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Lack of PPE Claims
Lack of Personal Protective Equipment Claims
It is your employer’s legal responsibility to keep you safe in the workplace. This includes providing you with the appropriate personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as PPE, to allow you to perform your job safely.
If you have been injured in an accident at work or develop an industrial disease, due to not being supplied with adequate PPE, you may be eligible to make a claim.
What is personal protective equipment (PPE)?
Personal protective equipment is that which is worn by workers to protect their health and safety, whilst performing work related tasks. PPE is required to be worn when the risks to staff cannot be mitigated in any other way. Employees in all types of different industries are required wear PPE, common examples of PPE include:
- Safety helmets
- Safety Glasses
- Safety Boots
- High visibility clothing
- Overalls
- Gloves
- Ear defenders
- Masks and respiratory equipment
What injuries are caused by lack of PPE?
Failure to provide staff with PPE can have devastating consequences, examples of injuries and illnesses caused due to lack of PPE include:
- Burns and lacerations
- Fractures
- Amputations
- Sight damage
- Hearing loss
- Serious head and brain damage
- Industrial diseases including; asbestos related illness, occupational asthma, occupational dermatitis and vibration white finger.
In the worst instances PPE accidents can lead to fatalities. For example if an employee experiences a fall from height due to being provided with a faulty harness, this could lead to catastrophic injuries or death.
What are my employers’ responsibilities?
Your employer must conduct regular risk assessments of working environments and practices, in order to determine what PPE is needed to keep you safe in the workplace. Employers must provide staff with PPE free of charge and should regularly inspect and replace damaged PPE. They should make sure that staff always wear PPE when required and conduct training with staff to ensure that they know how to use it correctly.
Is there a time limit for making a claim?
You have up to 3 years from the date of the accident, or 3 years from the date in which you became aware that your illness was caused due to lack of PPE to make a claim.
First and foremost it is important to focus on recovering from your injuries, but it is also important to make a claim as soon as possible while the evidence and the memories of you and your witnesses are fresh.
How much compensation can I expect?
The amount of compensation you could obtain is dependent on the individual circumstances of your case. The following factors will be taken into consideration when quantifying your claim:
- Loss of earnings.
- Pain and suffering
- Medical expenses such as rehabilitation fees, prescription charges, painkillers etc.
- Care and support.
If you have been injured or have suffered an illness due to lack of PPE, inadequate PPE or lack of training on how to use PPE, you could be eligible to make a claim. Contact True Solicitors on 0344 854 7000 or submit an online enquiry below to start a No Win, No Fee claim.
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