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.

Society Fined for Highland Show Fatality

The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland has been fined £100,000 following the death of a three-year-old boy at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston in June 2008, reports the BBC.

Ben Craggs had been attending the show with his parents when he apparently grabbed hold of a rope between two bollards in one of the car parks at the showground. One of the bollards, which weighed 148kg, toppled over on top of him, causing severe head injuries. Ben was taken to hospital, but later died of his injuries.

A jury at Edinburgh Sheriff Court found that the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, which had organised the Highland Show, was guilty of failing to ensure that the bollards were “provided and maintained in a condition and connected in a manner which did not present a risk of overturning,” reports the BBC.

Continue reading
  1403 Hits
1403 Hits

Fresh warning after 15 Scottish workers killed

Fifteen people lost their lives while at work in Scotland last year and 2,645 suffered a major injury, according to the latest statistics.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a fresh warning about workplace safety after the number of deaths rose across Great Britain in 2010/11. It is urging employers to make the safety of workers their top priority for 2012, and is reminding them of their legal responsibility to ensure lives are not put at risk.

A total of 171 people were killed at work in Great Britain last year, compared to 147 deaths during 2009/10. More than 24,700 workers also suffered a major injury in 2010/11.

The 15 deaths and 2,645 major injuries across Scotland compare to 22 deaths and 2,655 major injuries in 2009/10. Another 7,598 workers suffered an injury or ill health which required them to take at least three days off work in 2010/11, compared to 8,137 in 2009/10.

The latest provisional figures show that, on average, six in every million workers were killed while at work between April 2010 and March 2011.

High-risk industries include construction which had 50 deaths last year, agriculture with 34 deaths, and waste and recycling with nine deaths, making up more than half of all workplace deaths in Great Britain during 2010/11.

Dr Paul Stollard, HSE Director in Scotland, said:

"These statistics highlight why we need good health and safety in British workplaces. Employers should spend their time tackling the real dangers that workers face rather than worrying about trivial risks or pointless paperwork.”

 

Continue reading
  2167 Hits
2167 Hits

Higher risk of accidents on UK roads

Europe’s largest organisation of engineers, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), says the loss of focus brought about by the removal of road safety targets could lead to more road traffic accidents in different parts of the country.

Targets set in 2000 by the government led directly to a fall in road deaths of almost 50% due to the impetus this forced on local authorities to create road safety partnerships.

The warning is sounded as the professional engineering body submits evidence to the Transport Select Committee, which is investigating the impact of the Government’s Strategic Framework for Road Safety. The Framework, published by the Department for Transport earlier in the year, shifted from the former targets based programme, to an outcomes framework. Evidence shows that long-term targets would help local authorities to reduce deaths and serious injuries on UK roads.

Continue reading
  1691 Hits
1691 Hits

Fatalities from carbon monoxide poisoning

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.

Continue reading
  3620 Hits
3620 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