Work vehicle claims

Employers must make sure that workers are fit and competent to operate workplace vehicles. If your employer does not maintain a safe workplace, including regular risk assessments and training, and you are injured in a workplace vehicle incident, you may be able to claim compensation.

Our experienced workplace injury claims team can advise you about starting your compensation claim if you have been injured in a workplace vehicle incident or any other type of workplace injury.

If you believe you have suffered a vehicle injury at work that wasn't your fault, you could claim for anything from pain and trauma to missed pay, treatments and rehab. Talk to us as soon as possible and your claim will be investigated.

What are work vehicle claims?

You may work in a job that means you have to drive or use work vehicles such as:

• Fork-lift trucks
• Lift trucks
• Mobile plant
• Dumper trucks
• Cherry pickers
• Tractors or other farm vehicles.

Your job may also involve you using cars, vans or lorries. Your employer has a duty of care towards you and must take every step possible to reduce the risk of workplace transport incidents.

Driving for work is one of the most potentially dangerous aspects of any profession. Every year, thousands of workers are seriously injured and deaths can even occur.

Often, work-related vehicle accidents happen during goods storage, collection and delivery. People at risk include:

• Delivery drivers
• Sub-contractors
• Warehouse operatives
• Company employees
• Visitors

Common workplace vehicle injuries

There are many reasons vehicle injuries at work can happen, including:

• Being hit by a moving workplace vehicle like a lorry, forklift truck, etc
• Crushed between moving vehicles
• Hit by objects falling out of vehicles
• Falling from cabs
• Injury from overturning vehicles
• Falling from tail-lifts
• Falling off goods ramps

Your employer’s responsibility

All employers are bound by law to ensure employees work in a safe environment and that they are protected from work hazards to minimise incidents.

If your job involves driving or working with powered vehicles, then your employer must take every practical precaution to reduce the risk of injuries.

Employers must follow the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and as part of their health and safety arrangements they should provide a risk assessment. The main areas to be looked at are:

1. The journey
2. The driver or rider
3. The vehicle

Hazards that should be considered when driving for work are:

• Time pressure
• Vehicle condition
• Roadworks, traffic and congestion
• The weather
• Behaviour of other road users

How we can help with work vehicle accident claims

Mr Daniel Hughes

The workplace injury team acted for Daniel when he was injured at work. Mr Hughes was at work on a construction site, which was not under the control of his employer. The defendant’s employees had left several large gas pipes on the site which was impeding operations.

Following a request, one of the defendant’s employees agreed to remove the pipes by vehicles. However, instead of cutting up the pipe, the defendant’s employee attached the piping to the rear tow bar of his van. He then drove the van across the worksite at speed with the piping dragged along the ground. The pipe hit Mr Hughes, knocked him to the ground and fractured his leg.

The incident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive and investigated. The defendant accepted legal responsibility.

Farm worker

A farm worker suffered a partial amputation of his little finger and partial thumb function loss when he was asked to move some ‘H’ shaped steel girders.

Rather than lifting the girders out of the ground the supervisor said that they should be lifted straight onto the tines of a forklift truck.

To save time the supervisor lifted the girder onto the forklift truck which became unstable. It slipped and trapped our client’s right hand. This has led to permanent problems in his day to day activities. The case was settled for £70,000