He said “and there is something else we are doing: waging war against the excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross around the neck of British businesses.”

Politics aside, this could prove to be bad news for the many people who suffer illness, accident and injury as a direct result of employer negligence in the UK every year.

Despite talking of the “excessive health and safety culture”, there are still many unscrupulous firms operating in the UK who put their employees in risky or dangerous situations every day of their working lives.

Highly spurious and ridiculous injury compensation claims tend to make the news more than the legitimate ones, and while any crackdown on false claims would be welcomed by most, it’s feared that legitimate claims may suffer too.

Below is a look at how this announcement could affect valid workplace injury claims.

•    People may become reluctant to make a claim

If the process of making valid workplace injury claims becomes harder, it may put people off trying to pursue a compensation award.

In cases where an employer has clearly been negligent, this could be a real ‘kick in the teeth’ for an employee who would understandably feel aggrieved. If an employee is forced to take time off work for an accident that was their employers’ fault without any recompense, this could have a damaging effect on their morale and state of mind when they return to work.

•    Employers could get complacent when it comes to health and safety

There are already many companies in the UK that don’t take their duty of care to employees as seriously as they should. If workplace injury claims become harder to pursue, more businesses could see this as an opportunity to become complacent and save money on health and safety measures.

Unfortunately, people die at work every year in the UK, so if more employers were to become complacent, accident rates and deaths may rise.

•    Employees could miss out financially

In lots of workplace injury claims, employees are forced to seek compensation because they’re unable to work for long periods. In many cases, their employers won’t pay them for the duration of their time off, especially if it runs into months or even years in extreme cases.

The compensation awarded via successful workplace injury claims is a valuable lifeline for many who’ve had an accident at work that wasn’t their fault.

If it becomes harder to win workplace injury claims, many employees may be forced to try and get by without any salary or compensation to help them pay the bills while they recover.

*source: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1020668/david-cameron-moves-tackle-stranglehold-health-safety-buerocracy-amid-accusations-touch

www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk is one of the UK’s leading specialists in dealing with workplace injury claims and accident compensation. Call them now on 0845 345 4444 if you’d like to discuss making a claim.

Out of this total, a quarter of a million pounds was paid out to just one teacher who had suffered a “stress-related psychiatric injury”.

When you think of a teacher having to make an injury claim, most people would assume it would be as a result of an assault by a pupil. However, stress related injury claims amongst teachers are becoming a bigger problem for many reasons, including those outlined below.

•    Demanding workload

The public perception of teachers is often not reflected in reality. Far from clocking off at half past three every day, teachers often work long hours both in school and at home doing things like marking and preparing lesson plans.

If a colleague is off sick, the extra workload placed on individual teachers can become too stressful and lead to an injury claim being filed.

The demands of controlling and educating a classroom full of pupils shouldn’t be underestimated, and it’s a mentally demanding job.

•    Disruptive pupils

Disruptive pupils who turn violent are an obvious cause of injury claims made by teachers. However, the mental aspect is often ignored. Teachers have very strict guidelines on what they can and can’t do to discipline pupils who step out of line.

A group of disruptive pupils causing a teacher problem over a number of months can have a significant effect on mental health and is often cited as the main contributing factor to workplace stress when it comes to an injury claim.

•    Large class sizes

Large class sizes can create problems for teachers as well as pupils. As well as the day-to-day issues of controlling a big class, the amount of related work such as marking and assessing pupil progress can quickly become overwhelming without the right level of support.

•    Lack of support

Stressful situations can be made much worse if a teacher feels that he/she is not receiving any help or support in dealing with them.

In many cases where teachers have made injury claims for stress or a psychiatric injury, the lack of support from their superiors has been cited as a contributing factor in them being unable to continue working as normal.

*source: http://www.scotsman.com/news/education/650_000_compensation_paid_to_teachers_for_work_related_injuries_in_scottish_schools_1_2040585

For more information on making an injury claim for a workplace injury or accident, visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk or call them on 0845 345 4444.

