Person X was employed as a kitchen team member. Their task was to fry food using hot oil.

Due to a lack of protective equipment, the hot oil exploded under heat and burned Person X severely. They sustained injuries could have easily been avoided with the right PPE.

Another example is Person Y who was employed to extract rubbish from a site for a home renovation project. As they picked up the bag containing rubbish, sharp pieces of tile cut through the bag and injured their forearm. Despite emergency surgery and attempts to fix the problem, Person Y suffered life-changing injuries. This could have been avoided had the employer supplied the necessary protective gear for the task.

If an employer has not carried out the proper risk assessments for the workplace, this causes an unsafe workplace and unnecessary accidents can take place.

For example, person A worked as a foreperson for a hospital, and their role was to move large amounts of items around the hospital without assistance.

Unfortunately, the employer decided to change the location of the storeroom and did not consider how this change would affect the safety of Person A. The new location was not a safe place for Person A to undertake their task. The ramp they used to access the area wasn’t safe due to constant usage, furthermore it was worn down and easily prone to damage.

Person A was required to pull a cart containing items into the new storeroom. However, as they attempted to do so, the ramp finally broke under constant pressure and caused severe damage to Person A.

If the employer had performed a proper risk assessment of the area, they would have noticed that the ramp was not safe and appropriate steps would have been taken to replace or repair it. Unfortunately, this is a common example of a situation where the health and safety of the worker is not prioritised.

Another good example is that of Person B, who was working as a mental health practitioner in a mental health hospital.

While they were performing their basic tasks and looking after a known, aggressive, mental health patient, they were attacked. The attack caused severe head injuries and damage to the mental health workers face.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the employer was fully aware that the patient had an aggressive nature, they allowed Person B to continue working in an environment where they were at risk. Adequate steps were not taken to guarantee the safety of the individuals working there. The result was that one person received serious injuries. This is a prime example of a situation where simply because you work in an environment where the risk of injury is possible, that does not mean you should be put at unnecessary risk.

If you have sustained an injury through no fault of your own, speak to our personal injury expert team for some free no-obligation advice about whether you can make a claim.