If you have been injured while working on a construction site, you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim* against your employer for compensation. 

An employer owes employees a duty of care. If the employer breaches their duty of care and the employee suffers an injury, they may have a workplace injury claim*. 

Injury on a construction site could happen when you get a nail through the foot, fall from a height, or you get hit by an object dropped from a scaffolding. You may suffer a severe injury in a construction site accident that could have you off work, facing large medical bills and needing full-time care for life.

PBN Litigation Solicitors in Dublin have the experience to handle your construction site claim and get you the compensation you deserve.

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What is a workplace accident in Ireland?

A workplace accident in Ireland is an accident that happens anywhere you are at work for an employer. Your employer owes you a duty of care when you are at work for them, and if you suffer an injury due to a breach of that duty of care, it could be a workplace accident claim.

Some of the places of work where you could suffer a workplace accident:

  • In the factory
  • At the warehouse
  • In a retail centre
  • When in the company van
  • At the office
  • On contract work
  • In a restaurant kitchen
  • On a construction site

The Health and Safety Authority, HSA, report there are more than 9,000 non-fatal workplace accidents per annum. There are more than 370 non-fatal accidents per 100,000 employees annually in Ireland. In the construction industry, 832 non-fatal injury accidents were reported in 2023. Most workplace accidents affect employees, with trainees and the self-employed being the next highest groupings. 

If you suffer a construction site injury, you could have a workplace accident injury claim*.

PBN Litigation Solicitors can make your workplace accident claim against those at fault for your construction site injury.

PBN solicitors work with you to get the compensation you deserve.

We pride ourselves in taking the stress out of personal injury litigation by providing a service dedicated to the client.

Common claims for a construction site injury

Common claims for a construction site injury range from the broken limb in a fall from a height to the back injury in a manual handling accident when unloading a truck at work.

The common claims are for the injury that may impact your life, your ability to work and the reduction of income to the home.

Some of the common claims for a construction site injury:

  • Using tools and equipment without receiving training injury claims*
  • Working without any supplied PPE in construction site injury claims*
  • Fall from a height construction site injury claims*
  • Lifting at work construction site injury claims*
  • Slips, trips, and falls construction site injury claims*

Using tools and equipment without receiving training injury claims*

Using tools and equipment without receiving training on a construction site can lead to many types of injuries and subsequent compensation claims*. 

Your employer can only ask you to work with tools and equipment when you have the proper training in its use.

An employer cannot threaten you with dismissal because you do not know how to use a power drill, cement mixer, a mechanical digger or similar types of tools and equipment used on a construction site.

You could have a compensation claim* if you are injured using equipment at work without the required training.

Working without any supplied PPE in construction site injury claims*

Working without any supplied PPE in construction site injury claims* can lead to an injury or a long-term illness due to exposure to dangerous chemicals and substances.

PPE such as face masks, eye safety goggles, gloves and hard hats should be standard issue on a construction site. Your employer should supply the PPE and instruct you how to use it.

Injuries that may happen due to a lack of PPE on a construction site:

  • Grit in the eye doing damage to the cornea
  • Burn injuries to the hands when handling cement without gloves
  • Lung damage from inhaling asbestos or similar substances

You could have a construction site claim for an injury due to insufficient PPE on a construction site.

Fall from a height construction site injury claims*

Fall from a height construction site injury claims* can happen on house repair projects or the multi-story office building works you see in cities throughout Ireland.

A fall from a height can lead to broken limbs, back injuries, head, neck and shoulder injuries and, in some cases, the death of an employee.

Types of fall from a height accidents on construction sites can be:

  • Falls from a scaffolding not built correctly
  • Falls through an upstairs floor on a demolition site
  • Falls from a ladder or cherry picker on an outside repair contract

A personal injury solicitor can look at your case and help form a construction site injury claim*.

Lifting at work construction site injury claims*

Lifting at work construction site injury claims* can follow cases where employees have not received adequate training or have not been supplied with lifting equipment when moving goods.

The construction site is a workplace of heavy lifting and shifting of rubble, equipment and materials when needed. If you are asked to lift or move an object on a construction site, it can only be done after you have been given lifting equipment and full training.

Injuries seen in lifting at work accidents on construction sites:

  • A back injury from lifting blocks
  • Shoulder injuries from moving rubble
  • Repetitive Strain Injury, RSI, from doing the same tasks without a break

PBN Litigation Solicitors can help with your lifting at work construction site injury claim*.

