Construction Site Accident Claims

A worker on a construction site is six times more likely to be injured or killed whilst at work. Whilst the UK has one of the better safety records in Europe, our construction sites still account for one third of all work fatalities.

What makes a construction site so dangerous and what are the sorts of accidents that occur on them? The causes can be unsafe equipment, working processes and poor site conditions. In addition accidents can be caused because of a lack of or poorly maintained safety equipment including tools and a general lack of regard for safety. Lack of proper training can play a part in many construction site accidents.

The sorts of accidents that can occur can be caused by structural collapses, and roof or scaffolding collapses. Falling debris is another common cause of injuries and depending on the height that the object is dropped can cause substantial damage.

Falling from heights

The nature of many construction sites means that some workers have to work at height and roofers in particular are at risk of falling from ladders and scaffolding. If the fall is the result of poorly constructed scaffolding or inadequate training or indeed a lack of provision of the correct equipment, for example an unsafe safety harness, then this can lead to a claim for compensation.

Trips and slips

Trips and slips are a notorious cause of many construction related accidents. To some extent, the nature of a building site will mean a degree of debris left on the ground. If it can be shown that an employer has failed to take account of the potential hazards with appropriate risk assessments and can be shown to have failed to take all necessary steps to prevent injury then he may be liable to pay compensation to an injured employee or visitor to the site. Whilst every employee also has to have regard for their own safety it is common for a worker to trip over incorrectly placed equipment or to slip and suffer injury.

Many workers are injured when lifting loads which are far too heavy either as a result of inadequate training or pressure of work or insufficient or missing lifting equipment. Back injuries cause many lost man hours of work every year, are very common construction site accidents and can be a very debilitating injury.

Use of power tools. These can cause injury if they are used by insufficiently trained personnel or the equipment itself has not been maintained.

Other common work accidents on construction sites can be caused by fire or explosion, electrocution, cranes losing loads or in some recent cases actually falling over in high winds and those caused by forklift trucks and collapsing trenches. The causes are varied and many.

Employer's Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that all necessary safety precautions are taken on site including correctly maintained equipment, vehicles and the tools used and to provide a safe system of working in which workers are appropriately trained. If it can be shown that the employer has failed to adhere to the various regulations that govern the safe running of a construction site then he may have to pay compensation to an injured employee.

An owner or operator of a construction site owes those duties to his direct employees and often to sub contractors as well (although there may be contractual arrangements between the main contractor and the sub contractor). In addition visitors to a construction site who are not direct employees are also owed a duty of care and if injured may have a claim for compensation against the site owners if it can be proved that the accident was a result of a lack of care. In addition there are many statutory regulations governing the safe operation of a building site.

If you have been injured in an accident on a building site that you believe has been caused as a result of unsafe working practices or inadequate or faulty equipment then you should ensure that the accident is properly reported as soon as possible to the owners of the site. If you are an employee then there should be an accident reporting process in place and an accident report completed.

If it can be proved that the owner of the site or one of the subcontractors was responsible for your injury either because they have not provided a safe system of working or have provided you with inadequate training or unsafe tools, then you may have a right to compensation for the injuries, any loss of earnings and in the more serious cases compensation for future loss of earnings and the costs of care.

You should seek the services of a specialised solicitor to pursue a claim for you if you have been injured on a construction site and feel that the owner (who may be your employer) is responsible.

Click on the compensation guide to find out how much compensation you could expect for your injuries from a construction site accident.

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