Injuries within factory environments happen frequently, and all too often, the employer is to blame. Factory injuries are especially commonplace on production lines and involve untrained, temporary workers whose job duties change day by day.

If you have been injured in a factory accident, speak to an experienced, specialist injury solicitor about your options. At Graham Coffey & Co, we offer a team of solicitors dedicated to helping people injured in accidents at work, and we have many years of experience in this speciality area.

The types of injury claims we handle for factory workers

1. Defective or poorly maintained machinery: When factory machinery malfunctions, often, the underlying cause involves inadequate maintenance checks and inspection procedures.
2. Ineffective safety controls/missing guards: Most machinery should incorporate a safety shutdown to help limit or prevent injury, and guards should be in place near fast moving parts such as blades to protect careless use.
3. Poor access routes: Accidents occur when employees trip over poorly stored materials, cables and other items in walkways that should be clear.
4. Slipping/slip and fall: Liquids such as oil and chemicals can leak from machines and from storage. Poor inspection and cleaning procedures can lead to dangerous accidents.
5. Lack of protective equipment: Employers must provide factory workers with proper equipment and clothing to conduct their job duties such as gloves, goggles, steel-capped boots and non-slip footwear.
6. Lack of training/unsafe system of work: Employers are required to train employees to work safely and to recognise potential dangers in their work environments.
7. Heavy lifting: Unfortunately, many employers pressure factory workers to move heavy items quickly, without assistance and without proper training.
8. Working at height: Employees working at heights must be provided with the most appropriate equipment for the job such as a fixed or moveable scaffold, rather than a ladder.
9. Trainee/Youth Training Scheme (YTS) injuries: Employers are responsible for protecting trainees and visitors to factory sites. Those who are unfamiliar with the factory's work systems are at an increased risk for injury. Often, they receive minimal training and are inadequately clothed. Our solicitors obtained compensation for a YTS appointment after he slipped on leaking oil.
10. Falling objects: When people are working at heights in a factory, there must be a safe way to transport equipment and materials to reduce the risk for items being dropped on other employees. Additionally, employers should assess whether storing materials at a height is appropriate and safe.
11. Poor ventilation: Prevention of poor air quality in factories is essential. And, when chemical fumes are present, it is not simply a question of ensuring proper ventilation. The employer must also consider the choice of chemical, the effect of prolonged exposure and how to keep employees safe when handling the chemical.

Visit What's My Claim Worth? and our Work Accident FAQs to learn more about making an injury claim after a factory accident.

Factory Accident Case Study

At Graham Coffey & Co, our Manchester factory accident solicitors obtained £7,000 for a Mr. H. after he placed his hand into a fast moving fan. Even though our client was a very experienced and trained engineer, the machine in question was new and Mr. H. had not been trained to work on it. Additionally, the fan on the machine was not guarded.