Archive for the 'ALL PUBLISHED ARTICLES' Category

Published in Truckstop News - December 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors will consider “COMPENSATION CLAIMS FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURIES”.

Statistics indicate that approximately 25% of those exposed to a traumatic event will develop a psychological illness, for example depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or grief, and which can lead to anxiety and personality changes.  Some people have also been known to become dependent on drugs or alcohol.

Published in Truckstop News - November 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors answers the question “WHO PAYS THE LEGAL COSTS IN MAKING A PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM?”.

Legal costs can be a major concern when considering whether to make an accident compensation claim.  Contacting solicitors can appear daunting and potentially expensive.  However, most specialist accident lawyers are very approachable, and able to set people’s minds at rest about the claims process and costs implications.

Published in Truckstop News - October 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers “LIFTING AND MANUAL HANDLING TASKS”.

Many truckers suffer with back pain caused by various factors, including the requirement to lift objects and perform general manual handling tasks.  The term “manual handling” is used to describe a wide variety of jobs, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, moving and holding or restraining an object, animal or person.  It also covers activities that require the use of force, for example pulling a lever or operating power tools.

HSE records suggest that over 30% of all work accidents involve manual handling issues, with an estimated 300,000 people each year suffering the agonies of back pain.

Published in Truckstop News - September 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors provides details of “FINANCIAL LOSSES THAT CAN BE CLAIMED, INCLUDING PAST AND FUTURE LOSS OF INCOME”.

If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, or you have contracted a qualifying industrial disease, you may well be in a position to make a personal injury claim, to include compensation not only for your injuries or medical condition (known as General Damages), but also for any financial losses or expenditure directly related to the accident or disease (known as Special Damages).

Published in Truckstop News - August 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers the “DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH FORKLIFT TRUCKS”.

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that each year there are around 8,000 forklift truck (”FLT”) accidents resulting in injury, about 10 of which are fatal.  Inadequate training appears to be a significant cause of these accidents, but other issues such as operator error, unsuitable premises, poor layout and design of the FLT operating areas, and poor maintenance are also contributory factors.

Published in Truckstop News - July 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers the “HAZARDS INVOLVED WHEN LOADING AND UNLOADING LORRIES”.

Recent evidence suggests that each year around 60 workers are killed and 5,000 seriously injured while working in haulage and distribution.  A further 23,000 sustain injuries severe enough to keep them off work for several days.

Many of these injuries are due to accidents during the loading and unloading process, often caused by:-

Published in Truckstop News - June 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors examines instances of “WORK RELATED ILLNESSES AND DISEASES”.

It is quite common for workers to develop an illness or disease after coming into contact with harmful substances in their workplace.  If this situation arises, the employer who exposed the worker to such substances may have to pay compensation.

Where a worker’s job might bring them into contact with dangerous substances, their employer should investigate the possibility of replacing the substances with something less harmful.  However, if it is decided that contact with the substances is unavoidable, the employer should provide appropriate protective clothing and equipment, to minimise the risks.

Published in Truckstop News - May 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers the measures in place to prevent “ACCIDENTS THAT HAPPEN WHEN WORKING AT A HEIGHT”.

Falls from a height account for the majority of workplace accidents resulting in fatality or serious injury.  To combat this the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (amended 2007) were brought into force, placing more detailed and stringent requirements on employers and others who control work that is undertaken at a height.

The Regulations apply to all work at height where there is a risk of injury from falling, and also cover instances where an injury is caused by falling objects.  No minimum height is set; there simply has to be a risk of injury from falling.  Therefore the Regulations apply at ground level or even underground, if the accident was as a result of falling a distance likely to cause injury.

Published in Truckstop News - April 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers employers duty to minimise the risk of “ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE WORK EQUIPMENT”.  

Accidents and injuries at work are often caused by defective or faulty work equipment.  The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 apply to all work equipment.  If the employer has breached the duty to provide a safe working environment and/or a safe system of work and as a result the employee has suffered injury, the employer may be liable to pay compensation to the employee for his or her injuries and any financial losses, such as reduced earnings.

Published in Truckstop News - March 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers the causes and consequences of “TRIPPING AND FALLING ACCIDENTS AT WORK”.   

Approximately 37% of all major accidents in the workplace are caused by slipping and tripping.  Of those, 95% result in broken bones or dislocated limbs.  A slip or trip could lead to even more serious consequences, such as falling from a height or colliding with a motor vehicle, and the possibility of falling into a machine or into a container of hot liquid or acid hardly bears thinking about.