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5,000 workplace accidents every year involve vehicles, 50 are fatal. But who is responsible and when is compensation due?

Between them, the claims team at Swindon Accident Solicitors have many decades experience helping people who are unlucky enough to be injured at work.

That covers accidents in diverse sectors – from manufacturing and agriculture to warehouses and shops – and injuries of all types, from a broken wrist that mends in weeks through to life-changing spinal damage, or in the worst-case scenario, loss of life.

If you suffer an accident at work that is not your fault you may be entitled to claim compensation. If your claim is successful, you will be compensated for your injuries and also reimbursed for any wages that you have lost as a result of time off work.

It is important to remember that all companies have the legal responsibility to keep their employees safe at work. If they fail in that obligation, there are major consequences. In one recent case, a company in Derbyshire was fined £450,000 after a young employee was killed while driving a forklift truck.

Nineteen-year-old Ben Pallier-Singleton was killed after his forklift truck turned over at Vinyl Compounds Limited’s site in Chinley. Ben was thrown from the truck which then tipped over and landed on him.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive revealed that the teenager had received insufficient training and was not even wearing a seatbelt. In addition, workers at the site were not informed about speed limits and Vinyl Compounds had failed to install sufficient lighting which might have prevented the accident.

The mother of the victim said, “I am heartbroken that Ben could go to work and be killed because his employer failed to train him or make sure the workplace was safe. It is shocking that something like this can still happen.”

Sadly, Ben’s case is not an isolated one. Every year, there are over 5,000 accidents involving transport in the workplace. About 50 of these result in people being killed. The main causes of injury are people falling off vehicles or being struck or crushed by them. Workplace transport is any activity involving vehicles used in a workplace.

Robert Millbourn of Swindon Accident Solicitors says: “The HSE is clear on the rules in its health and safety guidelines for employers. It states that compensation is payable when an employer has not taken reasonable steps to prevent accidents or harm to employees.”

“It doesn’t matter whether the injuries are sustained through faulty machinery in a factory, shelves falling in a warehouse, or down to a vehicle that has not been serviced correctly; if the workplace accident is not your fault the legal experts at Swindon Accident Solicitors will step up to the plate and help with your claim.”

If you have been the victim of an accident at work that was not your fault and would like to discuss the claims process and possible compensation, please contact Swindon Accident Solicitors on 01793 425595.