The accident at work claims guide tells you what you must do right from the your accident until the time when you receive your cheque in settlement of your compensation claim. The full How To Guide To Accident Claims!

Accident at Work Claims - The Essential "How To" Guide

If you are involved in an accident at work, you are often unsure what to do. Who do you tell? When do you have to tell them? How do you tell them? We appreciate that if you are involved in an accident at work you need fast and efficient assistance. This article is designed to explain exactly what you should do.

Step 1 - Accident Book

You must report the accident to your employer so that it can be entered into the accident book in accordance with Health and Safety requirements that your employer must comply with.

Step 2 - Obtain Evidence

In addition to this and as close to the time of the accident as possible (depending on your physical/mental state) you should also obtain photographs of the scene of the accident and protect any items which led to the accident. If you are not fit to do this you should ask a colleague to do so. This is much easier now than it used to be since nearly everyone carries a mobile phone with a camera. In any photograph, try to scale the image by putting in an item such as a newspaper or matchbox.  Obtaining this evidence could be vital if you are to subsequently be successful with your accident at work claim.

Step 3 - Treatment

Ensure you obtain the correct treatment following your accident. Attend your General Practitioner or your local Accident and Emergency Department so that they can assess your injury and treat you appropriately.

Step 4 - Can You Claim?

To find out whether you can make a claim for compensation you must obtain an expert opinion from a solicitor as soon as possible. Often the difference between a failed and a successful claim is the length of time it has taken to seek legal help. Most good solicitors will ensure that you receive all of your compensation and will offer a freephone telephone helpline. Make use of this so that you can find out what your rights are following your accident at work.

Step 5 - Starting Your Claim

Once you have spoken to your solicitor and decided to pursue a claim for compensation, your solicitor will start to obtain evidence to support your claim for compensation. He or she will contact any witnesses, obtain photographs and contact your employer's insurance company. The insurance company will decide whether they accept responsibility for the claim, and if not your solicitor will prepare the paperwork in time to allow court proceedings to be issued. Whilst court proceedings are often issued, in approximately 90% of claims a settlement is agreed long before a hearing date. The issuing of court proceedings usually speeds up the insurance company dealing with the claim.

Step 6 - Medical Evidence

A medical expert in your accident claim solicitor working with one report, usually one orthopedic surgeon who examined you and will assess the extent and severity of his injury will receive. He or she will also recommend any treatment for the injuries. The cost of any treatment will be added to your claim.

Step 7 - Your Claim Value

Your solicitor will collect evidence to support your other losses and expenses, including loss of earnings, medical treatment, travel costs for treatment as well as your claim for the pain and suffering.

Step 8 - Settlement

As mentioned earlier, most claims are settled by negotiation with your solicitor agreeing the right amount of compensation with the insurance company's solicitor. In nearly all cases, your solicitor's costs will be paid by the insurance company as well as your compensation. Once that has happened, the claim is concluded.

Accident At Work Claims Summary

There are many solicitors with expertise of accident at work claims. Ensure you choose one that explains the process to you in detail and one that ensures that you will receive all of your compensation if your claim is successful.

Read more about being Injured At Work?

Find out more about Work Accidents generally and read our Free Work Accident Claims Guide.

Nicholas Jervis is a solicitor (non-practising) and a consultant to Work Accident Solicitors who specialise in Work Accident Claims.

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Going to work could be bad for your health, according to the figures for 2007 - 2008, released by the Health and Safety Executive. These statistics show that the UK's economy lost a total of 34 million workdays as a result of injury or ill health.




The Hard Statistics About Work Accidents

Going to work could be bad for your health, according to the figures for 2007 - 2008, released by the Health and Safety Executive. These statistics show that the UK's economy lost a total of 34 million workdays as a result of injury or ill health. Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations of 1995, reporting illnesses and accidents that are related to work is a legal requirement. The information gathered can then be used to minimise risks and health hazards. However, it seems that there is a long way to go before any workplace can be considered to be totally safe.

