Can you help me to answer few question in regards to

Just to make it a little bit more clear I will tell you a bit more about the whole picture. We are a small road haulage limited company employing freelance drivers (who are also limited companies) to drive for us using our vehicles (partly rented and partly owned - so they undergo periodical inspections according to law regulations). One of our drivers, when on duty unloading the load using pump truck (owned by our customer we deliver goods to), came too close to the edge of the trailer and slipped and fall outside the trailer and broke his wrist. The surface wasn’t wet, there were no obstacles, trailer was inspected with no problems. The accident was recorded on cctv at the site of the accident. Our driver did this job for 2 months at that moment - same shift every day and was aware how all worked. He had a day assessment, the day he started, made by company's director, who drove with him all day showing and explaining all loading, unloading, safety procedures, but we didn’t get him to sign anything and he makes the claim based on lack of assessment (which was done but not on paper). We can get a tacho report showing that he drove that day and then the director. He as a limited company should have public liability insurance but he didn’t purchase one so at the time of the accident he didn’t have insurance as such. My question is how would that lawsuit work if he is our subcontractor? Can he do that? And what are the consequence for us if its proved that the assessment was needed? We as a ltd company have got a public limited insurance as well as employers liability insurance although we don’t have full time employees but use freelance drivers. And also when employing drivers who we assume have cpc qualification so they are aware of all health and safety regulation – do we need to sign a risk assessment with them when they start work and also if they work for us are they treated as our employees so they are under our employers liability insurance? Or do they need any specific insurance for their own sake? Im not clear on that. thank you for your help on that.

thank you , and just to add. he is off from work for 1month a quarter now. he was to come back to us on 1st of August which we made clear. but in these circumstances if he is suing us - can he come back as he is a party in the case now. what would your advise on this be?

thank you for your answer. i will make sure that all our drivers have got public liablity insurance valid, will do risk assement on paper. thank you again, will definately click 5 stars for you. and my follow up questions are: can he work for us again from 1st of August with the claim going on from the law and regulation perspective I mean?
thank you again
Julie