The man, described by lawyers as “chronically obese” has made the claim after allegedly falling backwards onto a concrete floor as the table and chair unit he was sitting at “shot backwards”.

The validity of the man’s £75,000 claim for whiplash style injuries and subsequent psychological problems has still to be ruled on legally. However, in general, it’s easy for employers to forget about certain things in terms of health and safety which may subsequently lead to an accident compensation claim, such as those below.

•    Office chairs

In many offices, people sit on the same chairs day in, day out for years on end without them being checked or replaced by their employer.

Regardless of an individual’s weight, having chairs checked regularly for things like loose screws can prevent them collapsing and help an employer reduce the likelihood of an accident compensation claim being made against them.

•    Car parks and entrances

Accident compensation claims often arise from situations outside the actual working environment. Employers have a duty of care to make sure staff can get to and from the building where they work safely.

Common causes of slips, trips and falls include ice in office car parks, and large pot-holes which have been left to form with no warning signs or cones around them to bring them to people’s attention.

•    Canteens

While most large employers will use an outside catering firm for the food in their canteens, some companies will employ their own staff to provide breakfasts and lunches.

An accident compensation claim may come about as a result of a bad burn from a faulty coffee machine, or a plate that’s too hot for example.

•    Reporting of spillages

An employer can only deal effectively with spillages if they know they’ve happened. Staff have an important role to play in the reporting of spillages in the workplace so colleagues can avoid being injured.

In the case of spillages, everyone has a duty of care to make the workplace safe and if a spillage is spotted, they should deal with the situation so any suitable warning signs can be placed around the affected area.

*source: http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/bus_driver_sues_for_whiplash_injury_suffered_in_canteen_1_2039390
Visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk to find out more about making an accident compensation claim and how the process works. If you’ve had an accident at work that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation and InjuryLawyers4U will make sure you get 100% of any sum you’re entitled to.

In the first half of 2011, road accidents involving cyclists rose by 12% compared to the first six months of 2010.*

With over 200 cyclists on average being injured every month on the country’s roads (some critically), personal injury claims are an issue for many. *

With cyclists having less protection than car and van drivers on the roads, any collision with a vehicle or pedestrian can easily lead to personal injury.

Below are a few common scenarios where cyclists may decide to pursue a personal injury claim, or indeed have a claim made against them.

•    Hit by an insured driver

If a cyclist is hit by an insured driver and thinks they were at fault, they might decide to make a personal injury claim.

If it turns out the driver was at fault for causing an accident that resulted in personal injury, their insurance cover will protect them financially when it comes to paying out on a successful personal injury claim.

•    Hit by an uninsured driver

Cyclists who suffer personal injury as a result of an accident caused by an uninsured driver do have a way they can make a personal injury claim.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) provides compensation to motorists and cyclists who have sustained personal injuries as victims of uninsured drivers.

Not everyone is aware of this potential avenue for compensation. For example, a cyclist who has no insurance of their own may have to take weeks or months off work and lose out financially as a result of their personal injury caused by someone else.

•    Causing an accident

Cyclists are not just on the receiving end of personal injuries, they can also cause them. Colliding with pedestrians is a potential hazard all cyclists need to be aware of.

There are specialist cyclist insurance policies available that provide third party or public liability cover. Having insurance would mean that a cyclist on the end of a personal injury claim from a pedestrian wouldn’t be personally responsible for paying out any successful compensation claim.

Summary

As more and more cyclists take to the UK’s streets, the need to protect themselves against personal injury claims is likely to stay in the spotlight.

*source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15892074

For more information on road accident claims and personal injury compensation, visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk You can call them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or request a call back at a convenient time via their website.

Some councils in Scotland have been paying out substantial sums to injured employees. Recent figures which were made public under the Freedom of Information Act show that Fife Council’s accident compensation bill was almost £1million over the last five years.*

Around two thirds of the accident compensation claims made against Fife Council were for injuries sustained while lifting or having to move heavy items such as equipment and furniture.