From 2007 to 2008, 210.0 〇 〇 years workers in poor health, they considered the results of their working conditions, according to the report. Of these 1.3 million were suffered by people working and 563,000 of this figure were new cases. 229,000 workers suffered an injury that, under the RIDDOR guidelines, were deemed to be reportable. In addition, a further 136, 771 injuries were reported. However, this does beg the question: how many injuries and illnesses go unreported each year?

Injury and accidents are more often associated with work environments, such as building sites and industrial facilities. However, office workers are at as much risk of accidents that can result in time off from work as their front-line counterparts. Slipping and tripping is responsible for almost 50% of all office accidents, according to the HSE, and over 30% of accidents that require three or more days' absence from work. Around 25% of office accidents occur where stairs are involved and a further 25% are brought about where lifting heavy objects is required.

It is an employer's responsibility to ensure that, where necessary, the correct training and safety-equipment is provided. Of course, employees have a duty of responsibility where potentially hazardous situations are involved but, ultimately, the buck stops with the employer. Many employees find themselves reluctant to report any accidents or to launch a negligence claim against their employer, fearing that it could result in dismissal or some form of disciplinary action. On the contrary, a sensible employer should welcome any form of complaint in this department; the claim is not a personal one and could highlight areas of the workplace that could endanger other employees. An injury-in-the-workplace claim could save a business owner significant sums of money in future claims.

If you believe you are the victim of an accident at work that is the responsibility of your employer, you should seek the services of a work-accident injury lawyer. These specialists will have a fluent working knowledge of the laws that are in place to protect your rights. Many of these lawyers offer a free initial consultation to determine whether or not you have a case that is worth pursuing. To help your chances of a successful claim, you can ensure that your accident and injury has been recorded as fully as possible. This means taking steps such as reporting the injury to your Health and Safety representative and filling in an accident report. In addition, keeping a written record of any symptoms you experience after the event can only help your cause.

Visit Work Accident Solicitors if you have been Injured At Work.

Read our free Work Accidents Guide to discover everything you need to know about making a Work Accident Claim.

Nick Jervis is a solicitor (non-practising) and a consultant to Work Accident Solicitors who specialise in Work Accident Claims.

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Workplace accidents can occur due to various reasons. In spite of the best safety measures, they do occur at times. Due to inadequate safety measures at the workplace, faulty machinery, improper training, or any other reason they can still occur. As long as it can be proved that the injury has resulted due to the negligence of someone you can get compensation. It is advisable to seek advice from workplace accident claims solicitors before making a claim. This will help get compensation fast.




Compensation Specialist in Work Accidents!

Workplace accidents can occur due to various reasons. In spite of the best safety measures, they do occur at times. Due to inadequate safety measures at the workplace, faulty machinery, improper training, or any other reason they can still occur. While it can be shown that the injury resulted due to the negligence of someone you may get compensation. It is advisable to seek advice from workplace accident claims solicitors before making a claim. This will help get compensation fast.

The solicitors can guide you to get suitable compensation. They have many years experience in providing assistance to those in need. Many people have successfully made a claim. They have experience in dealing with all kinds of claims cases. Most of the claims cases are dealt on a no win no fee basis. Under this type of agreement, a claimant need not pay any fee to the solicitor to make a claim. No matter whether the claimant wins or loses the case, he or she can get compensation. The professionals will help you get suitable compensation. You can benefit from their expertise. You can make work accident claim if you have suffered an injury at the workplace due to the negligence of your employer.

There are chances of you suffering from an injury by falling, or slipping over wet surface. In case, you have met with an injury due to this reason, you can make slip injury compensation. There are special solicitors who can help you get compensation. Seeking advice from solicitors is the best thing. They can guide you to get suitable compensation. The personal injury solicitors will take slip, trip and fall accident claims on a no win no fee basis. This will ensure you receive 100% of the compensation that you are awarded. You can also look online to get compensation.

Tripping accidents can also occur at the workplace despite the best safety measures. You may have slipped over wires or wet surface. The employer is liable to provide adequate safety measures at the workplace. If he fails to do so, and an employee meets with an accident, the claimant can get compensation. You can make slip injury compensation if you have suffered an injury due to this kind of injury.

