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compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
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In the UK, Health and Safety is taken extremely seriously and, as a result, the number of deaths and serious injuries continues to show a pattern of decline, including the number of construction accidents, but this is not always the case in other parts of the European Union, the USA, Middle East or other areas where British specialists are employed.
With the open borders' policy of the European Union, there are few restrictions on a British construction worker being employed anywhere in the other 26 member states and a number of multi-national companies regularly move their employees around, depending on where their projects are situated.
The industrial sector in Britain which has the highest fatal accident rate is agriculture, followed by construction but in Europe, after the fishing industry, building site accidents have the worst record for resulting in deaths and injuries.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is the Europe-wide organisation which monitors employees' work environments and regulates on safety issues. Its website has information similar to that of the UK government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
It points out that, worldwide, construction workers are three times more likely to be killed and twice as likely to be injured as workers in other occupations.
More than 99% of construction businesses in Europe can be defined as small and medium enterprises, often independent family-run firms, and, of course, these are as subject to the same regulation as major companies but some may not be as fully aware of their responsibilities as others.
As with UK legislation, across the EU members, laws require employers to reduce all possible risks to construction workers at all stages of a building project. This starts with the design and planning process and continues through to completion.
There are no hazards particular to sites in other European countries. Injuries are still most likely to occur through a fall from height, vehicle movements and excavation while industrial injury results from exposure to noise, asbestos and other dusts among other causes.
One role of the pan-European agency is to share information between member countries if a potential hazard is noted in one situation which is applicable across the EU and help those in the safety industry to solve common problems and improve the health and welfare of all employees in the constriction industry, whatever their nationality.
It is up to the government of each individual country to maintain health and safety regulations and supervisory arrangements to ensure these are enforced and, should a workplace accident occur, it will be dealt with through the legal system of the relevant country.
YouClaim and construction accidents abroad
If you are a construction worker who has suffered an accident while working away from the UK through no, or little, fault of your own, you will need specialist legal advice in order to achieve your due compensation for injury or illness.
Consulting a solicitor on YouClaim's panel will give you the best chance of success in making a personal injury claim. Initial advice is free and, with our friendly, experienced team you can be sure of a sympathetic, yet professional, approach to your problem.
Whether your construction injury claim is due to an accident in Britain or abroad, you can find out more information by completing the claim form on this page or calling us on 0800 10 757 95
