Archive for the 'Defective work equipment' Category

Companies are failing to invest in inexpensive and simple measures that would prevent their workforce having work accidents while working at height.  Many accident work claims for personal injury compensation are as a result of poor management, broken or inadequate equipment, or structural failures.  Records indicate that incidents involving a fall from a height currently result in more workplace deaths than from any other type of work accident.

Some employers appear to believe that workplace height regulations apply only to sizeable heights.  This is wrong, as anything above one metre is classed as “working at height”.  Many work accidents result in injuries when there is a fall at “low height”, such as when truck drivers unload goods from HGVs.

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.

The Health and Safety Executive have levied a fine of £10,500 against Weldex UK Ltd after their employee was blinded in one eye following an accident at work, which was caused by inadequate work equipment.

The work accident occurred when the employee was undertaking grinding tasks in August 2007.  The grinding disc he was using shattered, and fragments penetrated the visor he was wearing and entered his left eye.  He subsequently lost the sight in that eye because of the injury.

The company pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The HSE has repeated its warnings to employers, concerning their need to properly maintain work equipment and to provide their employees with adequate training.