Sadhna D, Expert Author, Platinum Status

For more information:

Work accident claim

Slip Injury Compensation

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If you have suffered any kind of personal injury, you can make a claim. All that you need to do is provide adequate proof. If you have the required documents with you, you can make a claim successfully. Accident injury lawyers can provide you the required guidance on making a claim.




Work Accident Claims Procedure!

If you have suffered any kind of personal injury, you can make a claim. All that you need to do is provide adequate proof. If you have the required documents with you, you can make a claim successfully. Accident injury lawyers can provide you the required guidance on making a claim.

The injury lawyers will provide you with the best level of service and advice possible in pursuing a claim for compensation for injuries. They have abundant experience in handling such claims cases. You can benefit from their experience. If you have any doubts regarding how to make a claim, you can look online.

If you're worried about the amount of money that you have to pay for the claims procedure, you can go to a lawyer. With a 'No Win No Fee' claims policy, you can be assured of seeking suitable compensation. In case, you have any queries regarding how to make a claim, you can seek help from solicitors. You can also speak to accident claims solicitors. They can help you with the claims procedure. If you are looking for appropriate advice, you can make a claim. Injury lawyers can help you get the required details quickly.

If you have suffered any kind of whiplash injury, you can still make a claim. This kind of injury often results from a car accident. Many a times, victims of accidents end up paying a heavy price for the fault of someone. If you wish to avoid this kind of situation and want to make a claim, you must seek advice from accident claims specialists.

Injuries are uncommon. You must not ignore them. It is the way you deal with an accident is what makes the difference. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer a personal injury, illness or disease as a result of another person's negligence, you can make a claim. The term "personal injury" is generally used to describe all types of injury from broken bones, to food poisoning or even asbestosis.

If you or anyone known to you happens to meet with an accident, you can make a claim. If the injury has resulted due to the fault of someone, you can make a claim. All you need to do is provide adequate proof of the accident. This will fasten up the entire procedure and help you get compensation quickly. Claims solicitors can provide the necessary guidance on making a claim. You can benefit from their expert advice.

Sadhna D, Expert Author, Platinum Status

For more information:

Personal Injury Claim Lawyers

No Win No Fee Claim

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If you are considering making a claim for work accident compensation, what questions do you need to ask to ensure that you find the right solicitor to help you with your claim? This article looks at the seven most important questions that you need answered!




7 Questions You Must Ask Before Choosing Your Work Accidents Solicitor

If you have had an accident at work, what do you really need to know before you take any action? Here are 7 key questions you need to consider.

1. How Much Will Making A Work Accident Claim Cost You?

This is usually the most important question for anyone making a claim for compensation. If you have been injured in an accident at work you may still not be fit to work and therefore are already out of pocket. At that point does not need to pay legal costs on top of everything else, so you must ensure that you find a lawyer to prepare to represent without you having to incur any legal costs.

This can be achieved either by making a claim under a legal expenses insurance policy, or by ensuring that your solicitor can help you under a 'No Win, No Fee' agreement. If your solicitor offers to help you under this type of agreement, make sure that question two below is also answered positively.

2. If I Win My Claim How Much Of My Compensation Will I Keep?

Most specialist accident at work solicitors should now be able to confirm to you that if you win your claim for compensation you should be able to keep 100% of the compensation awarded to you. If you are told that you must pay an administration or set up fee and that some legal costs will be payable by you, you should walk away and speak to someone else.

3. What Accident At Work Experience Does Your Solicitor Have?

It is rare that people are injured at work, so when you are you want to be sure that the solicitor you are asking to help you has experience of work accident claims. You can find out their level of experience by asking some basic questions such as::

* Do you specialise in accident at work claims?
* How long have you been dealing with these types of claims?
* How many work accident claims have you handled in this time (approximately)?
* How many work accident claims have you won?
* How many claims have you taken all the way to a court hearing?

If they provide you with answers that give you confidence in their ability then you are safe to proceed to the next question.

4. How Long Will Your Claim Take?

It is very important to understand at the beginning of your claim how long it might take. An average claim can take anything from six months to two years but it very much depends on the extent of your injuries and the nature of the accident. You should not be searching for a solicitor that provides you with unrealistic dates as to when you can anticipate a settlement, but one that provides you with confidence that they will work to a genuine timescale.

