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Employers warned over social networking sites
Employers should avoid using social networking sites including Facebook and Myspace to vet job candidates as it could leave them vulnerable to discrimination claims, the Law Society has warned.
John Morris, chair of the Law Society’s..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Maclaren responds to finger injuries from buggies
Maclaren, the manufacturer of children’s buggies and strollers, has said that has ‘noticed a small increase in the number of incidents in the USA where children have trapped their finger in the hinge joint of the buggy whilst their carer..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Airline premiums continue to rise
As the airline insurance renewal season begins, the cost of lead hull and liability premium continues to rise by around 20%, according to preliminary November figures. This is according to Aon Aviation and Aerospace’s Airline Insurance Market..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Improve safety on location for film productions
Theatre, film and event production union BECTU has called on employers in the industry to improve safety on location. Staff and freelance representatives are calling on employers to improve safety on location. This fresh appeal is prompted by..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
NHS employee health and wellbeing proposals
Proposals to support employee health and wellbeing in the NHS have been welcomed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). However, the CIPD added that ‘they miss a trick by not providing any specific recommendations on..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
New medico-legal assessment system launched
UK medico-legal services provider Premex Services, has launched Vu, a facility that enables medical experts, insurers and their legal representatives to schedule medical assessments, and process and manage personal injury claims via the..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Large increase in hospital negligence claims
Awebsite aimed at people looking to pursue compensation claims has announced a ten fold increase in the number of people looking for information about making hospital negligence claims.
The increase, according to the website, Nowinnofee.co.uk,..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Policy inception and cause of action
For the purpose of accrual of a cause of action in the tort of negligence, damage which flowed from an unsecured contingent liability incurred by the claimant insurer, under after the event legal expenses insurance policies, was suffered at the time..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Materially increased risk required for claim
A claimant bringing an action in tort for exposure to asbestos dust resulting in mesothelioma was required to establish that the tortious exposure had materially increased the risk of contracting the disease.
The Court of Appeal so held, allowing..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Stop legal aid fees cuts says Law Society
Solicitors who provide legal aid services are among the worst paid in the public sector according to a recent survey. The average salary of a legal aid solicitor is £25,000, less than a prison officer or sewage plant worker. It is also well..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
NAO says Legal Services Commission overpaid solicitors
The head of the National Audit Office (NAO), the Comptroller and Auditor General, has qualified the accounts of the Legal Services Commission for 2008-09 because of overpayments made by the Commission to solicitors, estimated at almost..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
New PI partner for Berrymans Lace Mawer
Berrymans Lace Mawer has announced that Chris Fitton is joining its national professional indemnity team as a partner. He will be based at the firm’s Birmingham office. He was previously a partner at Pinsent Masons, where he was head of its..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Advice for Isle of Man directors on insurance cover
Aon and Chubb are advising Isle of Man directors that they may need to go beyond simply compliance with new Financial Services Commission (FSC) regulations on insurance to prevent gaps in cover. The two companies were speaking at an Institute of..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
UNISON survey on bullying at work
More than a third of the 7,000 workers who took part in a UNISON survey have experienced bullying in the last six months – double the number recorded in 1997. Rudeness, criticism, excessive work monitoring, intimidation, exclusion and..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Road casualty figures for Scotland
Newly-published road casualty figures for Scotland show the need for drivers and motorcyclists to consider refresher training to improve their skills, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Loss of control was the most..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Law Society calls for abolition of single renewal date
The Law Society has announced that it is planning a professional indemnity (PI) insurance shake up and will lobby the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following the decision by the Society’s Council to advocate for the abolition of a..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Campaign calls for zero exposure to lead at work
Members of the Construction Safety Campaign (CSC) have voted unanimously for the use of lead to be banned, a ban on all lead imports, and zero exposure to lead at work. The decision was taken following recent news that exposure to lead at levels way..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
ABI survey of motorists
Motorists who break the law by using a mobile phone while driving are the biggest menace on the UK’s roads, according to opinion research published by the ABI. The public also back insurers taking tougher action to expose dishonest motorists..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Physiotherapists call for employee support
Nearly 30,000 major and fatal injuries occurred in the workplace in 2007/08, and although this is an improvement on previous years, physiotherapists are concerned that the numbers remain unacceptably high. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Warning over children and sunbeds
More than one quarter of a million children aged 11-17 are risking their health by seeking a tan from sunbeds, according to Cancer Research UK researchers in a letter published in the British Medical Journal.
In England, on average, six percent of..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Self-employed construction worker deaths increase
A detailed breakdown of construction deaths for 2008/9 has revealed that the number of self-employed construction workers killed at work actually increased despite the overall number of deaths having significantly declined, according to the..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Nokia in phone charger recall
Nokia has initiated a charger exchange program, in which consumers owning certain Nokia-branded chargers manufactured by a third-party supplier are recommended to exchange these chargers for free replacements.
