Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Warehouse Accident Compensation Claims
If you have suffered a personal injury as the result of a warehouse accident caused by the negligence of someone else, you may be entitled to make a compensation claim.
Contact The Legal Line on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online, for cost free accident claim advice from our expert personal injury lawyers.
Warehouse Accidents
Warehouse Vehicle and Forklift Truck Accidents
Warehouse Safety
Making a Warehouse Accident Claim
Warehouse Accident Compensation
Our Expert Industrial Accident Lawyers
Successful Warehouse Accident Claims
Warehouse Accidents
Many companies use warehouses to manage the storage and distribution of their stock. Warehouses are often busy places with employees, visitors, contractors and maintenance personnel moving around both on foot and in vehicles, so warehouse accidents can occur if workplace health and safety procedures are not implemented and carefully followed.
Some of the more common causes of warehouse accidents are:
• Manual handling – the lifting and manual handling of large items can cause injuries if not performed correctly, especially back injuries and hernias.
• Slips, trips and falls – poorly maintained floor surfaces, spillages, leaks and items left in inappropriate places can cause slips, trips and falls. Loose packaging materials, boxes, banding and pallets in particular can be a problem in warehouses.
• Falls from height – falls from height can be a risk for anyone working on a ladder, stepladder or raised platform, for example whilst stacking shelves or loading vehicles.
• Falling objects – this may include items that have not been safely stored, unsecured objects falling from a vehicle, or those dropped by other workers.
• Faulty equipment – defective work equipment can cause injuries. Tools, vehicles, appliances and other equipment should be well maintained and suitable for purpose.
• Hazardous substances – if hazardous substances are kept or used within a warehouse, employees must be given instructions on how to store and handle them in accordance with COSHH regulations to help prevent injuries.
• Fires – fires can spread throughout warehouses very quickly if they are allowed to start, so fire safety regulations must be strictly adhered to. Extinguishers should also be readily available for small fires.
• Accidents involving vehicles – forklift trucks, order pickers and delivery / collection vehicles may collide with each other or with pedestrians. This type of accident can result in very serious injuries. See the section below for further details.
• Exposure to loud noise – prolonged exposure to excessive noise can result in industrial deafness and/or tinnitus.
If you suffer a warehouse accident because of the negligence of your employer, or due to a mistake made by a colleague, you may be in a position to make a personal injury claim.
Warehouse Vehicle and Forklift Truck Accidents
Accidents involving vehicles are one of the leading causes of serious injury in warehouses. There are a variety of vehicles that may be in use inside a warehouse, including: forklift trucks (FLT’s), order pickers, stand up trucks, powered pallet trucks and reach trucks. Normal road vehicles such as vans and lorries may also be present in loading bays to collect goods or make deliveries.
Vehicles must always be operated with care and by trained staff. They should never be overloaded, as this can lead to them tipping over, and loads must be well balanced and secure to prevent items from falling off in transit. Poorly maintained or unsuitably steep floors may also cause vehicles to tip.
It is very important that drivers / operators exercise caution and are able to see clearly where they are going, so that they may avoid collisions with pedestrians, stationary objects or other vehicles.
If you are the victim of a warehouse accident involving a vehicle, for example due to driver error or a defective vehicle, it is important to obtain the advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Warehouse Safety
There are a number of measures that can be taken by both employers and employees to reduce the risk of warehouse accidents.
As with any workplace, keeping the premises as clean, tidy and free from hazards as far as possible can help to prevent accidents. Employees should carry out their work in accordance with any safety instructions provided and in a careful, responsible manner.
Risk assessments should be carried out for each task to ensure that it is carried out in the safest possible way and employees should be fully trained for their job and on the operation of any equipment they need to use.
Where hazards cannot be removed from the workplace altogether, personal protective equipment (PPE) should be provided to protect employees. For warehouse employees this may include protective boots, gloves, hard hats, high visibility clothing or ear defenders.
In order for vehicles and pedestrians to co-exist safely in a warehouse environment, clearly marked out traffic routes should be used, together with appropriate signage. Where possible pedestrians and vehicles should be separated altogether. Mirrors can also help to prevent accidents where there are blind spots or corners. It is important that vehicles are loaded correctly, not overloaded and that drivers keep a good look out for others.
Making a Warehouse Accident Claim
If you are involved in a warehouse accident, you should ensure that it is reported and the details recorded in an accident book wherever possible. Try to record as much information as you can about what happened, including the details of any witnesses.
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.
It is also useful to keep receipts for any injury related expenses (costs of medication, treatment, care, travel expenses, loss of earnings etc.) as it may be possible to recover these as part of your claim.
Warehouse Accident Compensation
There are two elements to a compensation award. The first, called general damages, is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and any loss of amenity (e.g. an inability to look after your garden, do DIY or enjoy your hobbies). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after a warehouse accident or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.
The second element, in respect of your losses and expenses, is known as special damages and aims to put you back in a position financially as if the warehouse accident had never occurred. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the accident so that these can be reclaimed.
In serious injury cases, where a person may no longer be able to continue their employment, this can be taken into account. Costs for care, equipment, transport and housing modifications can also be factored into the calculations. A court can also make a financial award to recognise that an injured worker's prospects on the open labour market may be limited.
If a person is fatally injured, a dependent relative such as a widow and children may be able to claim a statutory sum for their bereavement and funeral expenses, but also sums for the loss of income, pension, services such as DIY, house decoration and gardening and contribution to the household in the form of future losses.
Our Expert Industrial Accident Lawyers
Our lawyers are experts in the field of personal injury, with decades of experience in recovering compensation for the victims of avoidable accidents at work, including warehouse accidents.
Contact The Legal Line on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online, to find out if you can make an injury claim.
Successful Warehouse Accident Claims
Our lawyers have assisted many victims of warehouse accidents in recovering compensation for their injuries. You can read details of some of these cases by visiting our personal injury news and client stories sections, or by following the links below:
Back Injury Compensation for Worker Injured in Warehouse Accident
Knee Injury Caused by Fall From Defective Truck Step
Burn Injury Compensation for Forklift Truck Driver Injured at Work
Back Injury at Work Caused by Heavy Lifting
Compensation Claim for Head Injury Caused by Falling Pallet
Employee Suffers Fractured Spine in Workplace Accident
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