Injury In The Office and Knowing Your Rights

With an office injury, the rights of the individual are definitely worth knowing and understanding. It’s a more common occurrence, too: nearly 30 million work days in the UK were lost due to injury in 2018-19.

Certainly offices are generally safer than areas in which you have to commit to manual labour tasks. But these days, offices still have common workplace injuries that you should be aware of. This guide will help those suffering injury in the office to know their rights. In addition, it will explain how you can prevent some of the most common workplace injuries.

What are the Most Common Office Injuries?

Repetitive strain injuries include muscle, tendon sprains and vision hindrances. These often happen through the intensive use of certain body parts. For instance, you may get wrist pain if you are typing for extensive periods. Alternatively, you might also suffer eye strain from using the computer for lengthy amounts of time. To prevent these, you should adjust your workstation to your own needs. For instance, by adjusting the angle of your keyboard or turning down the brightness on your computer, if possible.

Sprains and fractures often happen in the workplace by falling, tripping, or slipping. Moreover, many of these sprains and fractures are reasonably avoidable. Especially with better health and safety precautions. To prevent these, you should ensure that your workplace has:

  • thorough health and safety regulations and;
  • full awareness of your surroundings at all times.

Not only this, but you should ensure that communal areas are left tidy. Moreover, signs are clearly left if a floor or surface is slippery or dangerous.

What Are Your Office Injury Rights?

As a worker, you have the right to make an injury at work claim against your employer if they are at fault for causing your injury. You also have the right to get medical attention immediately for any injury that you contract in the workplace.

Additionally, you have the right to get compensation for your injury and have time off work in order to recover. However, you also have the right to return to your workplace without harassment when you recover from the injury. In terms of your legal rights, you also need legal representation to appeal any court decisions made in injury cases.

What Should You Do in the Event of Injury?

If you have sustained a workplace injury at the fault of your employer, you should seek a solicitor who can discuss your claims at work and help you to gather the appropriate evidence in order to gain compensation. You should also request your medical records so that you have proof of your symptoms and their causation.

In short, this will make your case stronger in court even if your injury heals quickly. Solicitors will be able to guide you through your work accident claim UK according to your individual situation and help you to begin a  court case if necessary, and if your employer fails to accept the liability or the terms of your compensation claim.

Although making an injury at work claim is fairly common, by following this guide, you will ensure that you know your rights and that the process can cause as least stress for you as possible.

E-Cigarette Risks: What To Know

The evolution of smoke-free e-cigarettes (or vaping) as an alternative to tobacco is a relatively recent phenomenon. Therefore, many of their side-effects and long term risks are either unknown or still subject to research. Still, e-cigarette risks are many, complete with ingredients that we may never fully appreciate the true danger of. Even vaping products themselves present significant levels of danger and consideration.

Despite e-cigarette risks, most think vaping is an excellent alternative to avoid the health risks of smoking. However, the risks of vaping still remain. Moreover, the product itself can be dangerous in some circumstances, resulting in personal injury claims in the UK.

Personal Health Risks

You may believe you’re avoiding tobacco’s health risks by switching to e-cigarettes. With long term implications, the jury is still out on whether that’s actually true. For all intents and purposes, research is struggling to keep up with the rise of vaping. However, e-cigarettes remain potentially harmful in the short term, with one of the significant dangers being popcorn lung.

Popcorn lung is the medical term for damage to the bronchioles. Bronchioles are essentially the smallest airways in your lungs and can be caused by vaping. Damage to these can cause scarring to your lung tissues and cause difficulties with your breathing, leaving you feeling breathless. Symptoms include a cough, wheezing, and exhaustion.

Studies suggest the ingredient diacetyl within e-cigarettes brings on such side effects. Furthermore, diacetyl has a strong link to serious lung disease in tobacco products.

Harmful Ingredients

However, e-cigarettes also contain several other harmful substances. Although they do not contain tobacco, e-cigarettes contain a much higher percentage of nicotine than in normal cigarettes.

Experts don’t tend to view nicotine as a cause of the diseases common with smoking. Furthermore, it’s less harmful than smoking for your health.

Yet vaping also releases other harmful toxins, which vary by the type and brand of e-cigarette that you invest in. Additionally, the vapour contains a small assortment of toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Thankfully, the chemicals are at a lower concentration at a much lower rate than in cigarettes.

Product Risks

However, it is not just the effect that e-cigarettes have on the user that is dangerous. Just like with tobacco smoke, e-cigarette risks also extend to the products and the after-effects themselves. Some faulty e-cigarettes can cause electrical fires within homes, leading to injury or property damage.

