Professions with High Accident Rates

There are some trades and professions that have higher than the national average for accident rates. Over the last 20 years, the health and Safety Executive (HSE) have worked hard to reduce the amount of accidents that happen in these industries and they have improved greatly, but are still above the rest.

The construction Industry

This has the highest rate of accidents of all. There are over 2 million workers employed in construction making it the largest industry in the country.

Accidents that happen on sites often produce serious injuries and deaths because of the nature of the work; they are dangerous places to be employed. The introduction of the compulsory wearing of hard hats has been one of the biggest improvements, and now most construction employers instantly dismiss anyone found on site without one. The types of accidents that happen on building sites are:

• Workers falling from height

• Workers falling through floors that are unfinished

• Workers being run into by site vehicles

• Workers having things fall on them from height

Any of these accidents could produce serious injuries and may mean you need to make a claim for compensation for work accident.

The farming industry

Farming is almost on a par with construction. Historically they have a poor health and safety record. HSE figures shows an average of 49 workers a year lose their lives in the farm industry, that’s almost 1 a week. The sorts of accidents that happen on farms are:

• Dangerous livestock

• Accidents involving farm vehicles

• Accidents involving farm machinery

• Falls from height on farms

• Accidents with silos, slurry stores and pits

• Exposure to dangerous substances and chemicals

There are also many accidents that happen to visitors to farms, not just the workers.

The warehousing industry

In some ways, the accidents in warehouses can be similar to those on a construction site. They include:

• Falling from height

• Accidents with vehicles, either in the warehouse or delivering to the warehouse

• Objects falling onto workers

Also like the construction industry, warehouse workers have to wear hard hats for protection. Employers in warehousing have to try to keep working at height to a minimum wherever possible, and where it is not extra safety precaution have to be used, such as safety harnesses.

Compensation for work accident

If you have any accident at work, no matter which industry you work in, if it is because your employer was negligent, you may be entitled to make a work related personal injury claim. The accident should have happened sometime in the last three years, and the injuries should have been severe enough to need medical attention. The injuries can be either physical or psychological.

The compensation is meant to be recompense for the pain and suffering you have had to endure, but also to repay any costs or losses incurred because of the accident to make sure you are not out of pocket through a fault of your own.