Personal Injuries Assessment Board changes name and launches mediation service

The Personal Injuries Assessment Board has changed its name to the Injuries Resolution Board following the expansion of its services to include mediation.

The new mediation service, which gets under way on Thursday, means claimants and respondents can opt for mediation as a method of resolving claims arising from workplace accidents.

The board said the value of awards for employer liability over the past four years stands at €86 million, and added there is “huge potential to reduce the costs and time and get quicker resolution” to these claims through mediation.

Mediation will allow parties to a claim to explore a broader range of issues such as liability, the nature of the injuries sustained and required future treatments.

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It will be rolled out to all other categories of claims over the course of 2024, including public liability and motor liability.

The Injuries Resolution Board also published an analysis of employer liability claims and awards from 2019 to 2022 which showed a 38 per cent reduction in claims in this area since 2019.

The most significant decrease was in cafes, hotels and restaurants (63 per cent), while there was a 46 per cent decrease in shops and stores.

Just under €3 million in personal injury compensation was awarded for workplace injuries sustained in healthcare settings in 2022.

While more than a third of accidents in this setting were caused by slips, trips and falls (35 per cent), the proportion of injuries sustained due to assault by bodily force (18 per cent) and needle stick injuries (13 per cent) were high.

Close to half of workers injured in healthcare settings in 2022 were healthcare assistants, nurses or social care workers.

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