Because you must use a USB cable to heat the liquid inside, exploding e-cigarettes present some frightening risks. These explosions can cause burns to the user’s face when they are smoking e-cigarettes. In essence, the risks are the result of the rechargeable battery overheating. Moreover, many devices do not have a cut-off point when they reach their maximum charge.

Trying to quit tobacco cigarettes

Quite often, traditional tobacco smoking cessation is the reason why vape pens turn up at every corner. This in itself might be the riskiest proposition of all. In short, the marketing of e-cigarettes presents an apparent short-term solution at the potential expense of long term health.

A short history of smoking health concerns

The Royal College of Physicians, Smoking & Health changed everything with a landmark report on smoking in 1962. Prior to this, few ever really considered tobacco’s harmful chemicals and the need to establish stop smoking services. Moreover, there was a major wall in getting the message of tobacco’s damage through to the public. In fact, in 1962, half of all adults (that’s 70% of men and 40% of women) smoked.

Nevertheless, the report’s PR effects (coupled with the 1965 Surgeon General report in the United States) were fast, lasting and widespread. Television commercials for tobacco products were banned by 1965. Health warnings began to appear on cigarette packs by 1971.

As electronic cigarettes entered the market around 2012, a mere 21% of Britons smoked tobacco. That figure surely includes those who want to quit smoking – a considerable audience, but certainly not the majority of adults like the old days.

Yet what it doesn’t include the emerging market of young people vaping companies are targeting. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend vaping products for young adults and current non-smokers. Additional research may still reveal devastating conclusions about cancers and illnesses like heart disease.

For instance, the American College of Cardiology’s 2019 research shows the following.

Adults who report puffing e-cigarettes, or vaping, are significantly more likely to have

  • A heart attack;
  • Coronary artery disease, and;
  • Depression.

…Compared with those who don’t use them or any tobacco products.

What to do in the event of injury from e-cigarette risks

You can file a personal injury accident claim against the e-cigarette brand manufacturer if you suffer:

  • burns
  • injury or;
  • property damage at the hands of an e-cigarette.

To do this, turn to a lawyer who can represent your case and provide advice as to your next step. We recommend specialist solicitors capable of handling the intricacies of personal injury claims.

Explosions can leave you with a severe burn that leaves significant and permanent facial scarring. As a result, you can claim compensation by suing these manufacturing companies. You can start the process by assigning a lawyer to investigate these personal injury claims on your behalf.

Considering a claim for e-cigarette risks?

Here are two things to consider if you want to talk to a personal injury solicitor about e-cigarettes.

  • Did negligence take place in the production of a faulty e-cigarette?
  • Did that negligence cause you significant personal damage?

If the answer to both questions is “Yes”, you should instantly seek a personal injury solicitor after your medical treatment. If you have a particularly strong case, you can receive the personal injury compensation that you deserve. By claiming against the manufacturing company in question, you can recover something that no smoking product can ever truly replace.

4 Common Workplace Injuries To Be Aware Of

With the exception of sleeping in bed, working in a workplace is where we spend most of our time. Accordingly, workplaces should be safe spaces where we can work without the stress (or fear) of worrying about injury. However, workplaces are dangerous: as such, there are many common workplace injuries resulting from unsuitable working environments. If this is the case, you should consider making an injury at work claim.

Some of the most common of these include these four common workplace injuries we list below.

Four Common Workplace Injuries

1. Back Injuries

Back injuries are part of a broader problem, with musculoskeletal disorders resulting from extensive manual work. For instance, heavy lifting and a lack of proper physical training can leave you with pain in your back. Not to mention in your upper limbs, such as your arms and neck.

It can be potentially debilitating and can also leave you unable to work in the future. As a result, you should consider making a work accident claim for these injuries.

You can prevent musculoskeletal disorders by ensuring that you:

  • Have adequate training in terms of lifting and carrying;
  • Only carry what you physically find comfortable, and;
  • That, if office work is the cause, that you adjust your seating arrangement. Thus ensuring that you maintain better posture throughout the day.

2. Asthma

If you are around toxic substances for long periods, this can cause asthma. Asthma is long term breathing condition which can be harmful and lead to dangerous consequences.

Ultimately, it’s a result of the swelling of your airways that make it difficult to breathe; moreover, poor working conditions can accelerate this.

You should follow regulations at all times to ensure that you remain safe in your workplace at all times.

3. Whiplash

Sudden movements that jolt the body and cause injury to define a whiplash accident. Moreover, it’s usually common in car crashes and other incidents involving moving vehicles.

