Can I Claim For An Office Workplace Accident? – Advice On Making An Office Workplace Accident Claim

1. A Guide To Office Workplace Accident Claims 
2. Calculating Settlements For Office Workplace Accidents
3. How Are Special Damages Calculated?
4. What Are Office Accidents?
5. What Is Office Health And Safety?
6. Common Types Of Office Workplace Accidents 
7. Office Accident Claims – Time Limits
8. What Health And Safety Duty Of Care Do Employers Have?
9. Home Office Accident Claims
10. No Win No Fee Office Workplace Accident Claims
11. Contact Us
12. Related Services

A Guide To Office Workplace Accident Claims

Nobody likes to be injured. But if you were injured during an accident that was not your fault, and that accident happened in your place of work, you may be eligible to pursue a workplace accident claim. It’s important to note that it must be done within 3 years if you plan to do so. The time limit begins from either the date you sustained your injury or the date of knowledge. However, there are exceptions. Please call our team for more information.

In this article, we shall examine office workplace accidents, how they may happen and why you may be eligible to make a claim for compensation. In addition, we offer advice on how a claim for compensation could be calculated, and why you may need to claim for special damages as well as general damages. We look closely at why No Win No Fee solicitors may be a good option for you if you decide to use legal representation for your case. However, if there is anything you’d like to know more about, or you’re interested in general free legal advice, get in touch with our team today. We are eager to take your call.

Click Here To Learn More About Accident At Work Claims

Calculating Settlements For Office Workplace Accidents

Suppose you’ve decided to pursue an office workplace injury claim. In that case, you may be curious about how much compensation you could be owed, and your curiosity may lead you to seek out work accident claims calculators online. However, instead of producing a compensation calculator, we have decided to use the table below.

Personal injury claims are unique to the claimant. Although injuries may seem similar people deal with pain and suffering differently. Also, a claimant’s personal circumstances could be entirely different from another. This is why we recommend giving our team a call. We could take into account your injury along with your circumstances and offer a more accurate estimate.

We have provided a table containing some injuries and bracket amounts. These figures are based on recommendations made by the Judicial College Guideline:

Injury	Compensation Bracket	Notes
Moderate Brain Damage (ii)	£90,720 to £150,110	In cases where there is a modest to moderate deficit to intellect. The person's ability to work would be removed or greatly reduced, and there would be some risk of the development of epilepsy.
Minor eye injuries	£3,950 to £8,730	Exposure to smoke and fumes, being struck or splashed by liquid could be included here. The injury would cause some initial pain and vision interference.
Loss of hearing in one ear	£31,310 to £45,540	If there are issues such as headaches, tinnitus or dizziness, awards could be nearer the top end of this bracket.
Hernia (a)	£14,900 to £24,170	There would be continuing pain, and an effect on the person's ability to perform sport or work activities.
Minor neck injuries (ii)	£2,450 to £4,350	Full recovery would take place within 3 months to 1 year.
Minor back injury (i)	£7,890 to £12,510	No surgery would be required and a full recovery effected within 2-5 years. Some nuisance level symptoms could remain.
Serious hand injuries (e)	£29,000 to £61,910	The hand's function would be reduced by almost half.
Moderate leg injuries	£27,760 to £39,200	Multiple fractures or complex fractures to one limb. Awards would be calculated based on the extent of treatment, the impact on the person's employment, any muscle wasting and knee instability.

If you’d like further details on the amount of compensation you could be owed, or about how we could value your claim, give our team a call today.

How Are Special Damages Calculated?

When it comes to calculating how much your claim could be worth, there are two heads of compensation you could seek. These are known as general damages and special damages. General damages aim to cover any physical or mental anguish you sustained because of your injury.

Special damages aim to reimburse any out-of-expenses you may have incurred due to your injury. Private physiotherapy sessions, use of public transport, home adaptations, the hiring of personal care, or getting help from friends and family; these are all costs that could be won back for you.

To give yourself the best possible chance of being awarded special damages, you must have evidence. Receipts and invoices that prove exactly how much you’ve spent and why could go a long way in helping you win the maximum amount of compensation.

To discuss any of the above further or for general free legal advice, give our team a call today.

What Are Office Accidents?

An office accident is any type of accident that can happen in an office environment to put it simply. This could include:

• Being burned or electrocuted by faulty office equipment.
• Slipping, tripping or falling over wires or general hazards left on the floor and/or in walkways.
• Being hit by a heavy falling object.
• Carrying heavy items without the correct manual handling training.
• Cuts and lacerations from defective office equipment.

And many more. If you were injured by any of the above while working in an office, and you can prove it happened because your employer breached their duty of care, get in touch with us today. If you were injured during a scenario not listed above, do not fret. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to anyone wishing to know more about personal injury claims.

What Is Office Health And Safety?

Overall, offices are generally seen as low risks environments in comparison to other places of work. However, there still are many opportunities for potential risks of injury or ill-health. Latest government Health and Saftey statistics show that 693,000 people sustained an injury at work during 2019/2020, with 65,427 of those injuries being serious enough to be reported under RIDDOR.

To reduce the number of potential hazards in an office environment, an employer needs to carry out regular risk assessments. Trailing leads, space constraints, wet floors, electrical equipment; these are all physical hazards which could arise if not sufficiently monitored. There are also health hazards, such as stress and various ergonomic factors.