5. Will Treatment Be Available For You?

Whilst you expect your solicitor to fully understand the legal aspects of a claim, it is also important that they look after the physical elements of your claim. If you have suffered a serious injury you may well need further treatment. A competent work accident claim solicitor should have the connections to be able to arrange this treatment privately for you, recovering the costs as part of your compensation claim.

6. How Will You Make Contact With Your Solicitor?

Due to the fact that we have already covered above that most accident claims take many months to settle, you need to be confident that your solicitor will make it easy to communicate with you. Do they let you have a contact telephone number in addition to an email address? Do they inform you when you can expect a response to any letters or telephone calls and are the response times satisfactory?

7. Prospects Of Success.

Finally, what chances do they give you of making a successful compensation claim? Do they think you have a good claim or are there potential difficulties? You need the answer so that you can prepare yourself and not have unrealistic expectations.

Conclusion.

If you are happy with the answers you receive to the questions above you can be reasonably confident that you have found a solicitor that is capable of helping you with all of your needs.

Visit Work Accident Solicitors if you have been Injured At Work Read our free Work Accidents Guide to discover everything you need to know about making a Work Accident Claim. Nick Jervis is a solicitor (non-practising) and a consultant to Work Accident Solicitors who specialise in Work Accident Claims.

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An accident at work can lead to many difficulties. Take a step back, place your cards on the table. Effectively it's a win win situation for both yourself and the company, but you must play the cards right...




Accident At Work - Who's In Charge; You, Or The Company?

An accident at work is impossible to avoid! If it happens, it happens. It's something you didn't plan and it's an incident you have to live with. There's over 70% of the population working on business premises, if not, it's business transports. So be warned now as accidents never sleep.

Work accidents are not common as there is a huge impact from Health and Safety. Checks are carried out periodically to ensure a workplace is free from hazards, to prevent accidents. If however, they do occur, the cause of the accident is investigated and future prevention is carried out. So there is always a big helping hand from the Health and Safety Standards.

If an accident at work does occur, it's embarrassing. Colleagues can't believe it happened to you and become more precautious with their role. They feel sorry for you for now, not being able to competently complete your role. So they give you a hand. Initially there's remorse all around... it becomes an understanding culture.

After a while it becomes a pain, especially for your colleagues who keep putting a halt to their job to help you. Frustration arises and in their heads they'll be thinking. 'Now he's taking the ****!' But you're NOT! You are the one that had the accident at work and your body welcomes injuries in different ways to others. After a while tension gathers in the atmosphere and by now you're reported to the supervisor and disciplinary action is just round the corner.

You feel let down. In a workplace environment, business is business, no matter who you are. You have your own targets and deadlines to achieve. If they're not met, you will jeopardise your position. This is the game for any business. Each worker has a family to feed, so they need work to fulfil that criteria.

Also an accident at work can possibly jeopardise your position. It could prevent you from carry out your 'full' responsibility. Initially everybody understands, but after a while they'll be thinking 'it was only a small fall'. But only you know it wasn't just a small fall. It's not only made an adjustment to your working life, it also messed up your social and family life. You can't sleep, shower properly, play sports or even have sex. But only you see that side of the picture, your colleagues don't. They only see you at work.

Back to your working life... over time, the supervisor now reports you to the person above and you're just waiting for your name to be called to see the manager. Now it's going to hit you. You're either, get laid off, get demoted, or transferred to another department. This is where it hurts the most. The managers can't do anything but take necessary actions to ensure your position is 'fully' meeting its targets.

But he's your best friend... so, it's not his company and even if your best friend doesn't take action against you, someone above his ranking will take action against him. So either way something will happen to your role. Remember, if a business does not fulfil its role to provide product and services to its' buyers or users, then the definition of business is not fulfilled.

So now what... are you thinking of an accident at work claim? It's been 11 months since your injury and now you're thinking of you an injury claim!? If you took action at the early stages of your accident, by now you would have been in a better position.

Nevertheless it happens all the time. Workers 'think', been with the company for so long, they won't do anything outrageous. Well you can't predict the future and neither can they. But what they can predict is your work performance, past, present and future. They forecast the future of their business and you should forecast your work future.

