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Is an e-cigarette safe? Is “vaping” causing more damage to us than smoking? Is it a suitable alternative to smoking?

We’re not medical experts, but it’s clear from reports that those of us who “vape” need to err on the side of caution in some respects. Although the long-term health benefits / risks appear to have not yet been fully established, there have been numerous incidents reported of e-cigarette batteries exploding.

For the victims, there may be a way to claim for personal injury compensation.
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When a claimant suffers personal injury because of someone else’s negligence, they can claim compensation for the injuries and harm suffered as a result of that negligence. But what happens when someone is injured by someone acting in the course of their duty on behalf of a company? i.e. like an employee acting in the course of their employment?

Vicarious liability is a way where an individual’s responsibility and liability can be transferred to their employer if the accident happened during the individual’s course of employment. The defendant’s employer should be insured and have the finances to compensate the claimant, and they can essentially cover the negligence of an employee.
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Whilst on holiday, our client lost their footing on a hotel driveway defect which caused them to fall and suffer a broken wrist.

There’s never a good time for it, but to suffer an injury like that while on holiday when you’re supposed to be relaxing is devastating!

Our client also suffered bruising to the leg. Uneven ground and flooring may not seem like much to some, but they can cause serious harm. In addition to broken bones, anyone who trips on them could end up hitting their heads and could suffer a brain injury.
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Four employees tragically died while carrying out a job at an excavation site.

The four employees were working on constructing a steel structure as part of the foundation for a large Pressure Test Facility (PTF) at Claxton Engineering Services Limited in Great Yarmouth. The partially-built steel structure weighed several tonnes and would have weighed 32 tonnes on completion. The excavation for the PTF was more than 23m long, 3m wide and 2m deep.

Sadly, the structure collapsed on top of the employees.
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An asbestos removal supervisor has been fined and sentenced for exposing his team members to deadly asbestos fibres.

Alan Burdett was a supervisor for Asbestos Decontamination Services Limited in Birmingham and was engaged in large scale asbestos ceiling removal of Raleigh House in Stockport. Mr Burdett led a team during licensed asbestos removal works on a day-to-day basis.
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If this is not a lesson learnt, then I do not know what is…

T & D Galvanising Ltd were found to have breached the duty of care owed to their employee, Mr Ali Zada, who sadly suffered severe injuries to his leg and foot in June 2015.

On the day in question, Mr Zada was lifting wires that were tied around a bundle of mesh panels, when the overheard crane snapped on one side which caused the mesh panels to swing down and hit his leg.

Mr Zada suffered fractures to his leg and foot.
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Health and safety in the workplace is so, so important. Getting it right and wrong can literally be the difference between life and death…

In this employer’s negligence case, an employee of Cornish Construction Company, Roger Daw, tragically had both his legs amputated after he was crushed by a dumper truck during the course of his employment.

A truly horrifying incident.
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Personal injury compensation is awarded to someone who has been involved in an accident that was not their fault. Those that have been injured due to someone else’s negligence can generally recover two things: general damages, and special damages.

General damages are to compensate for any pain, suffering, or loss amenity due to the injury. Special damages covers expenses and future losses that a person will incur directly because of the incident. This can include travel expenses, clothing, loss of earnings etc…

This financial settlement is meant to help those who have suffered an injury to get their life back on track, or as near as, before the injury happened. So how do we calculate a claim for a broken arm, for example?
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Foodles Production (UK) Ltd have pleaded guilty to failing to protect actors and workers on set following an incident where Hollywood actor Harrison Ford suffered a broken leg and other injuries. Harrison Ford was struck by a metal door on the set of the Millennium Falcon on the 12^th June 2014 at Pinewood Studios.

The actor believed that the structure was inactive and so walked underneath it – but it was remotely operating which meant it ended up pinning the actor to the ground, resulting in his broken leg. The accident posed a risk of death, and if an emergency stop had not been activated, then it could have killed somebody.

Harrison Ford became trapped under the closing metal-framed door which had a weight comparable to that of a small car.
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Before we answer this question, lets understand first how a work accident claim actually works…

The Pre-Action Protocol for Low Value Personal Injury (Employers’ Liability and Public Liability) Claims governs the process for those making a claim against their employer for personal injury.

The first step is submitting the Claim Notification Form (CNF) where the employer will have to confirm whether they accept liability or not within 30 days of receiving the form. This varies from public liability where the period is 40 days.

In most cases, the insurers deal with the claim and we have very little contact with your actual employer moving forward.
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