Office Risk Assessments

There are several ways an employer can ensure that their employers are kept reasonably safe from the risk of injury. The government’s Health and Saftey Executive provides an Office Risk Assessment Tool for guidance. When carrying out an office risk assessment, key risk issues to consider include:

• Slips, trips and falls.
• Fire safety and other emergencies.
• Manual handling.
• Display screen equipment (DSE).
• Temperature, lighting and ventilation.
• Asbestos.
• Electrical safety.
• Office chemicals.
• Stress.

The list goes on. Every employer owes a duty of care to their employees, meaning if you suffer an injury while at the office, and it was because your employer failed to carry out a generic risk assessment of all activities, they could have breached their duty of care. If this is the case, you could be owed office workplace accident compensation.

Get in touch with our team today for free legal advice, or to discuss anything you’ve read so far.

Common Types Of Office Workplace Accidents

Slips, trips or falls on the same level account for 29% of non-fatal injuries in the workplace, making them the most common type of workplace accident in Great Britain. Wires and cables left loose on the ground, spills not being sufficiently cleaned up or signposted, boxes and other objects being left in walkways; these could all be causes of a slip, trip or fall in the workplace.

Other examples of common types of office workplace accidents include:

• Work related stress – Being overworked and/or overwhelmed.
• Manual handling – Carrying heavy objects without proper training or correct PPE.
• Noise – Damage to ears due to loud, repetitive noises.
• Carpal tunnel – Overuse of computer keyboards, trackpads/mouses and phones.

If you’ve suffered an office workplace accident and were injured in one of the above ways, you could potentially have grounds to launch an office workplace injury claim against your employer. Additionally, if you’ve suffered an injury that is not mentioned above, give our team a call today to discuss your options.

Types of Injuries

There are numerous ways you could become injured at work through no fault of your own. Examples of workplace injuries you could claim for include:

• Repetitive strain injury.
• Asbestosis.
• Back problems.
• Burns.
• Muscle strains.
• Head injuries
• Fractures and breaks
• Cuts and lacerations.

Office Accident Claims – Time Limits

Office accident claims must be started within the three-year time limit set by the Limitation Act 1980. This is three years after your office accident or three years after your office injury was connected to employer negligence. However, there are some exceptions that suspended the office accident claims time limit.

Claimants who suffer an office injury prior to their 18^th birthday cannot start their own claim until they turn 18. A litigation friend could start their office accident claim while the time limit is suspended. However, should the claimant turn 18 without a claim started, they will have three years from their 18^th birthday to start a claim.

Office accident claims cannot be started by those who lack the mental capacity. The time limited is suspended indefinitely unless they regain their mental capacity. Should this occur, then the claimant has three years to start their office accident claim if a litigation friend did not start a claim on their behalf.

Call our advisors for examples of workplace accidents that you might be able to make an office injury claim for.

What Health And Safety Duty Of Care Do Employers Have?

The duty of care owed to you by your employers is clearly outlined in the Health and Saftey at Work Act 1974. This piece of legislation exists to ensure that your employers uphold adequate health and safety standards in the workplace. They can achieve this by;

• Keeping up with regular risk assessments.
• Keeping tripping hazards out of walkways.
• Making sure staff members are all sufficiently trained.
• Providing all staff members with the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Attending to faulty machinery as soon as is reasonably possible.

The list goes on. If you suffer and injury during a workplace accident, and you can prove the accident only happened because of your employer’s negligence, you could have a case. To learn more about the duty of care your employer owes you, get in touch with our team today.

Home Office Accident Claims

If you work from home but are employed by an employer you are still owed a duty of care to your well being. Though the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 exempt domestic premises your employer is still expected to take care of your safety while at home within reasonable practicalities. In a time when more and more people begin working from home each year, this is essential information to know. First of all, an employer may consider whether or not the job and the employee are suitable for working at home. This also extends to mental health.

The duty that an employer has for the safety of an employee in an office environment may be different when the employee is working from home. This is because the employer has limited control over an employee’s home. The amount of duty of care an employer has for an employee working from home will also be determined by the types of job. They may carry out risk assessments of the suitability of your home working. As well as, ensuring that your home is equipped to deal with your job tasks.

If the employee is provided equipment to carry out work-related activities, it needs to be in good working condition and you may need to be supplied with the correct PPE.

In addition to your employer’s duty of care, you will also have a responsibility for your safety as you have control over your home environment. whether you could make a claim would largely depend on if your employer had a duty of care that they breached. Contact our knowledgable team today to find out more.

No Win No Fee Office Workplace Accident Claims

If you’ve suffered an injury during an office workplace accident, you may wish to use services of a No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor. This is especially true for those who may have financial concerns. The advantages of launching a personal injury claim using a No Win Fee agreement include:

• Nothing to pay your solicitor upfront.
• As well as, no fees to pay your solicitor throughout your case.
• Also, if your case is unsuccessful, you won’t have to pay your solicitor.
• Moreover, if your case is successful, you’ll only have to pay a nominal success fee to your solicitor.

The success fee will be taken straight out of your compensation payout, leaving the bulk of it to you. If you’d like to discuss your No Win No Fee options further, or for more free advice, get in touch with our team today.

Contact Us

Are you interested in discussing any of the above further or would like free legal advice regarding a workplace accident claim? Get in touch with our team today. You can do this by:

• Calling us on 0161 696 9685.
• Writing to us via our online contact form.
• Messaging us using our Live Chat feature.

We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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