Other councils in Scotland were also found to have paid out sums of over £100,000 in the same five year period.

Local authorities throughout the UK will now be looking for ways to keep accident compensation payouts to an absolute minimum.

Here are some useful tips for making an accident compensation claim against your employer, whether they’re a local council or private sector company.

•    Don’t let yourself be talked out of taking action

Making an accident compensation claim against your employer can be stressful. In some situations, it may be made worse by people above you trying to actively discourage you from making a claim.

If you’ve been injured at work and suffered emotionally and/or physically, you may be entitled to accident compensation if your employer was to blame.

For example, if you were asked to operate a machine without sufficient training and badly injured your hand, you may have to take a number of weeks off work without full pay.

•    Get professional legal advice

Once you’ve decided to look into making a claim for accident compensation, the next step is to get professional and reliable legal advice. Unfortunately, there are some companies out there that provide poor advice when it comes to the likelihood of a claim being successful.

It’s a good idea to write down a list of questions before you call a company about the possibility of making an accident compensation claim. A professional firm will be able to answer your questions fully and guide you through how the personal injury claim process works.

It’s worth bearing in mind that some unscrupulous no win no fee companies will actually charge you if you make a claim and it’s not successful.

•    Be realistic

It’s also important to listen to the advice of your legal representative when it comes to the amount of accident compensation you’re likely to receive.

Your colleagues may have their own opinions on how much you should claim for, or be opposed to you making a claim at all, but it’s crucial you only listen to qualified legal advice.

*source: http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2011/12/01/1-5-million-compensation-to-council-workers/

Visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk to learn more about how the accident compensation process works. Alternatively, call 0845 345 4444 to speak to a qualified advisor about your particular case.

The last thing you want when you’re off work enjoying time with family and friends is to be going to hospital, or resting up in bed because you’ve had an accident.

Some accidents at Christmas time are unavoidable, but the likelihood of many can be greatly reduced by adhering to common sense advice.

•    Putting up decorations in your home

Putting up Christmas decorations is an exciting part of the build-up to Christmas. However, sometimes common sense can go out the window. Standing on chairs to hang up decorations or put a star on top of your tree can easily result in personal injury.

Another thing to pay attention to is your lights for the Christmas tree. Most of us store them up in the loft in between festive seasons. It’s important to check for any signs of dampness or bare wires before switching them on.

•    Office parties

Unfortunately, every year in the UK, some office parties or work night’s out turn sour when someone sustains a personal injury. In some cases, this may be simply due to drinking too much and falling over in the street.

However, there are instances every year where someone else is to blame for an accident and injury. This could be a restaurant or nightclub not having signs indicating there’s a low ceiling in their venue, or not making sure people don’t take drinks onto the dance floor.
It’s not just for personal injuries that people make claims for though. A night out at a local restaurant could result in food poisoning which you may want to pursue compensation for in particularly bad cases.

•    Cold weather

The cold weather in winter can be another source of personal injury claims. Companies not treating car parks that are icy for example can lead to compensation claims being made against them.

It’s also important to consider how your actions could impact on others during the winter months. For example, not clearing snow and ice from the roof of your car, or failing to drive according to the road conditions are just two scenarios where a personal injury claim could be made against you.

Visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk to get the facts about making a personal injury claim. Any claim they pursue on your behalf will be on a no win no fee basis, and you will receive 100% of the compensation you’re entitled to.

43% of people involved in accidents in the region making an injury claim for bodily damage, a figure 30% higher than for North East Scotland.

According to the report, this large fluctuation in figures is due to the number of claims management companies in each region.

However, to look at this from a different angle, you could say that people in certain regions are not making an injury claim after a road accident when they may actually be entitled to compensation.

Below are some of the most common reasons people decide not to pursue an injury claim after a car accident that wasn’t their fault.

•    Level of injury

The level of personal injury received in a car accident is a factor in some people’s decision about whether or not to pursue compensation.

