We can help you claim
compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
Call: 0800 10 757 95
The majority of fatal injuries in the construction industry in the UK occur on what are described as small sites and there are a number of reasons for this toll of building site accidents.
Private domestic projects, such as repairs or building extensions, and small business works, usually lasting less than a month and including maintenance or shop fitting, are examples of jobs within these categories where a 'one-man band' or firm employing fewer than a dozen people are likely to be employed.
In those situations the builder who has agreed to undertake the work has responsibilities for health and safety. In the case of a private home, he will be in charge of seeing the site is safe for himself, any sub-contractors he uses, residents of the house and any of their visitors.
Where another business is the customer, site safety responsibilities will be shared between the builder and the proprietor of the business.
In both cases, the law states that the builder must be aware of potential hazards and risks, train and supervise any workers to ensure their safety and co-operate closely with the home occupier or business manager to minimise work-related accidents.
Builders should not estimate for or accept work which they are unable to carry out safely and competently.
However, many serious workplace accidents are suffered by sub-contractors who arrive at a construction site to use their specialist skills for a short period then leave once the work is completed.
Often, small builders who are managing a site will fail to make sub-contractors aware of site-specific hazards or make incorrect assumptions about equipment being provided or how it is used.
Unsafe working practices when using ladders, scaffolding and platforms result in a number of deaths and injuries from falls which could be prevented by planning and proper supervision.
When it comes to liability for lack of safety and a consequent building site accident, the courts are likely to find a number of people responsible, depending on the circumstances.
It is not unusual for half a dozen or more different trades people to come and go on a small building site, completing different parts of the operation. These specialists can include plumbers, electricians, carpenters, plasterers, bricklayers and roofers, and if an accident occurs to any of them, it will be no excuse for one company to blame another.
There may be a chain of two or three people who are responsible for employing the accident victim and each could have liability to some extent for the industrial injury through their actions or neglect.
If the Health and Safety Executive starts an investigation into the cause of an accident and decides to prosecute those it considers at fault in causing a workplace accident then any financial or other penalties imposed by a court will be made in proportion to the degree of blame attached to each manager involved.
Making a building site accident claim
With YouClaim's experienced and helpful specialist building site accident compensation claim service, if you or a loved one has been the victim of a work-related injury which was caused by someone else, you can be sure of the best of attention in establishing responsibility and liability for payment of damages.
Once you have reported the basis of your claim to our personal injury department, you can relax knowing that you are in safe hands, wherever you live in the UK. All our lawyers are supervised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and have to be fully qualified before they can accept a case.
Initial advice and assessment of cases is free and in most instances YouClaim can work on a no win no fee basis, meaning that 100% of all compensation won can be kept by you without deduction of legal fees.
If you don't want to use the online facilities on this page to communicate with us about a potential claim, you can telephone one of our helpful staff on 0800 10 757 95.