However you're scared thinking who'll be the bread earner if you lose your job. Let's worry about that in a minute, but first let's put the cards on the table...

Making mistakes is common practice as you know, nobody's prefect. Everybody learns from mistakes and ensure they don't make the 'same' mistake again.

Anyway, you make a mistake at work, you get told off, make another, you get told off again. Now if you keep making mistakes over time, what the hell do think is going to happen. Your supervisor is going to start looking over your record and start taking disciplinary action against you. First verbally, then in writing. Theses aren't the same' mistakes, but they're made according to your supervisor. Think about it this way, what happens if your supervisor makes a mistake, what will he do? Remember you can only report to the supervisor, there is no contact between you and his supervisors!

Back to the making mistakes... what happens if the company makes a mistake...?

Stuck aren't you... you can't think of much besides making a complaint.

If an accident at work occurs, it gets logged and depending on how serious you look in the eyes of the company, you'll be 'kindly' given days or weeks off. Sick of being paid, which is not much compensation for you! Injury affects "not in my life, my work and the company gives you a few days to recover. Now that's a joke!

No matter what action is taken against you need to make an accident at work claim. Why? This is the only 'powerful' solution you have over the company if they make a mistake.

Now you're both sailing in the same boat.

It's easy to claim compensation. An accident at work is also a battle with your social and personal life and that's why a system which provides a NO Cost, No Fear, No Confusion and No Risk factor can only lead you to success.

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If you are involved in an accident at work and suffer an injury that is sufficiently serious to prevent you from returning to work for a period of time, what will happen to your earnings? If you are away from work for a few weeks or even months, how will you pay you household bills if you are not receiving your pay packet? This article explores whether you can reclaim your lost earnings following a work accident.




Can You Claim Back Your Lost Earnings For a Work Accident?

Work Accidents and Lost Earnings

If you have an accident at work, what gives you the right to reclaim your lost earnings if you are unable to work and your employer stops paying you? It is important to understand why you may be entitled to claim back your lost earnings before you assess how and how much you can claim back.

In English law, your employer owes you a duty of care to ensure that while you are at work you are not harmed due to his actions, or his failure to protect you from injury. This is the law of negligence that is an integral part of the English Legal System. However, even though the common law of negligence afforded good protection to an employer other acts of legislation have been introduced to provide even more rights for the employer. For instance, one of them is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations which ultimately means that any failure of equipment, for whatever reason, that causes injury to you is the fault of the employer.

Employees are very well protected at work by these laws, so if you suffer an injury due to a work accident a work accident solicitor will soon be able to advise you whether you can make a claim.

How Much Lost Earnings Can You Claim?

Once you have established that you can claim for their lost income, then you need to be able to assess the value of their claims. Your claim for your lost earnings will include a claim for your basic salary, any lost overtime, and also any lost promotions in your absence or if you are unable to return to work over the remainder of your future career.

Basic Salary

You will need to keep your old wage slips so that your basic salary can be reclaimed. If you do misplace them, your solicitor should be able to obtain copies from your employer.

Overtime

Again, your pay slips will prove your average overtime each month over a period of three or six months. This average overtime can then be claimed for the period you were away from work.

However, if you were absent from work at a particularly busy time during which you would have received above average earnings, then you will need to obtain evidence to support this. This can normally be achieved by obtaining copies of a colleagues payslips, directly from your client or from your employer.

Promotions

If you are away from work for a sustained period of time, or cannot return to work at all because of your injuries, you will have to consider whether you have missed an opportunity, or opportunities, for promotions. This can be done by interviewing managers and assessing colleagues promotions.

Summary Of A Lost Earnings Claim

Evidence will be obtained to support all aspects of your lost earnings claim so that it can be fully assessed. Your solicitor will then attempt to obtain payment of your earnings to reimburse you for your period away from work.

Read more about being Injured At Work?

Find out more about Work Accidents generally and read our Free Work Accident Claims Guide.

Nicholas Jervis is a solicitor (non-practising) and a consultant to Work Accident Solicitors who specialise in Work Accident Claims.

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Car accidents are not uncommon, but maybe "mini shunts" on roundabouts might not be all they seem. Catch up on the latest news regarding car insurance fraud.




