Top Ten Work Related Accidents

You are sure to have seen the many TV adverts offering legal advice on a ‘no win no fee’ compensation claim, and most are related to workplace accidents and injuries. However, you might not be aware of the type of accidents and injuries you can claim for compensation.

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Image by Cary Bass / Flickr

Here are the top ten injuries that occur in the workplace (and for which you could be eligible to claim compensation):

1. Overexertion

The most frequent workplace injury is caused by lifting, pushing, carrying and so on. Many jobs require physical exertion, whether it’s shifting bricks or moving files, resulting in pulled muscles and sprains.

2. Slipping and tripping

Slipping and sliding on wet floors or tripping over items left lying around is also common, and injuries caused by some form of negligence are eligible for compensation.

3. Falling from heights

This injury often occurs as a result of a slip or trip, perhaps on a ladder or on a platform. Falling down stairs would also be included in this category, and the injuries that occur may be quite severe.

4. Reactionary injuries

This involves reacting to something, such as jumping backwards or out of the way, which in turn leads to an injury.

5. Falling objects

This kind of accident often happens in warehouses or offices with lots of shelving and objects that are stacked. Even objects that are stacked in a low pile can fall onto a foot and cause injury.

6. Walking into objects

Normally a relatively small injury, but walking into an object such as a door could cause a bad bruise or cut.

7. Vehicular

Those who drive during their work hours are at risk of road accidents, and passengers in cars can also be vulnerable.

8. Machine entanglement

Women in munitions factories during WW2 used scarves or shorter hairstyles to keep their locks out of the machinery, and machine accidents can still happen easily today.

9. Repetitive motion

This is a common type of accident that can affect anyone, even those who sit as desks. Repetitive motion injuries are muscular and can often affect movement quite significantly.

10. Violent acts

Fortunately this type of accident is rarer, however many people do experience violence in their job. Those who work in the emergency services can be particularly vulnerable to violence, and no employee should have to feel threatened or endangered while at work.

Knowing that you can be eligible for a well-deserved compensation is nice, but it would have been nicer not to get involved in any work related accidents, obviously! Stay safe – your health and well-being should be your number one priority.