A person suffering personal injury at work may be able to claim compensation.

What does Health & Safety at work mean in practice for most people in the UK?

The workplace is now a very safe place. Thanks to the enormous improvements in general conditions, the use of equipment and effective training, your average worker is now very well looked after. Safety for most employers is paramount.

Here are the obligations that must be met by employer's in the UK:

• The Health & safety at work Act 1974

This groundbreaking and fundamental piece of legislation, which has been much enhanced and improved upon over the years, provides that:

"It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees"

This is a very broad statement but it places a huge burden on the shoulders of all employers to ensure that their employees work in safe and humane conditions. There are many key discussion points within the legislation but here we focus on a number of important elements that can lead to injury and subsequently to a compensation claim.

• Training

All employees should be trained and supervised sufficiently to enable them to carry out their duties safely and competently. They must have the required skill and experience to cope with their given tasks and must do so without endangering other workers or non-workers.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED BECAUSE OF INADEQUATE TRAINING - YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CLAIM COMPENSATION FOR WORK RELATED INJURY...........more on training issues in the workplace

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE's) - Personal Protective Equipment at WorkRegulations 1992
  

Employers have basic duties concerning the provision and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) at work requirement of the PPE at Work Regulations1992.

The basic requirements are that personal protective equipment is to be supplied and used at work wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED AT WORK AS A RESULT OF POOR OR INADEQUATE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT - YOU MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE AN ACCIDENT CLAIM...........more on ppe's

• Manual Handling - Lifting at work - The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

These important Regulations (as amended in 2002) apply to a wide range of manual handling activities, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying. The load may be either inanimate - such as a box or a trolley, or animate - a person or an animal.

Injuries caused by lifting and manual handling account for more than a third of all injury incidents reported to the HSE and RIDDOR.

The guidelines provided within the Regulations state that men should not lift weights of more than 10-15kg above their heads without assistance or equipment. The weight for women is half this at roughly 7-10kg. There are further "guides" for lifting up to elbow height and waist height etc but no person should be lifting a weight above 25kg.

AGAIN WE WOULD ADVISE YOU TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED AS A RESULT OF LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS AT WORK ...........more on lifting at work 

• Slips trips and falls at work

The single most common cause of injuries at work are as a result of a slip or trip. These injuries cost employers over £512 million a year in lost production and other expenses.

Slips and trips also account for over half of all reported injuries to members of the public

ANYONE INJURED IN A SLIP OR FALL AT WORK CAN POSSIBLY CLAIM PERSONAL INJURY COMPENSATION............more on slips at work