Action on compensation claims for slips and trips
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 […]
Seriously injured people risk being short-changed
Severely injured people, forced to gamble with their compensation to cover the cost of future support, could face having their damages cut further under Government proposals. High-value damages payments are subject to a reduction to offset any interest that may be earned over time. Despite the fall in interest rates during the recession, the current […]
Government puts safety law back by 100 years
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has claimed that a new clause introduced to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill by the Government has put workplace health and safety back into the Victorian age. APIL president Karl Tonks explained: “At the moment, where an employer has been found to have breached health and safety […]
Fee for Intervention now in operation
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new cost recovery scheme, with the aim of recovering the costs of inspecting, investigating and taking enforcement action against businesses that break health and safety laws. Known as Fee for Intervention (FFI), the scheme began to operate on 1st October and will enable the HSE to […]
Essex truck firm in court over life-changing injuries
An Essex firm has been prosecuted after one of its employees suffered life-changing injuries when he fell from a stepladder while spray-painting a lorry. The 51-year-old man shattered his left shoulder and collar bone, broke several ribs and received a deep cut to his head in the fall. The company was prosecuted by the […]
Suspended jail term for ignoring asbestos safety
The director of a Bromley firm has given a suspended jail sentence after removing asbestos without a licence and deceiving the householders by providing a doctored air test saying the room was safe to re-enter. Southwark Crown Court was told that the firm was hired to take out all the asbestos insulation from the boiler […]
Military deaths abroad to be investigated in Scotland
The Ministry of Justice has announced that, as part of its reforms of the coroners system, the law has been updated to allow the deaths of service personnel abroad to be investigated in Scotland for the first time. Until now inquests into such deaths have been heard in England and Wales, meaning bereaved service families […]
Experts call for helmets to be worn
A string of quad bike fatalities in Great Britain has prompted experts to call for more riders to wear safety helmets. Members of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) Rural Industries Group issued a stark warning to those working with quad bikes who are reluctant to wear head protection. Alan Plom, from the […]
Firms fined for asbestos failings
Two Lincoln companies have been fined after workers were exposed to asbestos during the refurbishment of a Northamptonshire hospital ward. One of the companies was hired by the other to carry out an asbestos survey before work began on the hospital. The survey identified an asbestos coating on the underside of the ceilings, but missed […]
Poor head restraints increase the risk of whiplash injuries
Hundreds of thousands of whiplash injuries could be prevented each year with better head restraints and seats in UK cars, according to Axa Insurance. The company carried out research, in conjunction with motor research organisation Thatcham, into the cars on the UK’s roads and estimates that only 34% have head restraints and seats that would […]