When is an Accident not an Accident? When Fraudsters are at Work

Have you suffered an accident on a large roundabout or busy Motorway slipway recently? Are you sure it WAS an accident?

A worrying and frightening phenomenon is becoming increasingly common on the roads of the UK. It's the "staging" of car accidents. It may happen like this:

You pull out onto a roundabout. It may not be particularly busy and you're following a car in front. It may be a bit of an old banger. Suddenly the driver of this car slams on his brakes, for no apparent reason. You simply can't avoid hitting him. In some cases another car appears to cut in on the car which you're following.

You may have just been a victim of a fraudster. What follows is a bogus claim against your insurance company. These fraudsters commonly work in gangs and may own the accident repair garage where their vehicle is "repaired"; similarly they own the car hire firm where they claim they have hired a replacement vehicle. On top of this, they may well claim for the maximum number of passengers in their vehicle, stating they all have personal injuries and subsequent loss of earnings. As the repair and hire aspect of this will no doubt be highly inflated, the claim can add up to the £30,000 mark in no time. This is costing the vehicle insurance industry up to £200m per annum and consequently putting up the cost of car insurance for everyone.

This scam started in the North-West of England, but has spread alarmingly. It is thought that gangs are marketing the techniques for these accidents country wide. There are hotspots in the North-West and these include the M6 at junction 21 and the M62 at junctions 27 and 28.

It would be extremely difficult to ensure that you avoid the crash situation entirely. Keep away from the car in front is reasonable and it was noted that sometimes the occupants of the car you're following just before turning to look at staged accident. If the worst does happen, then write down as much as you can remember regarding the circumstances of the accident. Note how many people were in the car, who was driving, what they were wearing, what sex they were and anything else that you think may help your insurance company in identifying any suspicious behaviour.

So far the police seem uninterested and are loathe to get involved. Insurance fraud is not one of their priorities. However, with the increasing number of crimes, people are at risk of injury and worse and it must be taken very much more seriously.

There is now a planned national scheme to deal with organised fraud. There is a Home Office fraud review in preparation and the Association of National Insurers have put into operation a scheme to share intelligence with regard to suspicious claims. They will sort through millions of claims and work together with other insurers to get a broad idea of the crime patterns. This new Insurance Fraud Bureau will then work with the police in an endeavour to recover money which has already been paid out, via civil prosecutions against these induced-accident gangs.

As many as 10,000 accidents a year are thought to be induced by these crooks. Hopefully the steps taken by the insurers will help to substantially reduce these numbers and increase the safety of you and your passengers.

Brokers Online offer a large range of car insurance along with providing access to online life insurance quotes.

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Most people are perfectly safe in their working environment, but from time to time there will be accidents and people will suffer injury. Which are the most common types of accident at work claims?




The 5 Most Common Accident at Work Claims

This article looks at five of the most common work accident claim types.

1. Wet floors.
Wet floors in any working environment can be particularly hazardous. Spillages can be particularly dangerous in hotels and restaurants due to the amount of rushing around. Often spillages can be left on the floor unattended and waiting staff, not knowing about them, return to the kitchen with their sight blocked by the items they are carrying and slip on the floor. Whilst most slipping injuries do not usually lead to serious injuries, if the waiter or waitress is carrying items, this often prevents them from softening their fall by using their hands meaning that they fall on their elbows or on their hips. This can lead to serious fractures.

Usually the leak could have been cleared away more quickly or a faulty machine repaired more swiftly. It is the failure to repair or clean up the leak that often leads to a successful accident at work claim.

2. Factory Accidents.
Factories can be particularly dangerous places to work. This section does not deal with the common machinery accidents, do the function later as one of the top five, but more to do with the individuals involved and the materials used in factories.

The most common type of factory accident normally involve workers tripping over discarded packaging. Every employer must ensure that the packaging used is placed in safe containers and not thrown on to the floor.

However, if an employer does not ensure the staff are trained correctly or provide facilities for disposal of packaging, this can lead to it being discarded and workers tripping over it. Once again, as with tripping accidents, quite frequently no serious injury is sustained. However, sometimes fractures to legs and arms lead to serious pain, time away from work and an accident at work claim being made.

