If you have sustained serious injury in an agricultural accident, Thompsons Solicitors' farm accident compensation team in Scotland can help you secure the maximum possible settlement for your pain, injury, losses and expenses.
We have offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Peebles and Galashiels and can, if necessary, come to you wherever you are in Scotland in order to help you pursue your claim.
Provided your accident or injury diagnosis occurred within the last three years it may be possible for you to claim. For information and advice, including how you may be able to proceed under a No Win No Fee agreement, call our personal injury lawyers today on 0800 0891 331.
Agriculture, a dangerous business
There is no doubt that farming contributes a disproportionate number of workplace accidents in Scotland and Britain. For example, although the industry accounts for only 1.8% of the British workforce, it is responsible for nearly 20% of reported fatal injuries each year.
There are many reasons for this, from poor safety training, unsuitable personal protective equipment and inadequate risk assessments to recklessness on the part of employers. Whatever the case, there is still an unacceptable number of farm accidents in Scotland, with lifting and handling accidents, falls from heights, incidents involving vehicles and machinery and incidents involving hazardous substances the chief sources of major injury.
Life-saving partnerships
In 2014 a new and potentially life-saving group, the Farm Safety Partnership, was announced with a view to reducing the unacceptable numbers of workers killed or seriously injured while working on Scotland's farms each year.
The move came as a response to Health and Safety statistics which showed that over the preceding ten years, nearly 80 people had been killed as a result of accidents on Scottish farms. This figure included 13 people who had been killed working at height, 26 killed in incidents involving farm vehicles, six in incidents involving machinery and nine in accidents involving livestock.
"The high rate of deaths in the farming sector underlines the industry's poor record of managing risks. Every year too many people are needlessly killed and injured on farms in Scotland. This Partnership is a massive step forward in the industry working to tackle the issues and creating a safer future," commented Rick Brunt, Head of Agriculture at the Health and Safety Executive.
Farm accident claim solicitors in Scotland
If you have been involved in a farming accident in the last three years that was not your fault, speak with our farm accident compensation lawyers in Scotland today on 0800 0891 331 so that we can assess your claim and help you receive the compensation you deserve.