Due to the dangerous nature of farming, injuries are a frequent hazard and there are many, many regulations in place to ensure that a farmer or employer assesses the risk of every job on the farm, and provides training, supervision and protection for those he employs to do these tasks. Some potential injuries, however, are often overlooked, as they are not physical injuries that can be the result of an accident but occupational illnesses brought on by the inhalation of biologic dusts, proximity to infected animals or working with vibrating or noisy machinery for long periods of time. Where an employer has failed to provide a safe working environment, and you suffer an injury or illness because of his negligence, you are entitled to claim for farm worker injury compensation.
Whatever type of injury you sustain from working on a farm, your first concern should be for your health. In most serious physical workplace accidents, an ambulance would be called or you would know to visit the accident and emergency department of your local hospital. But when you have a minor accident or are just feeling ill, it is still advisable to have a precautionary examination from a doctor. It is recommended that you tell him what you do for a living so that he can establish a link between your injury or illness and your occupation. Where there is evidence to suggest that your ailment has been caused by a lack of care by your employer, you should consult a solicitor about farm worker injury compensation.
Claiming Compensation for a Farm Worker Injury
Claiming compensation when you have acquired a farm worker injury is not always straightforward. Many farm workers are not “employed” – being either self-employed, subcontracted or on short-term agency contracts – and therefore your claim for farm worker injury compensation may not actually be against the farmer or person you believe is your employer. Furthermore, should your employer fail to acknowledge his negligence in causing your injury, this will mean that the Injury Board Ireland´s assessment of your application cannot be completed and the matter has to go through the courts. By using a specialist personal injury* claims solicitor to help you overcome these obstacles, you will be able to receive a fair and adequate award of compensation for your farm worker injury in an appropriate time period.
These are just two examples of the potential pitfalls that you may face when claiming compensation for a farm worker injury, and everybody has their own personal circumstances which may affect the amount of compensation that is awarded. To help establish your entitlement to claim farm worker injury compensation, and receive some helpful and impartial advice, you should call our legal claims advice helpline and discuss your case with one of our experienced solicitors. You will be able to ask any questions relating to your case and clear up any points where you may have received conflicting pieces of advice. The service is completely confidential and there is no obligation on you to proceed with a claim once you have spoken with us.
What You Can Expect When You Call
When you call our legal claims advice helpline, you will be speaking with a solicitor with many years experience of farm-related injuries and claiming compensation against negligent employers. Our first aim is to find out whether or not you have a claim for farm worker injury compensation which it is worth your while to pursue and the best way for you to go about it.
Therefore, we will ask you to tell us about how your injury was sustained, how it was diagnosed by your doctor and if you are still undergoing treatment now. If possible, we would like to know where you believe your employer was liable for your farm worker injury and what measures should have been taken to prevent it.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have relating to your claim for farm worker injury compensation, and would also like you to tell us how your injury has affected your quality of life, interaction with family and friends and future employment prospects. If there are any unique elements of your injury, or the way in which it has affected you, please let us know.
Once we have ascertained that you do have a claim for farm worker injury compensation, we should be able to advise you how long your claim should take to process, the likelihood of your success and what level of compensation we should expect you to receive. If there is any element of our advice which you do not completely understand, please ask us to repeat it to ensure that you are clear on everything.
We tend to conclude our initial conversations with a recap of what we have discussed and a summary of the options available to you. You are under no obligation to act on any of our suggestions, and many of our clients have preferred to take a few days to reflect on the advice offered and discuss their options with family and friends. We would suggest – especially in cases of industrial diseases cases – that you do not delay your decision too long unless it is time-barred.
Consequently, we suggest that you call us at the earliest possible opportunity. If it is not convenient to call right away, we also operate a call-back service you are welcome to use. Simply complete your details in the call-back box below – indicating when would be a suitable time to call – and one of friendly team will get back in touch with you.