Common Injuries For Construction Workers And How To Claim Compensation

Welcome to our guide reviewing common injuries for construction workers and explaining how to claim personal injury compensation.

As an employee, you are owed a duty of care by your employer. Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) explains this duty as the requirement to do everything reasonably practicable to keep employees safe at work. You could be eligible to claim if an employer breaches the duty they owed you and causes an accident, leading to you suffering one or a combination of physical and mental harm.

This guide reviews several construction-based scenarios in which an employer’s breach of duty harms an employee.

Afterwards, we explain what compensation could be awarded to address the pain or financial loss that a breached duty can cause. Finally, you can learn about the benefits of having a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel working on your case.

Common Injuries For Construction Workers 

A Guide To Claiming For Common Injuries For Construction Workers

We recommend getting in touch as soon as possible because the general time limit for starting a personal injury claim is three years from the accident date, according to The Limitation Act 1980. An advisor could help you discover how long you have to claim, as some exceptions can apply.

We have dedicated advisors working 24/7 to answer your queries and provide a free claim assessment. To make the most of this service with no obligation to start legal proceedings, choose one of these options:

Choose A Section

  1. Trips Slips And Falls
  2. Ground Collapses
  3. Falls From Height
  4. Manual Handling Injuries
  5. Accidents Involving Moving Vehicles
  6. Equipment Accidents Or Accidents Involving Defective Machinery
  7. What Compensation Could You Receive In A Construction Accident Claim?
  8. Why Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Claim Compensation?
  9. Read More About How To Claim For Negligence In Construction

Trips Slips And Falls

The leading cause of non-fatal common injuries for construction workers in 2022 were trips, slips and falls, according to statistics presented by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the UK’s workplace safety regulator. This could happen because of uneven or slippery surfaces or the presence of obstacles or hazards. If the fall occurs because an employer did not take reasonable steps to keep you safe from harm, you could be entitled to claim personal injury compensation.

Potential trip, slip, or fall accidents on a construction site that could be caused by employer negligence include:

  • Obstacles are left on the scaffolding walkway, and an employee carrying a load trips over the hazards and falls from the first floor level suffering a severe back injury
  • Loose cables are left trailing across the site. An employee carrying heavy items cannot see the cables and trips, badly hurting their knee and shoulder when they fall.

Give us a call and speak to an advisor if you have had a construction accident like this and would like to know more about making a claim.

Ground Collapses

Employers must take great care when ground collapse is a possibility. For example, Regulation 22 of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 notes that if excavation is required, all practicable steps must be taken to prevent danger, including the need to ensure that no excavation collapses.

The following examples highlight how an employer could fail to take these steps and cause an accident:

  • An employer does not carry out a risk assessment ahead of an excavation. A collapse causes a worker to fall and suffer significant head injuries.
  • A trench is not properly shored. An employee, who was not given correct PPE, is trapped under falling soil. They are later diagnosed with a head injury and multiple fractures.

Falls From Height

As well as considering HASAWA, employers need to pay attention to The Work at Height Regulations 2005, which sets them a duty to protect workers when work is done at height. As we touched on before, a failure to meet their duty could make an employer liable for an injury.

The ramifications could be especially serious, with the HSE noting falls from height as 2022’s leading cause of fatal injuries in construction.

Note the following examples of how a breach of duty could occur and cause a fall from height:

  • An employee falls when an improperly or faulty erected scaffolding collapses, suffering serious head and shoulder injuries.
  • An employee is instructed to carry an extremely heavy load up a ladder instead of using a lift. The employee loses balance, falls and lands heavily on their back, resulting in paralysis.

Please call the above number if you would like to discuss claiming for a fall at work or common injuries to construction workers caused by an employer’s breached duty.

Manual Handling Injuries

Employers must follow Section 4 of The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 by either:

  • So far as is reasonably practicable, avoiding the need for employees to complete manual handling operations involving a risk of injury; or
  • Making a suitable risk assessment and taking steps to lessen the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable and providing precise weight and load size.

For example, an employer could be considered as having failed in their duty if an employee is not trained in correct lifting and suffers a severe back injury when carrying a heavy item. 

Accidents Involving Moving Vehicles

Employers are responsible for ensuring that vehicles used in construction are well-maintained, and repaired when defective and are required to train employees on the safe use of work vehicles and equipment. These vehicles include bulldozers, forklifts, cranes, and concrete mixer trucks.

The following examples exhibit the effects of an employer failing to do so.

  • An employee is told to drive a telehandler they have not been trained to use. They lose control and are crushed under the vehicle when it tips, leading to them having their arm amputated.
  • A vehicle is reversing. However, the brakes are faulty, and the employer has failed to have them repaired. It cannot stop in time, and it runs over an employee’s foot, causing a severe break.

