Building Site Injury Compensation Claims

Building Site Injury Compensation

By their very nature, building sites have the potential to be extremely dangerous places to work. Heavy plant machinery, workers on high scaffolding, hod carriers carrying full loads of bricks, powerful tools in constant use, the presence of chemicals onsite, power cables being installed – if something goes wrong, the risk of a building site worker being seriously injured, is very high. As a consequence, building sites are extremely safety conscious and highly regulated, places of work.

There are both general and specific laws relating to health and safety procedures on building sites, such as The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 which set out what people involved in the construction industry need to do to ensure the safety of anyone who works on a building site, or indeed of any visitors to the site, too.

Employers duty of care to their employees

Despite the large volume of rules and regulations that exist to try and prevent building site accidents from happening, unfortunately they still do. Employers and their site managers owe a duty of care to ensure that their workforce are able to go about their daily duties, in a safe environment. This duty of care involves ensuring that all workers;

• Have the relevant level of experience required to undertake all the work that they have been employed to do
• Receive proper training
• Are provided with all the necessary safety equipment that they require to safely carry out their jobs such as hard hats (compulsory wear for anyone entering a building site), safety goggles, face masks, proper footwear, ear protectors, high visibility jacket and safety gloves

If a building site worker suffers personal injury whilst at work and it is as a result of the employer failing in their duty of care to their employee, then the injured worker can make a building site accident compensation claim against their employer.

It is important to note that you do not have to have to be an employed person to make a claim following a building site accident. Contractors, agents and other self-employed workers can still make a claim. If you were working on the site, then you are entitled to the same duty of care from the site owners/ main contractors, as ‘employed’ workers.

If this has happened to you or a loved one (within the last 3 years) call Mooneerams  on 029 2048 and one of our highly experienced personal injury solicitors will help you to make a No Win, No Fee building site accident claim.

Building site accident injury statistics

The most recent, annually produced Health and Safety Executive statistics are those for 2017/2018. During that period, in the UK there were 38 fatal injuries to construction site workers and 58,000 non-fatal injuries. The most common cause of building site accident deaths was workers falling from height e.g. from ladders, scaffolding and buildings under construction.

• Slips, trips and falls on the same level caused the most reported non-fatal injuries during the same period. Other non-fatal accidents involved workers who were injured;
• Handling, lifting or carrying heavy objects
• Falling from height
• Being struck by moving objects e.g. fork lift trucks or bricks and masonry falling from scaffolding platforms

Common types of building site accidents

• Tripping accidents
• Falling objects
• Falls from height
• Vehicle accidents
• Faulty equipment
• Lifting or handling accidents
• Excessive noise causing hearing problems
• Building collapse
• Trench or other excavation collapse
• Vibrating tool injuries
• Exposure to dangerous chemicals or other materials
• Electrocution

What type of injuries are caused by building site accidents?

Accidents which take place on building sites happen in many varied circumstances. It therefore follows that the types of injuries that are caused in such accidents range from minor cuts and bruises requiring minimal or no treatment all the way through to broken limbs, limb amputation, serious head injuries and sadly, in some cases death. Injuries caused by regular use of vibrating hand tools, are Vibration White Finger (VWF) and Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). Chemicals can cause severe burns or respiratory conditions caused by inhaling fumes.

What to do immediately after the accident

• Get treated straightaway either by visiting a hospital or a doctor
• Ensure that the accident is reported onsite as soon as possible and that full details are or have been entered the accident book
• Get details of any witnesses to the accident
• In cases of serious injury, you are likely to be taken to hospital by the emergency services. Obtaining witness details or reporting the accident yourself will obviously be of secondary importance at this stage to ensuring that you get the right treatment for your injuries.

What should I do next?

Contact Mooneerams on 029 2048 3615. We are experts in building site accident compensation claims. We are specialist personal injury solicitors and we only act on behalf of claimants – never for employers or their insurance companies. Call us now on 029 2048 3615, email us at enquiries@mooneerams.com or contact us online.

Make sure that you start your claim within three years of the date of your accident otherwise in most circumstances, you will be too late to do so.