If you are hurt as a result of inadequate personal protective equipment, you could make a claim.
Your employer has a duty of care to provide you with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) if your job requires it.
But if they haven’t provided it and you end up injuring yourself as a result, you could make an accident at work claim for compensation.
Personal protective equipment is required by anyone who works in a dangerous environment or who provides healthcare.
PPE has been designed to minimise the risks presented by a workplace. Some of the most common types of PPE include:
If you have not been provided with the equipment you need to carry out your job safely – or it was not appropriate for you or the job – and you suffered an injury as a result, you could be able to make a claim.
Some of the most common accidents and injuries associated with inadequate PPE include:
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 set out that all employers should ensure that suitable PPE is provided to employees “who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work”.
This means that if you suffer an injury or industrial disease that could have been prevented by the right PPE, your employer could be held responsible.
Your employer is also required by the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 to ensure that all PPE provided is “properly used”. This may require training, so if your employer is not carrying out their duty, they could be liable for any accident you suffer.
If you’ve suffered an injury through the lack of adequate personal protective equipment, compensation for a successful claim could help you get back on your feet.
You may have to take time off work as part of your recovery, which could lead to lost earnings. A compensation claim will cover these losses and allow you the time to focus on getting better.
By making a claim for your injury, you can also alert your employer to what went wrong as they may not be aware of the problem. This can give them the prompt they need to address the problem, which could help prevent the same accident happening to anyone else.
You are entitled to justice if you suffer an injury that wasn’t your fault and could have been avoided.
In most cases of injury caused by inadequate PPE, you’ll have three years to make a claim.
It’s advisable to begin your claim as soon as possible. The details of the accident will be clear in your mind, and you could find it easier to access certain forms of evidence, such as CCTV footage.
Any witnesses to your accident could also find it easier to recall exactly what happened when you start your claim as soon as possible. This could be important if they need to provide a statement as evidence for your claim.
If you’re not sure whether you have an inadequate personal protective equipment claim, First4Lawyers can clear this up.
Get in touch for a free chat to talk through your situation and what the best course of action for you is.
If we agree that you have a claim and you’re happy to go ahead, we can put you in touch with one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors. They will then take over the management of your case, working to put together the strongest claim possible.
To find out more about how we can help you, just give us a call, request a call back or start your claim online.
Only pay a fee if you receive compensation
Our No Win No Fee solicitors will take a success fee from the compensation you are awarded for a successful claim in the form of a percentage of your damages. This could be up to 25% but it won't be more than that, except in cases of road traffic accidents. Changing laws mean our solicitors will now take a payment of 30% of the final compensation amount plus VAT for all road traffic accident claims.
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