Accidents at work Injuries at your workplace remain common in the United Kingdom in spite of the raft of legislation and

regulation directed at preventing them. The Health and Safety Executive estimate that almost 5 million business days were lost during 2008/09 because of workplace injuries, whilst the Labour Force Survey records 250,000 serious work injuries over the same period. Due to the quantity of injuries which are unreported the actual figure may very well be far higher. A personal injury at work could be caused by physical trauma sustained within an accident, or may develop slowly as time passes as a result of working practices. This could be the situation with injuries and long-term conditions which come under the general class of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Nearly all injuries at your workplace are however a result of simple, avoidable accidents. Slipping and tripping is the direct reason for over a third of reported major injuries in the workplace, accompanied by falls from height, and objects falling and striking those below. Most injuries at work are preventable, and employers need to take all reasonable measures to safeguard the health of their workers. Where they negligently fail with this duty of care an injured person should seek specialist legal counsel from a qualified solicitor. Any area of the body could be damaged in a workplace accident. Your back is particularly vulnerable to injuries, which range from mild soft tissue sprains to fractured or crushed vertebrae. The vertebrae protect the spinal-cord, which itself controls all movement and sensation in the human body. Back injuries are usually caused by the lifting of heavy weights, or the repetitive performance of motions which place stress on the back, such as bending and twisting. Neck and head injuries at work may result of falls from height, objects falling, or work vehicle accidents. The head is considered the most sensitive area of the human anatomy as the skull shields the brain, and traumatic injuries to the head may cause unconsciousness or death. Injuries to the neck could have severe repercussions if the vertebrae or spinal cord become damaged. The spinal-cord carries messages between your brain and the entire body, and serious injuries in this area may involve paralysis and loss of bodily functions. Injuries to the face can be hugely traumatic, combining as they do physical and psychological factors. Compensation awards in this field normally reflect the extent of any facial scarring and residual disfigurement. Loss of one of the main senses such as sight or hearing may also lead to higher damages being awarded by a court. Other upper body injuries include sprains, strains, burns, lacerations, bruising, fractures and dislocations. Arm, wrist and hand injuries are generally the effect of a person trying to break a fall or wanting to protect themselves from a falling object. Limbs could also become caught in machinery, on a factory production line for example, or may become trapped between two

heavy objects. The resulting crush injuries from this type of accident are often particularly severe, and could need the amputation of limbs in extraordinary instances. Probably the most serious kinds of leg injury at work involve simple or compound fractures and dislocations. They are most often caused by slips, trips and falls. A fractured or dislocated hip will usually take months to heal, while injury to the knee may render an injured person completely immobile. Injuries like these, along with sprained ankles and damaged Achilles tendons, will be the result of an abrupt movement which forcibly stretches the joint in an abnormal direction. Any working environment which involves physical exercise could have a greater incidence rate of injury, particularly factories, construction sites and warehouses.