Health and Safety in the Workplace

The tradesmen that make up the construction industry are said to undertake the most physically demanding jobs and as a result they are said to sadly be six times more likely to be killed whilst undertaking their profession. Although the construction industry in Britain is meant to be the safest in Europe it is where one third of all work fatalities happen.

The construction industry puts the bodies of its workers under great strain and exposes them to many potential health risks. There are a number of accidents that can happen in the construction industry due to a number of aspects such as faulty equipment, no matter how much or less they are damaged, at the first sign of wear and tear they should stop being used for safety reasons as they run the risk of causing a construction accident. As well as damaged equipment there is also the risk of scaffolding collapsing and people having falls from ladders or safety harnesses breaking. Another potential construction accident could be the fall from a roof.

Research shows that 71 people died between 2002 and 2003 within the construction industry due to aspects such as the ones mentioned above. In order to stop these deaths and injuries from occurring the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for enforcing safety regulations in the UK. It is also the responsibility of your employer to ensure that the workplace is safe but this only works with the cooperation of all the tradesmen and staff on a construction site. It is an employee’s responsibility to report any defects in the workplace or on any of the equipment that is being used.

Without the correct health and safety in a construction site accidents will happen and these accidents could result in severe injuries such as broken/fractured bones, head and neck injury, torn muscles/ligaments, back injury, spinal cord damage and many more.

If you are a tradesmen working actively on a construction site it is essential that if you feel at any moment that you are not fully trained in what you are meant to be doing or if the equipment that you are using is faulty it is important that you inform your employer straight away so that the problem can be resolved before any serious damage occurs.

If you have been injured whilst working on a construction site then you could be entitled to put a claim in for compensation. If the injuries that are currently suffering or the injuries that you have suffered in the past three years have meant that you are restricted from performing your daily activities or if they have meant that you are out of work then you could be entitled to compensation to cover your initial injuries as well as any loss of earnings you have suffered and any medical expenses that you have encountered.

For more information about claiming for compensation after a construction accident that should have been avoided contact a no win no fee solicitor and they will guide you through the compensation process.