculture accident statistics

Just over one in a hundred workers (employees and the self-employed) work in agriculture, forestry and fishing but, according to the HSE, the sector accounts for about one in five fatal injuries to workers.

Continue reading
  1438 Hits
1438 Hits

A fifth of Americans have been injured at work

More than one in five Americans say they have been injured on the job, according to a new survey from FindLaw.com, the legal information website.

According to the survey, 21% of American adults say that they have suffered an injury while on the job that was serious enough for them to take time off work. The vast majority of injuries involve slip-and-fall accidents, repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and other musculoskeletal injuries.

The most common types of injury were:

Continue reading
  1419 Hits
1419 Hits

Company fined for three Clyde tug boat deaths

A Danish company, Svitzer Marine, has been fined £1.7 million at the High Court in Edinburgh for safety failings that led to the death of three crewmen on a tugboat owned by the company, reports the BBC. The judge hearing the case commented that the fine would have been higher had the company not pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches.

The Flying Phantom had been towing a large cargo ship on the Clyde through thick fog when it capsized.

A subsequent investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch found that the tug boat’s towing winch had been slow to release, causing it to be capsized by the boat it was towing. In addition, there was a lack of safety procedures in place for operating in foggy conditions. The tug boat had also apparently been involved in a previous collision in similar conditions in 2000.

Continue reading
  1737 Hits
1737 Hits

Occupational health and wellbeing "wake-up call" needed

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has urged politicians to put greater emphasis on good occupational health and wellbeing.

Tragically, 148 people were killed in Britain last year, while more than 12,000 died from diseases caused by what they have done for a living. These statistics are too high and the Government and employers must do more to prevent further failure, says IOSH.

This autumn, IOSH is meeting with politicians at all three of the main political party conferences to make the case that good health and wellbeing at work can boost productivity, morale and profit – and must no longer be the ‘Cinderella’ of workplace management.

Continue reading
  1438 Hits
1438 Hits

Rise in Scottish workplace fatalities

There was a slight increase in the number of workers killed in Scotland last year, despite an overall fall across Great Britain, according to new provisional statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Great Britain as a whole saw 148 workers fatally injured between April 2012 and March 2013, compared with 172 in the previous year, says the HSE. This means that the overall rate of fatal injury has dropped to 0.5 per 100,000 workers, below the five-year average of 0.6.

In Scotland, however, 22 fatal injuries were recorded – a rate of 0.9 deaths per 100,000 workers – and while this matches the average of 22 deaths in the past five years it is an increase from the 19 deaths recorded in 2011/12.

Continue reading
  1471 Hits
1471 Hits

Get 100% compensation! Start your claim here

Our expert injury lawyers will review your claim and get back to you shortly.
Please let us know your name.
Please let us know your email address.
Please write a subject for your message.
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Motor Accident Solicitors Society Association of Personal Injury Lawyers