3. Warehouse Accidents.
There are many different types of warehouse accidents, but one of the most common forms involves storage facilities. If warehouse men are constantly stacking and unstacking shelves any weakness in the shelf can lead to them collapsing. In the worst cases this can actually lead to a trapping injury when shelving comes away from the wall and falls on to the warehouse person. These can lead to serious injuries and long term complications.

If shelving is not correctly secured when it is constructed this can cause injury when it collapses and a successful compensation claim.

4. Forklift Truck Accidents.
These are frequently the cause of accidents. Every forklift truck driver must receive training and the employer must ensure that only trained people use the forklift truck. If they do not supervise sufficiently and untrained handlers use the forklift truck, or even trained handlers use the forklift truck but drop pallets or cause items to fall on to other co-workers, this can lead to a successful claim for compensation.

5. Machinery Accidents.
Although left until last, the injuries sustained during the use of machinery can be extremely severe. If staff are not properly trained, or the machinery is not maintained, or guards are not fitted, workers can suffer severe injuries leading to amputations and even in some cases death. Machinery is by its nature, dangerous and the utmost care must be exercised by workers and by employers.

Summary.
This article explored five most common types of work accident claims, but there are many more. If you have been injured in an accident at work you should seek help from a specialist work accident solicitor.

Read more about being Injured At Work? Find out more about Work Accidents generally and read our Free Work Accident Claims Guide. Nick Jervis is a solicitor (non-practicing) and a consultant to Work Accident Solicitors who specialize in Work Accident Claims.

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A failed urine test after a workplace accident can result in a denied compensation claim. These are some pointers to consider about this test.




An Accident at Work & A Failed Urine Test (A Virginia Lawyer's Perspective)

You have had an accident at work. The Employer immediately sends you for a urine test. The urine test registers positive for a drug such as cocaine or marijuana. Does flunking this test mean you "lose" your claim for any compensation?

First, the Employer may well try to deny your claim based on the failed urine test. The Employer will probably back this denial by hiring a physician who will claim the drug found in your urine caused or contributed to your accident.

Second, if the accident occurred as a result of a fall from a height, it may be easy for the Employer to suggest the illegal drug caused a loss of balance or dizziness (that contributed to the fall from the ladder, scaffold, or roof). Even if it is not the sole factor causing the fall, the worker still may lose his/her claim if the illegal drug is merely contributes to the fall.

Third, an illegal drug can remain in one's system for a long time. This is true even if has been days or even weeks since the drug was used. The unfortunate fact is that the residual drug in one's system could result in a failed urine test.

Fourth, many Employers also have a policy stating a failed urine test will mean a termination for misconduct. Thus, even if the accident does not result in disability, it could result in termination of employment for misconduct. It does not matter the illegal drug was never used in the work place.

Fifth, the best course of conduct for Workers is never to use illegal drugs; therefore, one would never fail a urine test.

Sixth, but if a failed urine test does occur after an accident, the Injured Worker, must realize he/she is in big trouble. He/she must immediately talk to an experienced Workers' Compensation Attorney. He/she must not give a recorded statement to the Insurance Company. The Attorney may be able to have your urine test examined by another doctor. Hopefully, the doctor can dispute the Employer's or Insurer's doctor giving the Injured Worker a chance at winning his/her claim.

In summary, a failed urine test is no laughing matter and can result in a denied accident claim. The best policy is to refrain from the use of illegal drugs. However, if a failed urine test does occur, then all is not lost if the Injured Worker seeks help right away.

Copyright© 2006, Gerald G. Lutkenhaus. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This may be considered AN ADVERTISEMENT or Advertising Material under the Rules of Professional Conduct governing lawyers in Virginia. This note is designed for general information only. The information presented in this note should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

Jerry Lutkenhaus is a practitioner of Workers' Compensation law in the Richmond, Virginia area for over 30 years. He was given an "AV" rating by Martindale Hubbell in 2003. Lexis Nexis listed him in the 2005 Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys. For more information, see the sites in http://www.virginiadisabilitylawyer.com or http://www.geraldlutkenhaus.com or call for free consultation 804-358-4766.

accidents at work

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