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Cases of stress in the workplace are on the rise every year and it is becoming a costly problem for all businesses. Studies have shown that approximately 1 in 3 of all workers experience high level of stress and a quarter of all workers state that their job is the main cause of stress in their lives. The latest figures released by the Health and Safety Executive show that absences from work cost the economy over £12 billion and of this it is estimated that stress related illness and absence now costs in the region of £5-7 billion.

So, what is workplace stress and what can you do about it? The Definition of workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when there is a poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. If you have suffered extreme stress as a result of your job then you may be able to claim compensation however, proving such claims is notoriously difficult as the evidential burden on anyone making a claim is extremely high. Another of the main problems in making a claim for stress is proving foreseeability and you need to ask the question: is it reasonable to suggest that the employer could have foreseen the injury?
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If you have recently been involved in a road traffic accident whilst you were a passenger in a taxi then you may be entitled to place a claim for compensation. Accidents happen every day unfortunately, if you were sadly involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault then you may find the following information very useful.

Always record everything that has happened, the more information you can take the easier the matter becomes. It’s always best to take the information as soon after the event as possible as that way you are less likely to make mistakes and record inaccurate information. After the accident involving the taxi, you will need to find out the taxi drivers name, the company who insures them, the company they work for, the vehicle registration number and the drivers number. Also record any details of any other vehicles who were involved, the driver’s names and addresses and take information from witnesses. Make a statement of all the facts that lead to the accident, whose fault you thought it was.
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Road Traffic Accidents are one of the most common types of injuries that occur. The reason for this is more than likely to be the fact that we are all on the road going or coming from work almost every day so the chances of being involved in an accident are a lot higher than if we weren’t on the roads.

But I bet everyone who drives to work in the morning doesn’t think that they could be involved in a situation like the one on the right!!!! That is right, unfortunately this is a picture of a horse being lodged into someone wind screen after a collision.

According to British Horse Society figures, there are over 3,000 accidents on the roads each year involving horses. These figures include several fatalities.
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More and more people are travelling abroad in today’s society; the number of people travelling has increased dramatically in the past few years. The introduction of cheaper airlines means that it’s much more affordable for people to travel, as this type of business increases it’s clear to say that the accident rates have also grown in numbers involving staff and passengers.

If you have experienced injury whilst travelling abroad, whether it be in the air or on the ground, you may want to consider placing a claim for compensation. If the accident wasn’t your fault and you didn’t contribute to the accident in any way, then you are considered an innocent party in the eyes of the law, this should potentially make the claim slightly easier to deal with as there shouldn’t be any arguments over liability.

You will, however, need to obtain as much information as possible. For example, if you were on the airplane and an accident took place, you’ll need to record everything that happened. Try to record the circumstances as soon as possible, as the events will probably still be fresh in your mind. Record details of why you thought the accident happened, whose fault you thought it was, record the details of the travel company and also take the details of any people who witnessed the incident as these people may be able to provide very useful information and may help in proving that the accident happened.
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If you have been renting a property and have had some sort of accident due to something being unsafe in the property then you may have a potential claim for compensation. Landlords are required to ensure that their properties are safely equipped before making them available to rent.

There are many cases each year where occupants have had an accident due to unsafe living conditions, some of the cases have been very dangerous and sometimes, even after the tenant have informed the Landlord of the problem, the Landlord makes no attempt to rectify the problem resulting in injury.

If you feel that something could have been done to avoid your accident and you wish to take the matter further, you should, first of all, record all the details of the incident. Try to do this soon after the incident so that everything is still fresh in your mind. Try to include: Exactly what happened, what lead to the incident, what caused the incident, how it has affected you, what your injuries are. If possible take photographs of the defect item and of any visible injuries. These can be used as significant pieces of evidence.
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If you have been attacked by another person in an unprovoked act of violence, you may have a potential claim for compensation.

Depending on the circumstances of the incident it may be worthwhile you looking into the matter of claiming for compensation. If you have been attacked as an obvious attempt of violence, such as being assaulted on a night out, or if someone has thrown an object at you and the incident was unprovoked, you should consider placing a claim.

If you do decide to place a claim, your claim will go through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA); a government body that pays out for injuries sustained as a result of an act of violence from another person.
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Have you ever had an accident at work because of the conditions you have been subject to working in? If you feel that your working conditions led to your accident you may have a potential claim for compensation.

You may potentially have a claim for compensation because your employer has a clear duty of care to their employees; if these standards have not been met and it has resulted in you having an accident, you may be within your rights to pursue a claim. All employers by law should have employer’s liability insurance which covers them for any accidents that may occur. You should not feel in any way worried about pursing a claim against your employers, there is nothing that they can legally do to cease your employment as a result of an accident – this is just a common misconception.
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We have been focussing a fair bit of our time recently on those people who have been injured in an accident in a taxi and feeling at a loss because the accident was’nt their fault? If this sounds like you – then it might be best to think about placing a claim for compensation.

As a passenger in a taxi which has been involved in an accident, in the eyes of the law you are usually seen as an innocent party – that is if you had no involvement in contributing to the causes of the accident. This means that theoretically your claim should be fairly easy to pursue as there won’t be any arguments to claim that you as the victim are at fault for the accident.
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If you have had an accident due to a fault in a pavement or a road, you will be interested to know that it may be possible for you to make a claim for compensation. This is because the person /company responsible for maintaining the condition of the road or pavement may have failed in their duty of care to keep the area in a satisfactory and safe condition.

What to do: Try to find out who owns the part of land where the accident occured. If the area belongs to the council, you could first of all try writing a letter of complaint to them; this record can then be used as part of the investigations at a later date. Remember to record the accident date and time – it’s also useful if you can take photographs of the defect and also of your injuries as part of your evidence for an accident claim.
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Anyone in to motorbikes? Or anyone in to music at all? If you are, then this article may be of interest to you. According to sources from The Guardian, songwriter and producer Daniel Lanois has been injured in a motorcycle accident, and is reportedly in intensive care in Los Angeles (source).

Lanois is well known for his works with UK rock legends U2, as well as having worked alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The accident earlier this month has been described as serious, with several of upcoming tour dates cancelled due to the severity of his injuries.

Road traffic accidents are common enough; but accidents involving motorcycles often easily occur -and the injuries sustained by the rider are usually always quite severe. We drivers know well enough the importance of checking roads we are merging on to (look, look, and then look again; and again for good measure!), checking our blind spots when switching lanes or overtaking, and looking out in general for motorcyclists on the road. They are harder to spot – so we must take extra care in looking out for them. We have all surely seen the Think Bike adverts on the TV – for me, they really hit home!
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