October is eye injury prevention month, a worldwide campaign to raise awareness and spread information about common eye injuries and how to prevent them.
Every year nearly 2,000 people suffer from work-related eye injuries. The majority of these injuries are accidental but preventable.
Common Eye Injuries at Work
The most common eye injuries at work are usually caused by foreign objects becoming lodged in the eyes. This could be in the form of metal particles, stone, gravel, glass, sand, boiling water, oil, or hazardous chemicals in liquid or gas form.
Other eye injuries can be caused by blunt force trauma to the area from something heavy or sharp.
The eye is a highly delicate organ and any injury or damage can have a devastating and long-term impact on a person’s life. As a personal injury and clinical negligence solicitor, I have met many people whose lives have been changed considerably as a result of an accident caused by the negligence of an employer in a hazardous workplace.
How to Prevent Eye Injuries at Work
Your employer owes you a duty of care as their employee. If you are working with hazardous materials or machinery, eye protection or full headgear may be required as well as health and safety briefings. If you are not provided with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) or given a safety briefing before commencing work and an accident occurs, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
What to Do If You Have Suffered an Eye Injury at Work
While almost all eye injuries are preventable, accidents do unfortunately still happen. If you have suffered an injury to your eye at work, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention and ensure that the accident is logged with your employer. In the first instance, you may seek assistance from a first aider but, due to the nature of eye injuries, it will probably be necessary to attend your local A&E or emergency eye doctor for a proper examination to ensure no further damage is done.
Once the extent of your injuries has been established and your accident has been logged with your employer, if the accident was caused by the negligence of your employer, you may wish to seek compensation for any losses you have suffered. These losses could be in the form of loss of earnings, travel expenses, or care and medication costs, or could be for the pain and suffering you experienced. It is important to seek advise from a legal professional who specialises in personal injury claims at the earliest opportunity. They will be able to advise you on the next steps to take and support you throughout your claim.
Personal Injury Solicitors at Farleys
We have a team of personal injury specialists at Farleys with extensive experience of assisting clients with eye injury related accident at work claims. We understand that the process can be daunting and will be on hand to assist you with friendly, down to earth advice. For a free, no obligation assessment of your claim, please call us on 0845 287 0939, contact us by email, or use the online chat below.
