When you go to work, you expect that there will be adequate facilities in place to help to keep you safe, whatever your job role is. If you work in a factory around heavy machinery, it is even more important that there are health and safety procedures in place to prevent you from being injured. When these procedures are not sufficient, or when they are not followed correctly, accidents can easily occur.

If you have suffered an injury at your factory workplace, you may want to find out more about factory injury claims. These claims can help you to get compensation for your injury as well as for loss of earnings. Here are a few of the types of incidents which may be covered by factory injury claims.

Deafness

Exposure to loud noises can seriously affect your hearing, leaving you deaf or with a hearing impairment. If you work in an environment where heavy machinery is constantly running, then there is a chance that this machinery could be having a negative effect on your hearing. Your employer should take adequate steps to mitigate this risk, such as providing you with ear protection for when you are on the factory floor.

If you believe that your hearing problems may have been caused by your employer failing to provide you with adequate aural protection, or by failing to warn you of the dangers of not wearing protection, then you may be able to make a claim.

Blindness or other visual impairments

In the same way that deafness can be caused by exposure to loud noises, visual issues can be caused by exposure to bright lights or foreign objects coming into contact with your eyes. Many pieces of machinery require handlers to wear goggles, because they can produce debris which may be thrown up towards the face. If this debris (or spark) comes into contact with the eye it can cause scratches, cuts, or worse.

If you work in an area of the factory where bright sparks are likely to be produced, then you need to be given special goggles which have a tint to them. This will help to protect your retinas from the intense light which is produced whilst also preventing the sparks from burning your eyes.

Lacerations and open wounds

Coming into contact with any fast moving piece of machinery is likely to cause scratches, lacerations or other types of open wound, because the friction produced is likely to take the skin off, at the very least. In worst case scenarios, the contact may result in a part of the victim’s body being severed. All factory workers should be given training so they know which areas of the machine can be touched safely, and which areas cannot be touched unless the machinery is completely shut down. Personal protective equipment such as thick gloves can help to less the injury in some cases.

Crushing injuries

Another common type of factory injury is a crush injury. These occur when a body part or parts become trapped between two components under high pressure. These types of injuries often occur when workers do not follow correct procedures when machinery jams or malfunctions. For example, if a piece of material became trapped and caused the machinery to jam, a worker is likely to get their hand trapped if they reach down to free the material and the machine suddenly starts moving again. Proper safety procedures would require a full shut down in these scenarios, however many factory owners are keen to avoid this, as shutting down and restarting can cost them a lot of money. This often means that factory workers are put at risk.

Electrocution

Electrocution can occur because of poorly maintained machines, because workers have not been properly trained on how to use the machinery, or because they are asked to perform a task that requires an electrician, even though they do not have any electrical training. In some cases, electrocution can be fatal. In many electrocution cases, the victim suffers from serious health consequences, including severe burns, organ failure and brain damage. If you have been electrocuted whilst you are at work, then you may be able to bring a factory injury claim against your employer.