Causes of Accidents in the Workplace and how to get recompense for it

There are innumerable causes of accidents in the workplace from trailing cables and wires to poorly maintained machinery. An accident at work could arise at any time within any industry because a simple risk assessment had not been carried out to identify and eliminate any hazards.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing are the riskiest industry sector in terms of the chances of an employee encountering an accident in the workplace. Just over one in 100 employees work in the agricultural industry sector but it still accounts for about one in five of fatal injuries to workers. Those who work in the construction industry are also at high risk of being involved in an accident in the workplace. Although there have been significant reductions in the number and rate of injury over the last 20 years in construction, this industry sector still carries a high risk of a work accident.

Falls in the workplace are responsible for the majority of accidents in the construction sector with this type of accident causing 29% of reported major injuries. Slips trips and falls on level ground were responsible for 25% of all reported major injuries in this sector whereas 13% were caused by moving or falling objects. If you have sustained an injury from an accident in the workplace that occurred whilst you were working in the construction industry, Work Accident Claims Solicitors may be able to help you secure compensation for your damages.

Following closely behind the construction sector, in terms of risk of an accident in the workplace, is the health and social care sector.

Approximately 5,000,000 working days were lost due to self-reported work related illness and injury within the health and social care although 90% of this was illness related. The healthcare sector accounts for around 8% of employees but is responsible for 10% of reported injuries to employees. Although fatal injuries are much less common within the health sector, with only one fatality in the last five years, the risk of accident is still high. 58% of injuries in the health and social care sector are caused by slips, trips and falls from height. Not surprisingly, 13% of reported major injuries resulted from an assault. The other 9% of injuries arose as a result of manual handling accidents.

Within the health and social care sector, the employees most at risk are care workers and home carers – 713 employees within this area of employment sustained a non-fatal major injury in the last year. 454 nurses, 279 nursing auxiliaries and assistants, 153 welfare and housing associate professionals, 63 paramedics and 53 ambulance staff (excluding paramedics), also sustained a non-fatal major injury last year.

Have you been involved in an accident in the workplace whilst working in the health and social care sector? The experienced accident at work solicitors have handled numerous workplace accident cases on behalf of those working in the health and social care sector and may be able to help you claim compensation for your injuries.

The manufacturing industry, which accounts for around 10% of the British workforce, is also risky to employees and accounts for 25% of fatal injuries in the workplace. In the last year, there were 31 fatal injury sustained by employees in the manufacturing industry along with 17,495 reported serious injuries. Around 15% of reported major injuries within the manufacturing industry involved moving machinery whereas food manufacturing had rate of reported major injury almost twice the rate of manufacturing as a whole.

Manufacturing also carries an extremely high risk of developing a work related illness with about 2000 occupational cancer deaths each year as a result of past exposures in the manufacturing sector. If you were working in the manufacturing industry where your workplace accident occurred, Work Accident Claims Solicitors can offer you no win no fee representation if you would like to pursue a case against your employer for compensation.

Regardless of the industry sector in which you work, the specialist solicitors at Work Accident Claims Solicitors have the knowledge and expertise necessary to pursue your case relentlessly in order to secure you the compensation award you deserve. Contact one of our highly trained legal experts today to get your case started – a full investigation into your potential claim will have to be carried out before it is accepted so it is vital that you start legal proceedings within three years.

I am a free lancer writer currently residing at United Kingdom.