Building Site Accident Claims

Reconstruct your life after a building site injury

If you have had an accident on a building site, it is important to know when you should claim, what you can claim for and who exactly is entitled to compensation. You can only claim compensation for a building site accident if you are an employee, a contractor, self employed or a visitor. You can claim if you have an accident overseas.

Your employer is responsible for your safety, so on a building site it is their duty to properly train you and provide you with any protection and equipment that is necessary. As a contractor, you are in a similar position to an employee in the fact that your employer is responsible and should provide any necessary safety equipment. The same can be said if you are self-employed - the company has control of your working environment so they have the same duties.

It is important to know that you do not have to be working to be entitled to compensation, and in fact there are cases where visitors or even trespassers have had an accident and are entitled to compensation. If you are visiting the site with permission, you should be protected from having an accident. With a rare case of a trespasser entering the site and having an accident, they still may be able to claim compensation. For example, if a child wished to enter the site, found a hole in the fence and had an accident, it would be the responsibility of the employer to ensure the fence is sealed off in the fist place.

If you have an accident overseas you can still claim compensation. Depending where you are, you can claim according to that country's compensation scheme.