We were instructed by a Polish national who was working for an agency in England on a six-month contract before returning to Poland. During the course of his employment he was required to undertake welding work. This involved the welding of fins to an exhaust pipe. During the course of his work the exhaust pipe was supported on the top of a work bench placing the exhaust pipe between two fork prongs. This proved to be an unsafe system of work as the tube came away from the supporting fork and fell to the floor causing injury to our client. Our client suffered a fracture of his great toe. Claims were pursued in respect of breach of Regulation 4(1) of the Provision Use at Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Regulations 10 and 13 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The client returned to Poland before medical evidence had been obtained. It was therefore necessary for 1st Solicitors to arrange for the client to be examined by an Orthopaedic Consultant in Krakow and for the client’s medical records and X-rays to be sent to Poland. Liability was not in dispute and the claim was settled in the sum of £3,000.00 for pain and suffering. The interesting point with regard to this case is that 1st Solicitors were able to deal with the claim because of their interest in the Polish working community in England and Wales and contacts with a local translator who was able to assist in the receiving of instructions and giving advice to the client. This also involved liaising with the client over the telephone once the client had returned to Poland. The costs of those translation services were included within the costs which were paid by the employer’s insurers.

At 1st Solicitors we have now developed a scheme for representing Polish nationals who are working in England and Wales or are resident and who require the services of an English Solicitor to obtain compensation for them. We are able to provide a legal expense insurance policy to protect the client against ever having to pay the other side’s costs. We work on a “No Win No Fee” basis in respect of our own costs. We are also able to arrange a lending agreement up to £3,000.00 for the client to pay for ongoing expenses (disbursements) for the payment of for example medical report fees, copy X-rays and hospital notes, and the payment of court fees. If this is of interest please do not hesitate to contact us for further details.