People whose jobs involve working with machinery, tools or objects that have sharp edges are at risk of suffering a cutting or severing injury. Workers in the agriculture, engineering, construction and woodworking industries are particularly at risk. The injuries vary widely in severity, from minor cuts caused by cleaning up sharp scraps of sheet metal, to the severing of hands or arms or legs, with the latter type of injury most predominant among those who use cutting apparatus. Treatment varies widely too. Most minor cuts can be treated at home but cuts that are more extensive, where the bleeding cannot be stopped or where a foreign body may still be in the wound, should be dealt with at A & E. Cases of traumatic amputation, or partial amputation, will always be dealt with by the emergency services. In some cases, the severed part can be reattached.
Amputation injury claims
In cases where a cutting or severing injury has caused extensive damage, it may be necessary for the injured person to undergo a surgical amputation procedure. Such an eventuality may arise as a result of a car accident, work accident or incident of medical negligence.
In other cases the severing may occur as a result of a traumatic accident – this situation most frequently arises as a result of a road traffic accident or in an incident in the workplace involving machinery.
Machinery accidents in the workplace
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), over the four-year period from 2015/16 to 2019/20, 8% of all fatal injuries to workers resulted from accidents involving contact with moving machinery. Inadequate safety guards on machines account for around 40,000 injuries a year.
Thompsons Solicitors
If you have been injured at work you might be entitled to compensation. Give us a call on 0800 0891331 to discuss your options. There is no obligation to go ahead with a claim and, in most cases, a No Win No Fee funding arrangement is available if you wish to take matters further.
Thompsons Solicitors is the leading personal injury firm in Scotland, so you can rest assured that your case will be in safe and experienced hands.
