Lawford Kidd's Blog

Despite health and safety initiatives having even more scope into the world of employment and some campaigns to try and reduce the number of accidents that occur in the UK, sadly, millions of people are injured each year,

Often people are injured due to their own actions. However, a significant percentage of people suffer severe injury through no fault of their own.

If you are injured as a result of negligence or careless from another, then you could be entitled to take legal action and obtain compensation. Regardless of the extent of your injury, we believe that no one should be injured through no fault of their own. Many people are injured but are unsure whether or not they can obtain compensation, however, we have compiled a list of the most common types of accidents and what you need to make a claim.

A national care home provider and one of its employees have been prosecuted after a young woman suffered full thickness burns to more than 40% of her body from a scalding bath.

The incident occurred at a care home in Bathgate, and left 32-year-old Nicola Jones requiring major surgery, including amputation of all her toes. She was also left without any flesh on her ankles. She now has to use a wheelchair and faces more corrective surgery.

Livingston Sheriff Court heard that one of the care support workers failed to check the temperature of the water before Nicola got in the bath.

The Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) has published a report on the responses it received to a consultation on the use of pre-action protocols in personal injury cases.

Pre-action protocols involve procedures, which take place involving both parties to the personal injury claim before court proceedings are raised, which will establish whether the settlement can be achieved without the need for litigation.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has recently turned its spotlight on the construction sector, warning that there is no room for complacency despite a recent fall in the number of accidents within the industry.

The charity is to hold a conference to highlight the need for more to be done to improve health and safety for construction workers. Topics for discussion at the conference will include safety measures, how to prepare in the event of a major accident, and legal implications, including financial and reputational damage as a result of poor health and safety management.

High risk of injury

According to RoSPA, construction workers are nearly four times more likely to be killed at work than the average worker.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has turned its attention to the issue of forestry safety, and is holding a Safety and Health Awareness Day to highlight the specific health and safety issues affecting workers in the forestry industry.

The day will cover issues relating to the use of forestry machinery and forestry chainsaw work, directional felling including the use of hydraulic wedges and bottle jacks, hand-arm and whole body vibration, and public access issues.

One of the most dangerous industries

The HSE warns that forestry is still one of the most dangerous occupations in Great Britain, and treework alone is responsible for 38 work related fatalities over the past ten years.