Can Micro Hazards Cause Injury at Work?

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Written by Tanya Waterworth, Digital Content Writer

Guide To Micro-Hazard Work Injuries & Claiming Compensation

Many accidents at work involve risks such as defective machinery, falling objects or even slippery floors which have not been signposted, but when can micro-hazards cause injury at work and can you claim compensation for such an injury? We take a look at the small risks that employees may deal with every day at work which may not cause immediate concern, but can still lead to injury, illness or long-term health complications. Such hazards may include sharp edges, rough packaging surfaces, protruding fine wires or even repetitive movements over a prolonged period.

These kind of insignificant risks at work can be easily overlooked during workplace inspections and risk assessments. But employers in England and Wales have legal responsibilities to protect their staff from injury and micro-hazards may be easily underestimated when it comes to their potential to cause harm. For example, a tiny cut may become infected or thousands of repeated hand movements throughout the working day may eventually lead to musculoskeletal injury.

In some cases, employers may be entitled to make a personal injury claim for compensation if employer negligence was involved.

 Examples of Micro-Hazards at Work

Micro-hazards are low-level workplace dangers which may not pose a problem on an individual level and which tend to blend into the work environment. In fact, employees may even encounter them every day without realising their potential for harm. Examples can include:

• Sharp edges on cardboard boxes, shelving, packaging, or materials
• Frayed or exposed fine wires
• Small metal burrs on manufactured products
• Rough packaging materials that can scrape the skin
• Splinters from wooden pallets
• Repetitive picking, packing, scanning, or assembly work
• Poorly designed hand tools requiring repeated gripping motions
• Small protrusions on machinery or workstations

Can Minor Cuts Become Serious Workplace Injuries?

Many people dismiss minor cuts and scratches as something that ‘just happens’ during the working day, but even a small wound can lead to a larger injury, such as bacteria entering the wound causing an infection to develop. If such a cut becomes severely infected, it may require antibiotics, hospital treatment and time away from work. Employers should know,or reasonably should have known, about any recurring source of cuts for employees and taken steps to address it. Work environments which may potentially present this type of risk include:

• Warehouses
• Manufacturing facilities
• Construction sites
• Waste management operations
• Food processing environments
• Healthcare settings

The Link Between Micro-Hazards and Repetitive Strain Injuries

Micro-hazards are not limited to cuts and abrasions and can also contribute to repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). When it comes to RSI’s, the focus is often on workstation ergonomics or intensive keyboard use. But highly repetitive, low force actions carried out thousands of times a day may present a micro-hazard which can be behind developing such an injury over time, such as:

• Repeated barcode scanning
• Picking products from shelves
• Packaging goods
• Continuous sorting tasks
• Fine assembly work
• Frequent gripping, twisting, or pinching movements

It’s worth remembering that a single movement rarely causes injury, but the cumulative effect of repeating the same action day in and day out may be one of the most overlooked types of workplace injuries. This is because employees may fail to notice the impact until symptoms such as pain or weakness start to affect their daily tasks and activities. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a comprehensive guide on RSI’s in the workplace.

Why Employers Sometimes Miss Micro-Hazards

Employers understandably prioritise major safety risks, but a workplace that records dozens of cuts every month should regard this as a red flag to take action and not just see such incidents as a normal part of daily operations. This would apply to any repeated complaints about hand pain, wrist discomfort or repetitive tasks which may indicate an underlying risk which requires intervention.

Micro-hazards may often go unnoticed because:

• Staff have become accustomed to them
• Minor injuries may go unreported
• Employers view individual incidents as insignificant
• Risk assessments focus primarily on major accidents
• Near misses are not properly investigated

When Can Micro-Hazards Amount to Employer Negligence?

Not every workplace injury results from negligence and employers are not expected to deal with every conceivable risk. But they should pay attention to a pattern of similar injuries when multiple workers are experiencing the same issue. Therefore, it may be regarded as employer negligence when they fail to take reasonable steps to protect their employees from foreseeable harm, such as:

• Ignoring reports of workers getting cuts from the same packaging materials
• Failing to remove sharp edges from workstations
• Allowing damaged equipment with exposed wires to remain in use
• Neglecting to provide suitable protective gloves
• Failing to rotate staff performing highly repetitive tasks
• Ignoring employee complaints regarding hand, wrist, or arm pain
• Conducting inadequate or outdated risk assessments

What Legislation Applies to Workplace Micro-Hazards?

Several pieces of UK legislation may apply when a worker suffers injury because a micro-hazard was not properly managed.

1. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 forms the foundation of workplace health and safety law in Great Britain. Under this Act, employers must take reasonably practicable steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees. This duty extends to identifying and controlling both major and minor workplace risks.

2. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

These regulations require employers to undertake suitable and sufficient risk assessments, so where repetitive tasks, sharp materials, or recurring minor injuries exist, employers should assess the risks and implement appropriate control measures.

3. COSHH Regulations

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) may become relevant if an employee’s injury involves exposure to biological hazards or contaminated substances. For example if an employer gets a minor cut but then is exposed to contaminated materials, waste products, bodily fluids, chemicals or infectious substances. COSHH would not apply to every minor cut however, it may only become relevant if the contamination or hazardous material contribute to the employee’s infection or illness.

When Should You Contact a Personal Injury Solicitor?

Many employees assume a cut, infection, or repetitive strain issue is simply too minor to make a personal injury claim for compensation, but this is not always accurate. Speaking to a personal injury solicitor may be worthwhile if:

• Your injury required medical treatment
• You developed an infection following a workplace cut
• You lost earnings because of the injury
• Symptoms have caused lasting pain or disability
• The employer had prior knowledge of the risk
• Other employees suffered similar injuries
• The accident could have been prevented through better safety measures

As a claims management company, we partner with experienced work injury solicitors who offer a free, no-obligation consultation to assess whether you may have a valid claim and whether there is evidence that your employer breached their duty of care.

What To Do Next?

Employers have a legal duty to identify foreseeable risks and take reasonable steps to control them. When they fail to do so, workers can suffer preventable injuries ranging from infected cuts to debilitating musculoskeletal conditions. So, if you’ve developed an injury because workplace micro-hazards were ignored, getting legal advice can help you understand whether your employer’s failures amount to negligence and whether you may be entitled to pursue compensation.

Our team can guide you through the process and advise you in confidence regarding a potential claim. We work with experienced lawyers who operate on a ‘No Win, No Fee’ basis.

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