During a routine quality control..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Lex causae and lex fori
While the existence of a legal right to claim interest was properly to be classified as a substantive matter to be determined by reference to the lex causae, an award of interest under section 35A of the Senior Courts Act 1981, as inserted, was a..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Climate change belief is a philosophical belief
An asserted philosophical belief that mankind was heading towards catastrophic climate change and therefore people were under a moral duty to lead their lives in a manner which mitigated or avoided that catastrophe for the benefit of future..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Indirect effect of nanoparticles study
A new scientific study has concluded that medically used nanoparticles can damage the DNA of cells without crossing cellular barriers in the body. The study, published in Nature Nanotechnology, was conducted on cells grown in culture and suggests..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Conference on Claims Process Reforms
There are less than five months to go before the Claims Process Reforms come into force, and between then and now everyone involved in the personal injury, legal and insurance sector will be looking forensically at how these reforms will effect..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
D&O growth from IPO companies
An increase in the number of companies considering an initial public offering (IPO) or general capital raising is behind a surge in interest in taking out directors’ and officers’ liability and specialist transaction insurance,..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
New E&O product for lottery and gaming suppliers
Marsh has launched a new errors and omissions (E&O) insurance product for the suppliers of lottery and gaming organisations. Created by Marsh’s Financial and Professional (FINPRO) Practice in London, the product is available to clients..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
HSE report on construction injuries and ill health
A report by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), ‘Work-related injuries and ill health in construction,’ has revealed that construction has the largest number of fatal injuries of the main industry groups. In 2008/09 there were 53..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Surveyors’ PI premium rates on the increase
Surveyors face rate increases of between 10% and 100% for their professional indemnity insurance following a four-fold increase in claims notifications over the past 12 months, according to Marsh.
David Stocks, a senior vice president in the..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Disability Discrimination Act and ‘associative discrimination’
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 should be interpreted so as to prohibit discrimination against employees who, although not themselves disabled, were treated less favourably or harassed on the ground of their association with a person who was..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Claims defensibility
By Matthew Harrington, Berrymans Lace Mawer LLP, and Mark Black, QBE
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Guidance on preventing harassment in workplace
Employers, unions and the government have joined forces to promote new guidance on preventing harassment and violence in the workplace. The guidance, which follows a Europe-wide agreement between employers’ organisations and unions, aims to..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Vicks Sinex nasal spray in recall
The Procter & Gamble Company has announced that it is voluntarily recalling three lots of its Vicks Sinex nasal spray in three countries: the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The company said it is taking this precautionary step..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Unions in H&S warning over EU plans to reduce red tape
The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) has warned that EU plans to reduce red tape will affect health and safety of workers. The European Commission recently adopted an Action Programme intended to reduce information obligations on companies. The..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Society’s two-faced, hypocritical response to risk
Health and safety is such an easy target. It’s always ‘gone mad’. Tabloids are full of ‘elf and safety nightmares that turn out to be either made up, or nothing to do with health and safety rules or enforcement. Politicians..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Casualty rates could fall by 10%
Marsh is forecasting that insurance rates for casualty risks could fall by up to 10% in 2010. Tim Pritchard, Head of Placement for Marsh UK’s large corporate accounts, said that competition for good risks remained strong, with plentiful..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£300,000 compensation for mesothelioma widow
A widow has received over £300,000 compensation following the death of her husband from mesothelioma. He had been exposed to asbestos in numerous jobs throughout the 1960s and 1970s in the demolition industry and when working as a panel beater...
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£5,000 damages for ski accident
A man who suffered a knee injury when he was hit by a skier, has been awarded £5,000 in compensation. He was struck from behind by a French skier whilst on holiday in the French Alps. Under French law, the other skier was liable, and the case..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Ski crash victim wins £22,000 in compensation
A man who was hit by a skier whilst on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, has received £22,000 in compensation. Another British skier crashed into him, and he sustained significant back injuries. Liability was admitted early on. The man works..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£15,000 settlement for HAVS
A retired power station worker has received £15,000 in an out of court settlement after his hands were left permanently damaged by using vibrating tools at work. He was left with the debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS),..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£3.2mn award for brain damage from meningitis
The family of a man left severely brain damaged by a hospital trust’s failure to diagnose meningitis promptly have been awarded £3.2mn for his future care. The man developed an ear infection, which led to the meningitis. His parents took..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Injured bus driver awarded £250,000 in damages
A bus driver who was injured in a head-on collision has been awarded £250,000 in damages. An oncoming van hit the bus, injuring the driver and several passengers. His left leg was shattered below the knee. He was confined to a wheelchair for..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
QuestGates acquires Davies Group PI team
QuestGates, the leading specialist loss adjuster, has announced the acquisition of a specialist professional indemnity team from the Davies Group which it said ‘will substantially enhance its existing capability in this sector.’ The..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Botched surgery victim wins damages
