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Construction Accident Compensation Claims

If you or a member of your family is suffering from a personal injury caused by an accident on a construction site, our specialist personal injury lawyers may be able to help you claim compensation. Contact us today on 0800 032 8511 for claim advice, or by completing a claim enquiry form.

Construction Accidents
Types of Construction Site Accident
Claiming Compensation for a Building Site Accident
Compensation
Our Personal Injury Lawyers

Construction Accidents

If not carefully managed under health and safety guidelines, construction sites can be very hazardous places indeed. They are areas in which machinery, tools and building materials are often being moved around and in which numerous people are usually working at the same time.

If an accident occurs where someone is injured, a claim for damages could be made in certain circumstances. This is because every employer has to abide by strict regulations to protect their employees and anyone visiting their site/premises. These laws cover such areas as protective wear, training, equipment and the general working environment and stipulate that employers are to avoid risks altogether where possible. Otherwise, they are to minimise the level of risk as greatly as possible.

There are also specific regulations in place for the construction industry. These include The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 and The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

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Types of Construction Site Accident

There are some types of accident occurring on building sites that are preventable, however are unfortunately fairly common. These include:

• Personal injuries caused by faulty equipment or machinery
• Manual handling injuries where untrained employees try to carry large objects incorrectly
• Injuries caused by falling debris or building materials
• Insufficient protective wear/equipment leading to injury
• Injuries caused by mistakes of colleagues (an employer could still be held responsible for this as they are responsible for the negligence of their employees)
• Accidents caused by insufficient health and safety measures for working at height

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Claiming Compensation for a Building Site Accident

In any personal injury claim it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (were negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence. In every case, medical evidence will also be required.

It is therefore important to seek legal advice from a specialist personal injury lawyer, as they will be able to advise on the best course of action.

If you are unlucky enough to suffer an accident at work on a construction site, or whilst visiting one, try to record as much information as possible and ensure that the details are entered into an accident book if one is available. It is also useful to keep receipts for any injury related expenses.

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Compensation

There are two elements to a compensation award. The first is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and what is known as loss of amenity. This is called general damages and can include an award for your inability to do things after the accident that you used to be able to do before, eg, wash your car, look after your garden, walk the dog, etc. The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after an accident or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.

The second element of a compensation award is for your losses and expenses and is known as special damages. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the accident, so that these can be reclaimed. The aim is to put you back in a position financially as if the accident had never occurred.

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Our Personal Injury Lawyers

The Legal Line lawyers are experts in all areas of personal injury and industrial disease, with extensive experience in recovering compensation for the victims of accidents on construction sites. They can provide specialist accident claim advice, assistance and guidance in helping you to pursue your claim to the best possible outcome.

You can find details of some of the successful claims our lawyers have handled, together with articles relating to health and safety in the workplace in our news and success stories sections, including the examples below:

Health and Safety Issues in the Construction Industry

Court of Appeal Decides how to Split Blame Between Negligent Employer and Land Owner

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