Slips, trips, and falls construction site injury claims*

Slips, trips and falls construction site injury claims* are very common on building sites as they are places with many hazards, half-built rooms and workplaces exposed to the weather.

Construction site employees can suffer:

  • A broken leg in a slip on a wet floor of a newly built house
  • Facial cuts and bruises in a trip over loose cables
  • A cracked skull in a fall down a temporary set of stairs

Your injuries in a slip, trip and fall accident can be permanent or could clear after a few months.

After a slip, trip and fall accident you may have medical bills, physiotherapy bills and consultant fees to pay. The costs can mount up quickly and add to your worries when you cannot work.

PBN Litigation Solicitors have the experience of personal injury claims* to help you make a successful compensation claim* after a construction site accident.

Contact PBN solicitors today for all your personal injury compensation needs.

Compensation for a construction site injury claim*

Compensation for a construction site injury in Ireland depends on the extent of the injury and the effects of the workplace accident on your life today and in the future.

A construction site injury like a broken arm in a fall from a ladder could have you off work and unable to drive for a time. The back injury in a trip over rubble on the construction site may see you spending time in hospital and paying for expensive physiotherapy sessions.

Medical bills add up, and being off work will affect your income, and you could even face difficulties getting back to work with a similar wage in the future.

There is not one fixed compensation claim* for a construction site injury. Your costs could become very high, and you make the compensation claim* to cover your expenses and other financial effects on your life.

You can claim personal injury compensation to cover the costs of medical treatment, the loss of income, and paying for care. 

A personal injury solicitor can only give you an idea of what is possible in a construction site injury claim* for compensation.

PBN Litigation Solicitors can explain how the process works and how your personal injury claim* will combine two types of damages.

Damages in a construction site compensation claim*

Damages in a construction site compensation claim* are a combination of:

General Damages in a construction site injury claim* are compensation for the effects of an employer’s breach of duty of care, leading to an accident on a construction site.

You can claim general damages for the unnecessary pain and discomfort from a back injury, broken leg, torn muscles, and any other injury you pick up while working on a construction site.

General Damages may be claimed where the injuries cause pain and inconvenience and affect the injured person’s ability to exercise, drive, play sports and other activities.

Special Damages in a construction site injury claim* are for the financial effects on your life due to the employer’s lack of duty of care. 

You may be able to claim for the lack of training, the failure to implement health and safety on the construction site, and for not making the correct PPE available, which led to your injury and any financial losses that result.

With Special Damages, you can claim for: 

  • The loss of earnings
  • Care costs today and in the future 
  • Out-of-pocket expenses such as travel, medical appointments, further treatment 

Special Damages are for the financial effects of a loss of income after the injury when you cannot work for a long time or may even need to change your employment.

You may claim Special Damages to offset the financial costs so you will not be out of pocket due to the actions of others. 

A compensation claim* will help you get what is needed to maintain a similar quality of life as before the construction site injury impacted your life. 

Your PBN Litigation solicitor can guide you on what to expect in compensation and how to make a claim for the negligence leading to your construction site injury.

The two types of damages consider the effects of the injury on your life today and in the future.

Who is at fault for a construction site injury in Ireland?

The employer may be at fault for a construction site injury in Ireland. Your employer has to provide a safe workplace and ensure that all employees work in approved conditions.

There are many areas on a construction site where accidents can happen. A scaffolding may collapse, or an unsupported wall could fall to the ground without warning. Employees can fall over rubble or be injured using tools and equipment without adequate training.

Under Irish employment law, employers have a duty of care to protect employees while at work. A breach of their duty of care could lead to an accident and see an employee suffering an injury.

If you are injured while at work on a construction site, you could have a construction site injury claim*.

What if I was partially at fault for the construction site accident?

If you were partially at fault for the construction site accident in Ireland, you may still have a valid compensation claim* for workplace injury. You may share some of the responsibility but not all of it for your injury.

In Ireland, we have the legal term of Contributory Negligence. Contributory negligence refers to how much responsibility you share for the injury in an accident. You could be 45% responsible for your construction site injury, but your employer will still be 55% responsible for it.

Types of contributory negligence in construction site injury claims*:

  • Injury in a fall from a height when not wearing supplied safety equipment
  • Injury when clearing rubble without using the mechanical digger
  • Injury when hit by a truck on site when not wearing a hi-vis jacket

You may be partially responsible for the accident, but your employer may share some of the blame for not giving you adequate training or not having a fully-trained supervisor on site when you are working.