A man who underwent botched surgery on his eyelids has received damages of £22,000. The surgery was to improve his baggy eyelids which restricted his vision. The procedure was only partly successful and, in fact, his vision was further..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Damages for cycling accident
An elderly man who was involved in a cycling accident, sustaining a dislocation of his left shoulder joint, has received £6,250 in compensation from his local council. He lost control after hitting a defect in the road surface. The defect..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Dangers of drink pull-rings
Three decades ago, a study revealed that drink can pull-rings (or beverage pull-tabs as they say in the US) were being swallowed by children, prompting a switch by manufacturers to stay-tabs. But a study presented at the annual meeting of the..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Injured motorcyclist wins £20,000
A motorcyclist who was injured in a road traffic accident has received £20,000 in compensation. The motorcyclist was injured when a motorist attempted a ‘U’ turn and collided with the motorcyclist. He suffered injuries to his neck..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£150,000 in compensation for car crash victim
An army officer who was seriously injured in a car crash within hours of returning from Iraq has won £150,000 in compensation, after the Ministry of Defence admitted liability. On flying back into the UK from the Middle East, a soldier had been..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Award for stairs fall victim
A man who fell down a flight of stairs after warning his employers how dangerous they were has received more than £9,000 compensation. He needed surgery on his shoulder following the fall. He was approaching the stairs down to his office when..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£115,000 compensation for mesothelioma sufferer
A mesothelioma sufferer has received £115,000 compensation decades after he was exposed to asbestos at work and diagnosed with mesothelioma. He was the driver of a skip wagon on a job refurbishing a court house in central London, working for a..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£150,000 in compensation for botched hernia operation
A man who underwent a botched hernia operation, leaving him in severe pain, has been awarded £150,000 in compensation. Immediately after the procedure he complained of severe pain, but the surgeon’s report concluded that there was no..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£600,000 in damages for RTA victim
A man who suffered serious head injuries when the car in which he was a passenger was involved in a collision with a lorry, has been awarded £600,000 in damages. He suffered trauma and pain at the time of the incident, but there are also..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£250,000 damages for head injury
An off-duty soldier who suffered serious head injuries in a fight has been awarded over £250,000 under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act scheme. He intervened when a fight broke out in a pub during the 2006 World Cup, and was violently..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Aggravated asthma settlement
A hospital worker has received a settlement of £1,800 after a council exposed him to a toxic cleaning substance for more than a year. The substance seriously aggravated his asthma. He was forced to take time off work because the council refused..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Hand injury compensation
A woman whose hand got stuck when she was moving cages full of linen out of a hospital lift has won £7,000 compensation. She got her hand stuck between the laundry cage and the lift door, when the wheels of the cage locked, as she was getting..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Brain damage at birth award
A family has received a seven figure sum in compensation after a catastrophic medical error during their daughter’s birth rendered her virtually helpless. She suffered severe brain damage during her birth after the umbilical cord became..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Settlement of £210,000 for motorbike accident
A young Polish woman who suffered orthopaedic and brain injuries following an motorbike accident has won a settlement of £210,000. The accident occurred when she was riding pillion passenger on a motorbike.
Her lawyer said that the case was..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£442,466 in compensation for harassed whistleblower
An equalities officer, who was harassed and sacked for blowing the whistle on management, has been awarded £442,466 in compensation for loss of earnings. She was forced to take a lower paid job in a call centre since she was dismissed from her..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£122,500 settlement for family of mesothelioma victim
The family of a man who died from mesothelioma has won a £122,500 settlement from his former employer, the London Strategic Health Authority. He had worked in the maintenance department of a hospital for 17 years, and his work included sawing..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Compensation for back injury at work
A man who suffered a severe back injury while at work has received more than £35,000. He suffered severe back pain within hours of lifting a heavy wheel and tyre. There was no accident book entry to prove the injury was sustained at work, and..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Compensation for holiday accident
A woman injured when a ceiling fan fell on her as she slept in her hotel bedroom, has won £6,000 in damages. She was holidaying with her partner in the Dominican Republic and was sleeping in the double bed in the hotel room, when the ceiling..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Neglected quadriplegic patient wins £100,000 in damages
A quadriplegic patient of a private medical centre who suffered injuries due to neglect, has been awarded £100,000 in compensation. The medical centre failed to turn him within his bed and move him from his chair at sufficient regular intervals..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Compensation for injured cyclist
A cyclist who was struck by a car sustaining injuries and fractures, has received a settlement of £30,000, as well as £23,000 for repayments of NHS charges. The man was retired and so there were no lost earnings. However, his solicitor..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£20,000 compensation for occupational asthma
A factory worker has received £20,000 compensation after she developed occupational asthma within weeks of being exposed to dangerous soldering fumes.
She worked for a company which makes electric generators and motors for the aerospace..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
Damages for missed foot fracture
A man who suffered a fracture to a bone in his foot, which was missed by a hospital x-ray, has received damages of £60,000. The man was injured in a road traffic accident, and at hospital a fractured knee was diagnosed. X-rays were also taken..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009
£50,000 in compensation for wrist injury
An electrician who was forced to change his career after he was left disabled following a workplace accident, has received £50,000 in compensation. He was fixing a machine and slipped on a clear residue which had accumulated underneath. He fell..
Online Published Date:
10 December 2009
Appeared in issue:
232 - 01 December 2009