If you have any questions about making an accident at work claim, please remember you can reach us on the number above.

Equipment Accidents Or Accidents Involving Defective Machinery

Employers should be aware of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, which contains legal requirements for them related to, among other things, maintenance of machinery. A failure to comply with this legislation could result in potentially serious or life-threatening accidents, as these examples show.

  • A piece of machinery has not been checked in some time. It experiences a fault and traps a worker’s hand, traumatically amputating their fingers.
  • An employer received a report of a faulty power tool, but they did not repair or replace it, and an employee suffered a severe electrical shock as a result.

What Compensation Could You Receive In A Construction Accident Claim?

Whatever common injuries to construction workers affected you, a personal injury claim could be possible if they resulted from an accident caused by an employer’s breach of duty. And if your claim ends up winning, you could be compensated in up to two ways.

General damages account for the physical pain and mental suffering. Those calculating an accident at work claim payout will value each injury the claimant suffered. They may use the Judicial College Guidelines, a collection of guideline compensation brackets for various injuries, as an aid in this effort.

Compensation Table

This table features guideline compensation brackets from the JCG. However, the top table entry is not in the JCG. Please remember that our table is only a guide.

INJURYSEVERITYCompensation Guidance COMMENTS
Multiple Very Severe Injuries plus financial implications.Severe Up to £1,000,000+A settlement that considers physical pain, mental harm and financial loss caused by injuries such as lost earnings and home adaptations.
ParalysisTetraplegia£324,600 to £403,990Cases where physical pain is present and there is a significant impact on senses or communication attract a higher award.
HeadModerately Severe£219,070 to £282,010The injured person is very seriously disabled. They need constant care and are substantially dependent on others.
BackSevere (i)£91,090 to £160,980Damage to the spinal cord and nerve root, caused by the most severe injuries. The consequences are very serious and not normally found in back injury cases.
NeckSevere (i)In the region of £148,330Injuries associated with incomplete paraplegia or leading to permanent spastic quadriparesis. Alternatively, the injured person has little or no neck movement despite collar use, as well as intractable headaches.
Arm AmputationLoss of One Arm (i)Not less than £137,160The arm is amputated at shoulder level.
LegSevere (i)£96,250 to £135,920The most serious injuries short of amputation. This could include extensive degloving, for example.
HandTotal or Effective Loss of One Hand£96,160 to £109,650Crush injuries where the hand is surgically amputated are included in this bracket. Also featured are injuries where all fingers and most of the palm are traumatically amputated. A higher award is given if the affected hand is the dominant one.
FootVery Severe£83,960 to £109,650Injuries causing permanent and severe pain. Alternatively, they bring about very serious and permanent disability.
KneeSevere (i)£69,730 to £96,210A serious knee injury with effects including joint disruption, lengthy treatment and considerable pain.
AnkleVery Severe£50,060 to £69,700A limited number of unusual injuries fall in this bracket. For example, a young person suffers bilateral ankle fractures that cause joint degeneration.

Claiming For Financial Losses After Construction Industry Accidents

Construction accident compensation can cover more than just the pain inflicted by injuries. Any payout featuring general damages could also contain special damages if you have been impacted financially because of injuries suffered in a workplace accident.

You must keep hold of any evidence that proves a loss of funds, like payslips or bank statements. That way, you could claim compensation for, among other things:

  • A loss of earnings if you cannot work after the accident.
  • Mobility aids.
  • Home or vehicle adjustment costs.
  • Travel expenses.
  • Medical fees and prescriptions.

If you have any questions about forms of damages in construction site accident claims, please give us a call and speak to an advisor.

Why Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Claim Compensation?

Calling us at the above number could help you learn all about claiming for common construction injuries. You could also discuss your experience with an advisor and get an assessment that tells you if you have a valid accident-at-work claim.

Speaking to an advisor is completely free and there is no obligation to start a claim with us. However, if we find that you have a good chance of claiming compensation for a construction site injury, you could be connected to one of our panel’s expert personal injury solicitors.

They could guide you through the entire claims process under a Conditional Fee Agreement. This arrangement is a type of No Win No Fee contract. As such, your solicitor would not take a payment for their work at all if the case loses.

The solicitor would only capture a percentage of the compensation awarded to you at the end, as their success fee. Because The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 sets a strict legal cap, the majority of the payout is guaranteed to be set aside for you.

Remember, you can reach us either by:

Read More About How To Claim For Negligence In Construction

You can learn even more about accident at work claims through our other helpful guides:

These resources may also be helpful:

Thank you for reading our guide about common injuries for construction workers. Please call the above number if you’d like to discuss how to make an accident at work claim.