For example, some people may have mild whiplash and not take any time off work. Because they’ve only had moderate pain and not had to take any unpaid time off, they may decide there’s little merit in making a personal injury claim.

•    Lack of knowledge

Not everyone is aware of how personal injury claims work, and the criteria for making a claim. This lack of knowledge prevents many people from looking into accident compensation.

If you’ve been hurt in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, it’s worth at least looking into the possibility of a claim to see if you have a valid case.

•    They want to move on

After a car accident, it can take months for insurance companies to agree on who was at fault. Some people would rather forget about the accident and just move on with their lives.
However, if you’ve suffered an injury and it’s found the accident wasn’t your fault, you could hand your claim over to a legal professional to pursue on your behalf.

•    Badly advised

Not everyone seeks legal advice after a car accident that wasn’t their fault. For example, a friend, colleague or family member may tell someone it’s not worth pursuing a personal injury claim without knowing the full facts.

Summary

If you’ve suffered pain or missed out financially because of a car accident that wasn’t your fault, why shouldn’t you make a personal injury claim?

While the other person wouldn’t have intended to hurt you, the fact remains your life will usually be adversely affected to a certain extent.

At least if you talk through your options with a personal injury company, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to seek accident compensation.

*source: http://www.insuranceage.co.uk/insurance-age/news/2118647/north-west-bodily-injury-claims

Visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk to find out more about making a personal injury claim. They will ensure you receive 100% of any compensation you’re entitled to. Call today on 0845 345 4444 for a no obligation chat if you’ve been injured in a road traffic accident that wasn’t your fault.

The figure for 2009/10 was 147 workplace casualties and the provisional figure for 2010/11 stands at 171; a rise of just over 16%.*

Certain industries have more cases of fatal personal injury than others and I’ll take a look at some of these in more detail below.

•    Agriculture

The number of fatal personal injury cases in the UK agriculture sector was 34 in 2010/11. This figure was slightly lower than the previous five year average. The nature of agricultural machinery unfortunately leads to many deaths when workplace accidents occur.

Things like tractors and harvesting equipment are often the main factor in fatal personal injury claims by agricultural workers’ families.

•    Construction

2010/11 saw 50 work related deaths in the construction industry in the UK. Failing to adhere to health and safety policies on-site for things like wearing hard hats can be a source of fatal personal injury claims.

With heavy machinery used and employees often working at height, the construction industry can be a dangerous one if the proper health and safety precautions aren’t put in place.

•    Manufacturing

The workplace fatality rate in manufacturing remained around the same in 2010/11 as for the previous five years, with 27 deaths.

Common causes of personal injury in a manufacturing environment include machinery not having proper safety guards and lack of staff training.

•    Services

The rate of fatal personal injuries in the service sector remained fairly consistent with previous years at an average of 0.2 deaths per 100,000 workers. However, it’s perhaps surprising that the total number of deaths on average is higher for this sector than for agriculture and manufacturing.

•    Waste & recycling

The level of fatal personal injury in the waste and recycling industry in 2010/11 was higher than the previous five year average, with nine work related deaths.

Again, with the waste and recycling industry, the types of vehicles and equipment used often means that accidents can either be very serious or fatal when they do occur.

Summary

While not all fatal personal injury claims related to the workplace are down to negligence or the fault of the employer, too many of them are.

Failing to meet the recommended health & safety guidelines is often seen as a way for employers to save money, but unfortunately this can lead to fatal injury in the workplace, and result in the loss of life.

*source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm

To find out more about making personal injury claims, visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk for reliable and helpful advice on whether or not you have a valid case worth pursuing. Alternatively, call 0845 345 4444 to speak to a legal professional in complete confidence.

Personal injury claims from pupils and teachers alike have been successful for amounts ranging from just £50 right up to over £10,000.

Pupils and staff have made accident compensation claims in the region for a number of reasons. Below we’ll take a more general view of the common scenarios for accidents in schools across the UK.

