The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) include burn injuries in a statistical category that also contains injuries arising from explosions, electricity and drowning, but as explosions and electrical injuries almost always cause burns we can still get a good ‘ball park’ idea of the how common burn injuries are. The HSE statistic for 2010-11 reveal that one in every seven workplace fatalities fell into the ‘burns injuries’ category – a remarkably high proportion. However, for the non-fatal ‘burns injuries’ the proportion was one in a hundred workplace injuries. However low a proportion you think that might be, when you consider that the HSE approximated that 591000 non-fatal workplace accidents occurred 2010-11, that means that the number of non-fatal ‘burns injuries’ was nearly 6000. Not a negligible figure at all, especially bearing in mind that some of those ‘non-fatal’ injuries would have been acute and permanently life changing.

The difference between the fatal and non-fatal burn injuries proportions might appear suspiciously extreme at first glance until we investigate some research into burn injuries in the workplace, based on two year retrospective data, carried out in Georgia, USA five years ago and published last year. The statistical findings were:

• 15% of burns injuries presenting at hospital occurred in the workplace (as compared to the 25% reported by the HSE in the UK).

• 90% of the victims were male.

• 1% died as a result of their burns.

• The average age of the victims was 37 years

• The average length of stay in hospital was 5½ days.

• 29% worked in industry.

• 15% in food outlets.

• 15% in the electricity industry or electrical goods stores

• 13% in the automotive sector.

Those victims working in industry suffered the most severe burns averaging up to 60% of total body surface area (TBSA) and those working in food outlets the least serious burns averaging below 5% TBSA.

When it is considered that 20% TBSA is considered a major burn it begins to become clearer why the proportion of fatal burns injuries to other fatal injuries in the HSE statistics is so shockingly high. The statistics from the American study appear to suggest that if you do suffer a workplace burns injury, you are more likely to be working in industry than any other sector and your injuries are likely to be more severe than those burns injuries suffered by individuals working in any other sector and your chances of dying from those injuries subsequently higher.

If you have suffered a burn injury at work that was not your fault, you might have grounds for a compensation claim.

Contact our specialist personal injury solicitors for free advice

Our team will advise you on whether you have a claim, and provide your claim is strong enough, will sign you up to a no win no fee agreement, so you don’t have to worry about paying legal costs.

Wherever you live in England and Wales – our personal injury solicitors can help – home and hospital visits are also available for clients in Wiltshire, Hampshire, and Dorset for those unable to travel.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggested that 2585 major injuries were suffered by employees in the construction industry in 2009/10. With 225,000 construction professionals working in 24,000 different firms in high risk environments, construction has one of the highest accident rates of all industries in the UK. Moreover, the HSE estimates that in reality, the number of accidents in the construction industry is close to 30,000 each year.

Thankfully though, the number of work-related fatalities in the construction industry was 47% lower in 2008/09 compared with 1999/00, and the number of major injuries over the same period fell by 36%. Nevertheless, the figures are still alarming and the number of avoidable injuries suffered by construction workers gives cause for concern.

Many accidents in construction are attributed to the malfunctioning and deterioration of equipment and machinery. Too often this is caused by poor maintenance of irregular servicing of the equipment and this poses serious risks to the safety of construction workers.

Many workers are unaware that may ask their supervisors for regular breaks when operating heavy machinery and that they are entitled to ask that any faulty equipment be replaced in order to avoid injury. Such safety regulations are overseen by the Government’s Health and Safety Commission, and enforced by the HSE. They are designed to protect workers against many possible accidents, including scaffolding accidents, falls, vehicle accidents and those caused by faulty tools or machinery.

Your physical and financial well being could be greatly affected by a personal injury arising from a construction accident. Therefore, should you be so unfortunate, we advise that you collect evidence about exactly what happened, gather the contact details of witnesses, seek any medical treatment necessary, and then seek the legal advice of an experienced personal injury solicitor as soon as possible. That’s where we can help.

Our personal injury solicitors offer free phone advice and free first interviews.

What’s more, our team specialise in work accidents – so if you think you have grounds for a construction accident personal injury claim, call or email one of our personal injury specialists today.

What is termed a ‘same level’ fall (caused by a trip, slip or failure of balance) can be as catastrophic for the victim as a ‘fall from height’ and result in range of injuries that might incapacitate them for days, weeks or months, permanently disable or even kill them. The proportion of serious and fatal injuries caused by ‘falls from height’, are predictably, even higher than for same level falls but taken as a totality you are more likely to suffer a fall a work than almost any other mishap. Why is this?

The fact that the category of workplace accidents involving falls stubbornly retains its position near the top of the Health and Safety Executive’s list of most common workplace accidents is sad testimony to an on-going failing amongst some employers and businesses to consistently address the fundamentals of health and safety in an effective way. The blame for the continuing prevalence of workplace falls can usually be placed fair and squarely at the feet of employers who fail to grasp the importance of a health and safety aware workforce or embed a culture of employee safety at the heart of their businesses.

The steps it is necessary for a business to take in order to reduce the likelihood of falls occurring in the workplace are not onerous or extensive and spring naturally from underpinning health and safety processes such as risk assessment, the provision of appropriate equipment, the necessary maintenance of that equipment and an on-going commitment to staff training. A failure to undertake these steps on the part of the employer constitutes a major dereliction of their legal duty of care to their employees and places them in an acutely disadvantageous position when it comes to defending any personal injury claims from employees who have suffered a fall at work due to a health and safety failing.

Protecting employer and employees

Put simply, an effective health and safety regime protects both employer and employee; the potential fall hazards are identified and neutralised or minimised, employees are trained to identify and report those and other such hazards and to use their safety equipment and undertake safe working practices as a matter or course and their company sees a sharp reduction in claims for compensation for falls in the workplace made against them.

Contact our Work Injury Solicitors today

Time limits apply to Falls at Work Injury Claims – so it’s important to get the right legal advice early on.

So for FREE phone advice from Personal Injury Solicitors you can rely on;

• Call us on FREEPHONE FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 or

• e-mail advice@the-personal-injury-solicitors.co.uk

Falls from height are a frighteningly common source of workplace injuries, which are sadly seen far too often by our personal injury solicitors. The most recent statistics from the Health and Safety Executive show that in 2008/2009 there were 4654 major injuries and 35 fatalities caused by falls from height in the workplace. Indeed, falls from ladders, scaffolding and roofs remain the single biggest cause of workplace deaths in the UK.

Of course, working at height is inherently dangerous, but the risks can be significantly reduced by following safe working practices. This is a legal requirement as well as a matter of common sense. All work at height is governed by the Work At Height Regulations 2005, and it is the responsibility of employers and employees alike to ensure that they are aware of this legislation.

The regulations set out straightforward requirements for the protection of anyone who has to climb a ladder or work on scaffolding during the course of their job. These involve proper planning and supervision of the job; using the correct safety equipment and making sure that it’s properly checked and maintained; and making sure that all managers and staff are fully trained in how to work safely. Most significantly, the regulations state that employers have a duty of care towards their employees who work at height. This means that they are legally obliged to take every reasonable step to prevent accidents occurring at height.

This is powerful legal protection, in addition to existing workplace Health and Safety laws. If you have the misfortune to suffer this sort of accident, then you have a very strong case for an industrial injury claim for compensation, especially if these regulations have been breached. Our specialist work accident solicitors will analyse your case and help you to bring your injury claim forward. Call our accident claim solicitors today on FREEPHONE FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for your free initial interview.