Quite possibly. The circumstances surrounding your lathe accident will have to be discussed fully with our specialist lawyers. They will be seeking to establish who was at fault when the accident occurred. The fact that you were not wearing protective clothing when your accident happened may seem to suggest you were culpable, but this may not be the case. Let’s look at how cases like this are assessed.
Health and Safety
In the UK, all employers are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of their workers, regardless of the job they do on site. They are as responsible for the safety of the receptionist as they are for the forklift truck drivers. Because this presents them with a wide range of responsibilities, a set of laws exist to help them stay on track. The Health and Safety in work laws protect you, the employee, from sustaining loss or injury through negligence on behalf of your employer. As long as your employer follows and enforces Health and Safety regulations, you will be safe. If he fails to do so, and you sustain an injury, the company will be liable for compensating you for that injury.
Applying Health and Safety Regulations
A UK injury claim must be able to show that your employer failed to safeguard you when the accident happened. If you were not trained to use protective clothing when your lathe injury occurred, and as a result of not wearing it you sustained injuries, your employer may be liable. If your employer had failed to supply you with the correct protective clothing, he could also be liable to pay compensation.
Collecting Data
When an accident happens, it is important that you collect evidence to present as part of your compensation claim case. If possible, take a photo of where the accident occurred. Ask your colleagues to say what they saw, if they were witnesses. Make a note of any training you were given. Ask the HR department to make a note of the accident in the Accident Record Book.
Finally, give our specialist lawyers a ring to discuss your case. They will talk you through the process, if you choose to go ahead with a claim. We work on a ‘no win no fee’ basis, so all our advice is free. We never pressurise you – it’s just not the way we work. We take 25,000 calls a year, and from those calls, we have won £30 million in compensation claims for our callers. You could be next, so for an informal chat, ring us on 0800 180 4123 or 0333 500 0992 from you mobile.