Therefore, no win no fee whiplash claims are common in workplaces which include moving vehicles and often cause injury to the head, neck and shoulder area of your body. Although whiplash injury claims cannot be prevented, you should ensure that you are fully trained to drive the vehicles in question and that you never drive when you are tired or exhausted.

To treat whiplash, you may have to :

  • Wear a neck collar;
  • Avoid staying in the same position;
  • Take painkillers, and;
  • Ice down the area often to prevent swelling.

If you’re wondering how much compensation for whiplash you may get, whiplash cases tend to generate between £1,000-£2,000.

4. Hearing Loss

In short, hearing loss is one of the UK’s most significant causes for a workplace injury. Studies show up to 20,000 people suffer industrial hearing loss and subsequently seek hearing loss compensation. Hearing loss claims can be caused by being around loud equipment while at work for long periods. Hearing damage can also include tinnitus, where there is an unusual ringing sound in one or both ears.

To prevent hearing loss, invest in hearing protection such as earmuffs. Or ask to use quieter equipment that damages your ears less. Accordingly, if you believe that you have hearing loss at work, you should make an industrial hearing loss claim. The hearing loss claim time limit, incidentally, is three (3) years, which is common for the majority of personal injury claims.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Just a Few More Common Workplace Injuries

To say nothing of the four common injuries above, we don’t want you to leave her short on knowledge. Below are some other injuries in the workplace and accidents a business owner or council will shudder at.

a. Injuries from Slips, Trips and Falls

In general, slip and fall include a variety of different possible incidents. From falling objects to wet floors, it’s actually a fairly common claim we pursue regarding workplace safety and workers compensation.

b. Repetitive Strain Injury

Repetitive motion activity (for instance, using a mouse or keyboard) leave individuals prone to repetitive strain injury (RSI). In short, strained muscles from the demands of such work create difficulties worthy of a claim.

c. Crash and/or Crush Injury

Our last honourable mention requires a bit of personal protective equipment, airbags, and other safety equipment to avoid. Crash injuries or collisions tend to involve accidents and injuries from a road traffic accident (RTA). For more on the subject, check out this post.

If you have a workplace injury and would like to make claims at work to seek compensation, get legal support. Start by contacting a solicitor or advice service that can guide you on how best to navigate the legal processes.

Can You Make A Claim For Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is often seen as an affliction of the elderly; the natural decline of the human body as it ages and becomes less efficient and more aged. This is, however, often not the case. Many occupations and events in life can directly influence the power of your hearing. In these cases, and especially in the case of industrial hearing loss claims,  you’ll be able to fight for compensation with a claim through our specialist team.

The Time Limit

Bearing in mind that hearing loss is also a natural repercussion of ageing, you should talk to our specialists as soon as possible if you think that you have a claim to make. That’s because the hearing loss claim time limit can prevent you from a successful bid for compensation if it’s left too long or late in life. The best time to claim is while you’re still in the occupation that’s exposed you to the conditions that damage your hearing, or when you’ve just left your position.

The Conditions

Many companies expose their workers to conditions that can cause hearing loss. These jobs might include:

  • Exposure to heavy, noisy machinery in industry
  • Exposure to loud music in clubs, bars or at other events
  • Exposure to noise in the aviation industry or other transportation industries
  • Exposure to loud noise on construction sites

Hearing loss compensation is most likely to be assigned to those people who are repeatedly exposed to such conditions in their workplace or in their occupational career. To establish the liability of your employer for the hearing loss you’ve experienced, it’s important to reflect on the conditions of your workplace, and whether your employers were taking care of their workforce’s hearing.

Your Rights

As an employee, you’re due protection from harm. It is your employer’s responsibility to protect you from harm of any kind, and this includes a loss of hearing as a result of the conditions you’re forced to work under. This code is enshrined in law, and so you have the right to make hearing loss claims against your employers if you feel they have violated their right to protect you from harm. Our legal team is particularly well-versed in the compensation procedure when it comes to hearing loss, so you’ll be able to present your violated right to them for them to assemble a case.

Building Your Case

Once you’ve approached our legal team for a free consultation, we’ll be able to assemble your case. With the know-how gleaned from many years of claim management and successful compensation grants, our team will pursue those liable for your loss of hearing for just compensation. We’ll even be confident enough in this area to give you a predicted compensation figure, and our prediction as to whether your case will fail, reach a compromise, or succeed. Your part in the process is minimal; you’ll merely be required to give evidence and information about your hearing loss.

If you’ve experienced a loss to your hearing as a result of the conditions you’ve experienced in the workplace, then you may be due compensation. Approach our specialists for a consultation for us to establish your claim and win you the compensation you deserve.