66 year-old Engineer Receives £164,000 Work Accident Compensation

An engineer working under Siemens, one of the most reputed electronics and electrical engineering Company, has recently received £164,000 following an accident at work. The accident occurred when the 66 year-old person fell through the roof while installing CCTV cameras. The mishap took place at Liverpool Lime Street station. The victim fractured the ball of his shoulder in the accident.

The victim of the work accident was performing a job which urged him to access a junction box placed on the roof of the station. The Network Rail permitted the concerned engineer to do the job via a shop’s roof in the rail station. The roof was made of an aluminium frame and it collapsed when the engineer fell on it. The victim needed immediate surgery and is now subject to permanent disability. He left his job because of the severity of his wounds and cannot perform the daily activities without assistance.

The victimized engineer filed a work accident claim with the help of no win no fee solicitors. During the court proceedings, it was discovered that the worker was not warned that the roof was flimsy and Siemens did not provide the employee with the training necessary to work at height. Siemens accepted the fault, but at the same time reasoned that the Network Rail was equally responsible for the accident. Finally, both Siemens and the Network Rail agreed to pay about £164,000 as work accident compensation to recompense the pain and sufferings undertaken by the victim.

Falls from heights are common in the industrial sectors of the United Kingdom. The construction workers mostly sustain this type of accidents at work. In 208-09, 35 workers died after falling from heights. HSE recorded 4,654 serious injuries that were caused due to fall from heights.

The Work at Height Regulations was introduced in 2005 to urge the UK employers prevent the workers from working at height. If a work can be performed without working at height, then why should you undertake the risk of working at heights? For instance, a painter can use a roller on a pole to paint a ceiling. Using the roller on a pole would help the worker avoid using a stepladder which often causes work accidents.

It is the duty of the employer to use proper instruments that can prevent the accidents caused by falling from heights. The employer should provide the workers working at heights with proper training to take required measures to prevent accidents while working at heights.

Some of the common work- at -height mishaps includes:

• Using stepladders while working at height. This tool is not at all safe for working at heights.
• Mounting a ladder without checking if the ladder is appropriately footed.
• Positioning the ladder at an excessively steep or overly shallow angle.
• Using a tower scaffold that has not been placed properly.
• Failure to use toe boards when a scaffold is being installed.

In spite of maintaining all the necessary precautions, if a fall from height accident occurs, the victim can file a work accident compensation claim to compensate the agony and sufferings endured due to the accidents. The victim of a work accident needs to prove that his employer has contributed to the mishap.