Associate Solicitor, Personal Injury Claims
Employers and contractors in the building and construction sector must now make sure workers can arrive, work and leave the site in a socially distanced way. But it’s vital that any steps taken to enable social distancing at work don’t compromise safety on site.
If you work in the construction industry, have had an accident at work and believe it could be because long-standing health and safety rules are being overlooked due to the current Covid-19 regulations, our specialist Personal Injury Solicitors can help you.
Get in touch for a free consultation and legal advice.
Our client was working with a colleague who placed a ladder on top of some tarpaulin. The colleague pulled on the tarpaulin, causing the ladder to flip over and hit our client on his head. Our client sustained a two-inch laceration on the front of his head along with post-concussion syndrome.
Mr L was working as a banksman during the laying of a drainage system when his right foot was hit by moving machinery. One of his toes had to be amputated and Mr L couldn’t use his foot again for several months.
I represented a delivery driver who suffered a serious eye injury in an accident at work. At the time of the accident, the client was securing a load when one of the straps snapped and struck him in the face. He suffered a fracture of an eye socket, which required surgical repair.
We're rated‘Excellent’Employers in the construction industry have been issued with guidance to make sure workers are safe on site as the coronavirus pandemic continues. But being Covid-secure shouldn’t be the only priority over the coming weeks and months, as there are many other key issues to think about to keep building and construction sites safe.
Depending on their level of control over the site, your employer and/or contractor may be deemed to be the occupier. That means they may owe you a duty to take reasonable steps to make sure you’re reasonably safe while working on site.
English law states that your employer must avoid work at height where reasonably practical. If not, your employer should take reasonable measures to prevent a fall accident from happening, such as carrying out risk assessments and providing scaffolding and safety helmets and harnesses.
Depending on the specific risk on site, your employer and/or contractor may be responsible for providing suitable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as:
4.5 out of 5 based off 2582 reviewsYour employer must make sure that the site is kept safe, in good order, in a reasonable state of cleanliness and carry out adequate inspections of the site.
The law states that building contractors must carry out their activities in a manner which secures the health and safety of any person affected by the project.
They should make sure that so far as is reasonably practicable, the construction work was carried out without any risk to health and safety and to ensure that the site is kept in good order.
Building and construction site employers are having to adapt their systems to make sure the risk of Covid-19 to workers is reduced as much as possible.
For instance, many firms are staggering start and finish times, limiting how many people can work on a site at any one time, and providing alcohol-based hand sanitisers or wipes, as they can’t guarantee the availability of running water on site for regular handwashing.
But while adapting to a world with Covid-19 has been vitally important, the safety regulations that were already in place remain just as important as ever.
If you suffer an accident on a building and construction site, and believe your employer didn’t do enough to keep you safe, get in touch with our Personal Injury Solicitors. We have a strong track record of recovering compensation for people who’ve had an accident at work and helping them get the care, rehabilitation and support they need.
We deal with many claims on a No Win, No Fee basis.
Fill in the form below to get in touch with one of our dedicated team members, or call our team today on: 0808 239 3227
