Construction Accident Claims & Compensation

• Falls from a height – this is sadly one of the most common accidents suffered by construction workers. Falling from either scaffolding or a ladder can result in injuries including broken bones, fractures, back injuries and head injuries. Last year alone as much as 50% of all fatal accidents on a construction site resulted from a fall from height.
• Faulty equipment – if you need power tools to do your job, it’s your employer’s responsibility to make sure they’re in good working order. If the equipment is faulty, it is their job to repair or replace it.
• Electric shock – electric shocks are rare, but their effects can be life changing. Your employer has a duty to make sure you’re given safety equipment if you’re working around electricity, and you should only be asked to carry out work you’re qualified to do.
• Falling objects – injuries from falling objects can be severe or even fatal. This is especially common on construction sites where objects can be dropped from a height without any warning such as falling bricks, tools and debris, making it difficult for people to get out of the way in time.
• Heavy lifting – lifting heavy objects incorrectly will often lead to avoidable back injuries. Employees should be made aware of the proper technique for manual lifting and when to use colleagues or lifting machinery for support.
• Being hit by a moving vehicle on site - the principal contractor on site should have properly planned a safe traffic route and walkways on site but all too often when people are working under pressure accidents can happen and workers on site can get hit by moving vehicles on site such as forklift trucks, diggers, tractors, excavators and cranes.
• Slips and Trips – many accidents on a building site can happen from tripping hazards on site such as loose cables , unmarked excavations and holes which have not been properly cordoned off or on slippery surfaces and a dangerous build up of mud. There is also a risk of injury from the ground giving way and collapsing.  In fact last year, the highest percentage of accidents on a building site – 26% - were caused by slips trips or falls on the same level on site.
• Crush Injuries – construction workers are at risk of crush injuries of getting crushed by moving vehicles against a wall or from getting trapped by building materials against a wall
• Overturning Vehicles – Diggers or excavators overturning due to unstable loads or uneven ground
• A lapse of concentration or mistake by a co-worker – another common cause of accidents on building sites can be a lapse of concentration by a fellow worker on site who for example might let go of an object you are both carrying. The Employer can be responsible for the mistake that your fellow worker has made.
• Chemical Burns – certain types of workers such as floorers, wall tilers, plasterers, brick layers, carpenters and joiners can suffer from concrete burns or contact dermatitis if the correct protective measures and protective work equipment are not provided or used.

As a general rule this is three years from when the accident happened. There are sometimes when this could be longer but our team of personal injury solicitors will be able to guide you through this.

Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), a responsible person – either the contractor or person in charge of a construction site - must report and keep a record of certain workplace accidents. This includes:

• specific injuries;
• fatal accidents;
• injuries to members of the public if they are directly taken to hospital;
• occupational diseases;
• dangerous occurrences (near-miss events);
• gas incidents.

Details of any of these accidents need to be kept for at least three years and should include information on the accident, where and when it happened as well as the date it’s being reported.

These records need to be submitted through the HSE website.

If you’ve been in an accident and your employer has failed to report this in the correct way, we could help you start the legal process for getting compensation and support.

If it can be shown that your employer acted negligently and failed to keep you safe at work, you can claim for General Damages, these will take into account:

• your pain and suffering;
• the impact your injury has had on your quality of life.

Your compensation will also cover financial losses as a result of your accident, these are referred to as Special Damages and will consider:

• medical treatment costs;
• costs associated with care;
• loss of earnings;
• travel costs (to and from medical appointments);
• damaged possessions.

An accident on a construction site can often happen as the result of a serious of failings and negligence from several different contractors on site.  A claim for an accident on a building site typically can involve a claim against two or three different contractors including the Principal Contractor.

The Principal Contractor is responsible for the overall site safety and procedures on the site and to ensure that all the contractors on site have been properly briefed about the construction site plan and risk assessments and method statements.

This includes ensuring that the toolbox safety talks have been delivered daily and understood by all the workers.  All contractors need to hold both Employers and Public Liability Insurance to cover for the risk of injuries to workers and visitors to building sites.

If you instruct us we will make enquiries to identify all the possible companies who might be responsible for your accident and we will make a claim on your behalf via their Insurance company.