Did you know that three types of work accident account for more than half of all the fatal injuries to workers in the UK?
According to the latest figures from RIDDOR (2020/21), falls from height are responsible for the most workplace deaths (35), followed by being hit by a moving vehicle (25) and being struck by a moving object (17).
Latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics show the most common type of workplace accident involves slips and trips, which, although accounting for only a tiny fraction of fatalities, are the cause of nearly a third (29%) of all injuries reported to the HSE. Work related ill-health and non-fatal injuries, including slip and trip accidents and manual handling incidents, caused the loss of 38.8 million working days. (Source: Estimates based on self-reports from the Labour Force Survey 2019/20)
In 2019/20 according to RIDDOR there were 111 fatal injuries to workers, while there were 65,427 non-fatal injuries reported by employers. However, the Labour Force Survey estimates that around 693,000 suffered non-fatal injuries based on self-reporting.
Common types of workplace accident include:
- Forklift accidents - particularly in warehouses, large retail operations and on construction sites etc.
- Falls from vehicles - in agriculture (tractors), construction (forklifts trucks and telescopic handlers etc.
- Ladder accidents - Particularly in construction, maintenance and anywhere workers use ladders to work at height
- Plant and equipment accidents - such as guard-related injuries, crush injuries, particularly in manufacturing and heavy industry
- Hazardous substances - chemical burns, and respiratory problems, including asbestos exposure.
- Falling objects - dropped tools and heavy loads etc.
- Accidents in confined spaces - particularly during maintenance of machinery and plant.
- Needlestick accidents - workers in hospital and healthcare services and waste disposal services.
- Manual handling accidents - lifting and carrying incidents.
- Unsafe work equipment - particularly relating to badly maintained equipment or lack of training in use of tools and machinery.
Whatever the circumstances of your accident in the workplace, speaking with an experienced personal injury solicitor can help you ensure that you realise your legal rights and achieve the best possible result in the quickest possible time.
Claim Accident Compensation with Thompsons
We are the leading personal injury firm in Scotland and have have an excellent success rate – winning more than 90 percent of the cases we represent. We are a dynamic firm and recover more than £1 million every week for our clients.
The amount of damages you receive for your work injury will depend on the nature and extent of your injuries as well as the value of your losses. For a free, informal chat about your possible claim or to begin your fight for compensation today, simply fill out an online claim form so that we can deal with your case with the detail and efficiency it deserves. Alternatvely, call us on 0800 0891 331.