In a case of Contributory Negligence, the two parties may agree on an acceptable level of blame and the amount of compensation is decreased by the percentage agreed.

If the employee is 65% to blame, then the compensation due to them is reduced by 65% in the final agreement.

PBN Litigation Solicitors can help explain and deal with your case of contributory negligence in a construction site injury claim*.

The Health and Safety at Work Act (2015)

The Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) outlines an employer’s duty of care to employees in the workplace. It also outlines an employee’s responsibilities and how to behave when at work.

The employer has a responsibility to employees under the Health and Safety Act to:

  • Provide a safe place of work for all employees
  • Provide suitable and properly maintained equipment and machinery
  • Provide suitable breaks and rest periods throughout the working day
  • Not put employees at risk in the workplace from chemicals and equipment
  • Provide full training on health and safety to employees
  • Provide adequate PPE to all employees
  • Provide a trained safety officer in the workplace
  • Provide a full risk assessment for all procedures and equipment

If an employer does not carry out their duties under the Health and Safety Act, it may be seen as a breach of duty of care to employees.

When a breach of their duty of care causes an accident in the workplace, and you are injured, you may have a workplace accident compensation claim*.

PBN Litigation Solicitors can make your workplace accident claim in Ireland and help get you the compensation you deserve.

How to make a construction site injury claim* in Ireland

There are a few steps to follow when you make a construction site injury claim* in Ireland. 

Making any workplace injury claim* may seem daunting, but with the help of a personal injury solicitor, you can navigate your way through what could be a complex process. 

The steps to follow when making a construction site injury claim* in Ireland are:  

You should engage a personal injury solicitor as soon as possible to further your accident compensation claim*. The Team at PBN Litigation Solicitors can advise on your case and how it could proceed.

With our no-obligation consultation, we can meet with you in confidence and advise you on the strengths of your case. 

To investigate your case, we will request an initial medical report from your doctor to outline the injuries you sustained in the accident on the construction site. 

Updated reports with a final prognosis from your doctors will be taken up before your case is settled. 

We will help investigate your case by taking witness statements or making Data Access requests for CCTV footage/personnel files. 

Submission of the workplace injury claim* to the Personal Injury Assessment Board will follow. Upon receipt of your medical report from your doctor, we will submit the claim to the PIAB.  

The PIAB will contact the negligent party and their insurers. The negligent party has 90 days to confirm to the PIAB whether they will consent to the PIAB assessing the case or decline to permit the PIAB to assess the case.  

If they agree to permit the board to assess the case, PIAB has nine months to do so. The PIAB can also extend this period if they wish to do so by a number of months.

Within the nine-month period, you will be sent for an independent assessment by an independent injuries board doctor.  

The PIAB will issue a Letter of Assessment to you and to the negligent party. In the letter, they will outline what compensation you are due for the personal injury. 

If you and the negligent party agree to the Letter of Assessment, the PIAB issues an Order to Pay, where the negligent party must pay the compensation payment to you by a specific date. 

Unfortunately, you may need to go to court if the negligent party denies responsibility for the workplace injury or the two sides cannot agree on an acceptable level of compensation. 

Going to court may be the final step in resolving your workplace injury case. Your solicitor will take over the running of your case from the PIAB when court becomes the only option. 

Your solicitor will issue the court proceedings and advise you along every step of what can be a difficult process for you and the family. 

Court proceedings can be protracted, and you will need experience and expertise on your side when in the courtroom. 

In some cases, a claim is settled on the steps of the court when the negligent party meets the person who suffered the personal injury. 

PBN Litigation Solicitors will be with you along every step of your construction site injury compensation claim*.

Start your Construction Site Injury claim* Today

Start your construction site injury claim* today by contacting PBN Litigation Solicitors. 

If you have suffered from a slip, trip, or fall when renovating an apartment, have a back injury from shifting rubble or a lung injury from inhaling dust in a demolition project, then PBN Litigation Solicitors have the experience and expertise to manage your compensation claim*. 

You, the client, are the one injured and in recovery. The last thing you should have to worry about is dealing with the PIAB or the courts when recovering from a workplace injury. 

PBN Litigation Solicitors can take on your case and work with you to get the compensation you deserve. 

We pride ourselves in taking the stress out of personal injury litigation by providing a service dedicated to the client. 

Contact PBN Litigation Solicitors today for all your construction site injury compensation needs.