Manual Handling and the Reponsibilities of Employers
One of the most common injuries that we encounter at the Injury Lawyers is caused by employers not providing instructions on how to handle heavy or awkward objects. The relevant legislation in England and Wales is the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.
First of all an employer needs to consider whether these regulations may be relevant to them, the question to be asked is whether the employer has manual handling as part of their operation. If so then a risk assessment should be conducted by the employer and, if there is a possibility that the rules might apply, then consideration of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations should be put in place.
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If you can prove that the other party intended to inflict some sort of pain or injury on you then this will be deemed a criminal offence and it is likely you will be successful in a claim for personal injury compensation.
However, if the other party did not injure you intentionally you will have to prove that they were negligent in their actions. The standard of proof is much higher in sporting claims and a simple misjudgment or gut reaction will not suffice. At the very least there must have been a breach of the rules and this still may not be enough to prove negligence.
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If you are a victim in the UK of a violent crime, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. What is classed as a violent crime? A crime of violence is a criminal act which includes actual violence to a person, or even the threat of violence against a person. These violence’s come in forms such as injury caused by a weapon, rape and even child abuse. Injury doesn’t have to be an actually wound caused by the violence , your injury may be a psychological injury. For example if someone threatens you with an act of violence this may cause you great stress, disturbed sleep and anxiety.
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Many of us are familiar with the above phrase but what is it, who does it affect and what are the symptoms? The first point to make is that it has changed its name! It is now referred to as Hand-arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). The term was altered as other symptoms may be present other than white fingers.
What is and what are the symptoms?
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What is it?
Your spinal cord extends from the brain down through a spinal canal. There are nerves that branch off from your spinal cord which send signals to and from muscles and other parts of the body. These signals give information to your brain for example, when something hurts, pain signal are sent. Other signals are sent such as touch and sense of position, so your brain knows what your body is doing at all times!
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Judge Must be Judged After Drink-Drive Debacle
A former judge stopped by police for driving erratically was found with half a bottle of vodka and an empty can of red bull in his car. He told police that he had not been drinking but, after being breathalysed was found to be almost 3 times the legal drink-drive limit.
Today, Bruce Macmillan, 63, pleaded guilty to a charge of drink driving.
According to The Guardian, at the time of the incident, which occurred on August 27th this year, Mr Macmillan was still operating as a circuit judge but following the incident resigned earlier this month to avoid the embarrassment of being dishonourably disrobed.
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Factory Fire Risk of Mesthelioma for Local Residents
A fire at a factory in the West Midlands may have caused asbestos to be released in to the surrounding environment. The fire occurred at Monty’s Tropical Rags factory and the surrounding roads have been shut in an attempt to prevent any potential spread.
According to the BBC, as many as 200 fire fighters have been tackling the blaze, which was described by onlookers as “massive”. No casualties have been reported but local residents living near the Hawthorns Trading Estate in Cornwall Road, Smethwick have been urged to shut windows and stay indoors.
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RSI – Repetitive Strain Injury
Many of us associate personal injuries with accidents such as road traffic accidents, a slip or trip and work involving manual labour. However, how many of us realize that sitting at our desks in a regular office can have a detrimental effect on our health and cause us some significant injuries?
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) occurs in approximately 1 in 50 office workers in the UK and it is estimated that nearly 5.5 millions working days were lost due to the condition last year alone!
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A young girl suffered serious injury when she fell over 20 feet in to a concrete- lined storage area in County Durham. According to the BBC, the girl, a teenager who has not been named, suffered neck and spinal injuries in the fall. Firefighters had to use specialist equipment to rescue her from the disused quarry where the accident occurred but fortunately no-one else was hurt in the incident.
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Medical Assistance for Burn Injuries
Saved by a Shark! There’s a phrase you don’t hear very often (or ever in my case!) but for Erin McNeill this phrase became true! The young woman had been stopping at a friend’s house when a fire broke out and she suffered serious burns, being admitted in to intensive care for treatment at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. She had suffered severe burns to 40% of her body with fourth degree burns sustained to her right arm.
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