•    Slipping on wet floors

There will always be spillages in school corridors and dining areas, but how these are dealt with is important. If they’re not cleaned up quickly with the appropriate warning signs in place, pupils can easily fall and injure themselves.

Many councils across the UK have had to pay accident compensation to staff and pupils as a result of slips, trips and falls.

•    Poorly maintained furniture

Things like desks and chairs get a lot of use in schools, and should be checked regularly for signs of damage or wear & tear.

If a pupil was to sit on a chair and it collapsed, causing them injury; they may be able to make an accident compensation claim. It would have to be proved that the accident was caused by a lack of maintenance on the school’s part.

•    Faulty sports equipment

In the North East region, one pupil received £2,500 in accident compensation when a rope swing snapped and caused injury.

All sporting equipment supplied by a school for use by pupils needs to be ‘fit for purpose’ and as well as physical equipment, swimming pools also need to be checked regularly for things like broken tiles.

•    Cold weather precautions

Another potential ‘banana skin’ for councils when it comes to schools is winter precautions. Making sure playgrounds are kept free of ice is a major factor in avoiding accident compensation claims for things like broken bones.

Going back to the first point about wet floors, if there’s a lot of snow lying outside, it won’t take long for floors within the building to become wet and dangerous.

•    Behaviour of pupils

The way pupils behave towards staff and each other is another factor in school safety. If a classroom becomes violent and pupils are injured, there may be a case for personal injury claims.

While direct injury as a result of a fight obviously isn’t an accident, it’s easy for others to become caught up in any classroom disturbances, which could result in an accidental injury being sustained.

*source: http://www.injuriesdirect.com/news/?p=4608

Visit www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk to learn more about how you could claim accident compensation. Their national network of qualified solicitors will assess your case and advise you on whether or not to proceed. Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0845 345 4444

Every year thousands of UK holidaymakers have accidents abroad that were caused by someone else’s negligence. However, only a small percentage of people actually go on to make an injury compensation claim.

Here are some typical accidents that happen on holiday where you could make an injury compensation claim.

•    Car crashes
•    Watersports accidents
•    Tripping over something on an aircraft

If you’ve experienced any of these things and feel they weren’t your fault, you could be able to make an injury claim, despite your accident happening on foreign soil.

Keep reading below to discover many common reasons why UK holidaymakers don’t pursue injury compensation claims for things that happened overseas.

•    The language barrier

A common concern for people thinking about making an injury compensation claim from their holiday is the language barrier.

If you choose a reputable company to pursue your injury claim on your behalf, they will deal directly with the other party for you. In many cases this could be a UK based tour operator, so the language barrier won’t be a problem.

Of course if your injury compensation claim is made against a hotel owner for example, who doesn’t speak English, things may take a bit longer to get settled. However, you shouldn’t let this put you off if you’ve suffered an injury through no fault of your own that ruined your holiday or has kept you off work on your return.

•    Different legal systems

You shouldn’t let the differences between the British legal system and the laws in the country you holidayed in prevent you from making an injury claim.

If you hire the right people to look after your claim, they will do all the hard work for you, which starts with assessing whether or not you have a valid case for injury compensation.
If your injury happened in an EU country, then many of the laws might be similar anyway, so it might not be as big a hassle as you think.

•    Too much hassle

Some people think it’s just too much hassle to pursue an injury compensation claim, whether at home or abroad.

Rather than making assumptions, you should at least call a specialist claims company to talk through the process before deciding whether or not to proceed.

Much of the work will be done for you, and the amount of injury compensation you receive can more than make up for having to fill in a few forms and correspond with your claims company from time to time.

www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk has specialist lawyers with experience in dealing with holiday injury compensation cases. If you choose not to make a claim when you have a valid case, you could be putting other holidaymakers at risk because the person responsible won’t be held accountable for their negligence. Call today on 0845 345 4444 for professional advice on making an injury claim for an accident that happened overseas.