I am really disappointed to learn that the Protection of Workers Bill brought by the Labour Party’s Hugh Henry, is in danger of being defeated. The bill is being advanced to protect people at work from being assaulted by members of the p...

  I have just read about a horrendous accident that occurred on a farm in Berwickshire.  A farmer and a farm worker both suffered serious crushing injuries to their legs after being sucked into a slurry-cleaning machine.  Both of the men r...

I read with some alarm that insurance companies are charging motorists higher premiums because they have fitted winter tyres to their vehicles during the current extreme weather conditions. I find it staggering that insurance companies would seek to penal...

  My friends at Thompsons have been involved in the Public Inquiry investigating the deaths of the people who were affected by C-Difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital.  Following that outbreak several measures were put into place by the gover...

  BT were recently fined £300,000 after a worker sustained fatal head injuries during the course of his employment.   David Askew, a power construction engineer, employed by BT fell from a wooden ladder in October 2006 while installing...

  Employers ought to remember that they can not forget about the safety of their staff at the office Christmas party. A court in Australia recently decided that an employee who injured her back while helping out a her employers Christmas party ou...

  Ever since I was a plasticine toddler I have been hearing stories from my Friend McKenzie about the dangers of working offshore.  McKenzie is an older more hardened piece of plasticine than me and has spent the majority of his life on the rig...

  Repetitive driving injury is a condition that is caused by a poor driving posture which can lead to serious long term muscle, joint and spinal injuries. Repetitive driving injury may include foot cramps, lumbar pain, stiff neck, side ache, and hea...

  A personal injury claim has been won by a man from Essex after he was crushed by a falling Christmas tree in Prague. The man was on holiday with friends in Prague when he was crushed by a 100 foot tree at a Christmas market in the town square. ...

  I have been following the story about the toxic sofas for sometime now and I felt bad for all the people who were injured but thought they would not get compensation as Land of Leather went bust.  Around 412 customers thought that they would ...

  It may be a challenge for a cyclist to survive on the road when commuting daily, especially if you live in a big city with busy traffic. In order to avoid a hazardous and potentially fatal bicycle accident a few steps can be followed. Firstly, ...

  One of the things that I love about all of this snow that we have been having is that it allows all of the family to take a trip up north to go skiing.  The three of us love to drive up to Glenshee at the weekend and spend a day out on the sl...

  My friends at Thompsons have been helping people who have asbestos related diseases for many years.  Many people think that asbestos exposure is an old problem as there are many rules and regulations in place to ensure that workers and member...

  I was interested to read that a company owned by former Rangers Chairman, Sir David Murray, were recently fined £50,000 after an employee suffered a personal injury. Fifty year old Iain Sutherland was left with a broken right forearm and ...

  It is like something out of a disaster movie - offshore workers exposed to nuclear radiation. But this is exactly what happened on a platform operated by Schlumberger Oilfield UK, who yesterday plead guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety ...

  My friends at Thompsons have helped a lot of people claim compensation for injuries and losses they have sustained as a result of harmful and deadly bacteria. Thompsons Solicitors see first hand the pain, suffering and loss that harmful bacteria l...

  Although I love the snow and I have been building snowmen all week winter driving is very hazardous and to avoid having an accident, if you must drive in the snow and ice you should ensure that your car is properly prepared.  Before you l...

  I was horrified this week to read in the news of an attack on a ten year old girl by a Japanese Akita dog causing her to suffer severe facial wounds requiring over 100 stitches.  The little girl was savagely attacked as she played in the gard...

  I don’t know about you but I am already getting sick and tired of all of this snow.  It is time for our annual family winter holiday to the sun.  Mrs Thom and I have been looking through brochures and are very excited about getting...

  Electricity is extremely dangerous and according to the Health and Safety Executive each year there are approximately 1,000 accidents involving electricity and around 25 people die as a result of injuries they sustain. In June 2008  Valen...

  Like many of us I have spent the last few weeks treading gingerly along our nations pavements trying to be one of the few to avoid slipping and falling on the ice. The ‘big freeze’ has inevitably brought with it a huge spike in road traffic accidents and has seen hospital admissions at 10 times the normal quota for this time of year.   Careful drivers, who have never been in an accident before will have succumbed to the conditions and will feel aggrieved to be held ‘at fault’ for accidents that wouldn’t have happened had it not been for the ice and snow.  Unfortunately, in terms of car accidents, insurance companies and the law pay no mind to the fact that adverse conditions may have caused your accident.  Even if you are driving within the speed limit and cause an accident you are deemed to not have driven ‘as conditions dictate’ and will be found liable. The law is not much more forgiving for pedestrians who are injured as a result of falling on ice. There is unlikely to be any liability in a case where someone falls on ice so long as the accident was due only to the ice.  The law does not regard the natural accumulation of snow and ice as an actionable defect.  Simply, there is no liability in cases caused purely by natural conditions. Local Councils have a broad obligation to maintain the roads but there is no particular requirement for them to grit roads or pavements to any particular standard or frequency. The exemption that applies to Councils does not extend to private landowners. Thus, for example, in a private complex, the company could find itself liable for problems arising from a failure to clear ice and snow. In circumstances where the ice may have formed due to man-made defects such as a faulty gutter, or where the snow has been transformed or moved into an unnatural hazard then liability may attach.