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Following Jan Szczepanski's comments that overseas workers are boosting the economy, Ian Bailey, one of Leeds' leading Personal Injury lawyers has warned that despite this, employers should be aware that overseas workers are more likely to be the victims of negligent working practices.

Jan Szczepanski, managing partner in the West Yorkshire based chartered accountancy practice, Sanders Geeson has recently stated that the influx of skilled migrant workers is providing significant advantages to UK businesses. However Ian Bailey, a partner at Leeds based law firm, Irwin Mitchell has expressed some caution.

Bailey, who has already pursued a number of workplace accident claimson behalf of seriously injured workers from the former Eastern Europe said "local employers need to be made aware that whilst they may believe that such workers can help to manage their labour costs, their health and safety obligations are the same whether the worker is from Leeds or Latvia. Employers need to ensure that their employees are adequately trained and that proper information has been given to employees about risks to their health. Of course, sometimes language difficulties can be an issue, but is the employer's responsibility to ensure that the employee is capable."

Bailey added, "Based on my own experience, I think it is safe to say that the Health & Safety Executive will be looking very closely at safety issues for foreign workers who are injured at work. I have already seen prosecutions of local employers following shocking breaches of health and safety where my clients from Eastern Europe have been very seriously injured."

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