In this guide, we’ll be discussing the process of making a personal injury claim for injuries you sustained in a conveyor belt accident at work. There are several requirements that must be met in order for you to seek compensation, including proving that your employer breached the duty of care they owed you and caused you harm as a result. We will explore these in more detail throughout our guide.
Conveyor belt accident at work claims guide
Additionally, we will explore the legislation that outlines the duty of care employers owe their employees and how a breach of this could cause an accident involving a conveyor belt.
We will also discuss the injuries that you could sustain in this type of accident and the compensation that you could be awarded to address the way in which they have impacted your life.
Furthermore, we will discuss the steps you can take to collect sufficient evidence to support your claim.
Our guide will also look at the benefits of working with a No Win No Fee solicitor and the services they could offer.
Read on for more information on starting an accident at work claim. Alternatively, you can get in touch with an advisor via the contact details below:
- Contact us by filling out our form
- Call on 0161 696 9685
- Talk with an advisor via the live chat function below.
Browse Our Guide
- Conveyor Belt Accidents At Work Explained
- What Can Cause Work Accidents Involving A Conveyor Belt?
- Types Of Evidence That Can Support A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claim?
- Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims – Compensation Payouts
- Claiming For Work Injuries With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- More Support For Making Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims
Conveyor Belt Accidents At Work Explained
In order to make a successful conveyor belt accident at work claim, you’ll have to prove that negligence occurred. This means:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care when and where the accident happened.
- They breached this duty of care.
- You became injured physically or psychologically as a result.
Employers owe a duty of care to their employees under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This piece of legislation states that an employer needs to take all steps considered reasonable and practicable in order to prevent employees from becoming injured.
Some of the steps they could take include:
- Conducting risk assessments on a regular basis.
- Implementing measures to reduce the risk of injury based on findings from the assessments.
- Providing their employees with training that allows them to perform their work-related duties safely.
- Regularly maintaining workplace equipment to ensure it is fit for purpose.
A failure to do so could lead to an employee becoming harmed. In these instances, you may be able to seek personal injury compensation.
Does A Time Limit Apply To Workplace Accident Claims?
In addition to proving negligence, you must also ensure you start your claim within the relevant time-frame. As per The Limitation Act 1980, you’ll generally have three years from the date of your accident to start your claim.
There are some exceptions to the time limits. To find out whether these could apply to your specific case, please get in touch with an advisor. They can also provide further guidance on eligibility.
What Can Cause Work Accidents Involving A Conveyor Belt?
A conveyor belt accident could cause you to sustain an injury at work in many ways. Examples of these can include:
- A conveyor belt is overloaded. This increases the risk of items falling off and causing an employee harm, such as a head injury, broken arm and shoulder injury.
- Lack of guards. If a conveyor belt has no guards, it could lead to an employee’s clothing getting stuck in the machinery. As a result, they could sustain traumatic amputations from having limbs dragged into the machine.
- Lack of maintenance. If a conveyor belt isn’t properly maintained, it can lead to faults going unaddressed. This could lead to harm, such as electrical burn injuries.
- Inadequate training. An employer may not have had any training to safely perform work of this nature. This could result in them sustaining several injuries.
It may not always be possible to claim for this type of accident. In order to seek compensation for your injuries, you must provide evidence that they resulted from an employer not upholding their duty of care.
Types Of Evidence That Can Support A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claim?
When making a conveyor belt accident at work claim, it’s important that you provide sufficient evidence to support your claim. This is to prove an injury at work was caused by employer negligence.
Evidence you could provide includes:
- Pictures or video footage showing the accident and your injuries
- The contact information of any witnesses to your accident
- A copy of the incident report from the accident at work book
- Medical records that can provide further details about your injuries
If you’re finding it hard to gather evidence to strengthen your claim, you may benefit from using the services of an accident at work solicitor from our panel. Get in touch to learn how they could help.
Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims – Compensation Payouts
After making a successful personal injury claim, you could be entitled to receive two separate heads of claim for your injuries. The first of these is general damages which aims to compensate for the physical pain and emotional suffering that you have experienced due to your injuries.
Solicitors can use medical evidence alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), to help them value this head of claim. The JCG is a document that contains guideline compensation awards, some of which we have included in the table below.
Note that these figures are not guaranteed because of the large number of variables that have to be considered when determining personal injury settlements.
| Injury | Severity | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arm Amputations | Loss Of Both Arms (a) | £240,790 to £300,000 | The injury reduces the person with full awareness to a state in which they are considerably helpless. |
| Arm Amputations | Loss Of One Arm (b) (i) | Not less than £137,160 | The arm is amputated at the shoulder. |
| Head Injury | Moderate (c) (i) | £150,110 to £219,070 | The person experiences an intellectual deficit of a moderate to severe nature. Alongside this is a personality change, an effect on senses, a significant risk of epilepsy and no prospect of employment. |
| Head Injury | Moderate (c) (ii) | £90,720 to £150,110 | The person experiences an intellectual deficit of a moderate to modest nature. In addition, their ability to work will have been reduced greatly. |
| Hand Injury | One Hand Is Totally Or Effectively Lost (c) | £96,160 to £109,650 | Cases in which the hand was crushed and surgically amputated are covered in this bracket. |
| Hand Injury | Moderate (h) | £5,720 to £13,280 | This bracket covers crush injuries and penetrating wounds. |
| Shoulder Injury | Severe (a) | £19,200 to £48,030 | A significant disability from injuries associated with damage to the neck and brachial plexus. |
| Shoulder Injury | Serious (b) | £12,770 to £19,200 | A fractured humerus causing restricted shoulder movement is included in this bracket. |
| Other Arm Injury | Less Severe (c) | £19,200 to £39,170 | Disabilities of a significant nature but with a substantial degree of recovery that is expected or has already taken place. |
| Other Arm Injury | Simple (d) | £6,610 to £19,200 | Forearm fractures that are simple in nature. |
Could I Receive Special Damages?
The other head of claim that you could be entitled to receive is special damages. This aims to compensate for the financial impact your injuries have had. As such, you could claim back the following monetary expenses:
- Cost of care
- Loss of earnings
- Cost of renovations to a home in aid of recovery
- Medical bills
You’ll have to provide evidence to support these losses, which can include bank statements, invoices and receipts.
If you choose to get in touch with our team of advisors, then they can provide you with advice on the compensation you could receive.
Claiming For Work Injuries With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you have a valid claim, a solicitor from our panel could offer to represent your case on a No Win No Fee basis. As such, they could offer their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This type of No Win No Fee agreement typically means:
- Upon the completion of an unsuccessful claim, no fees will be required for your solicitor’s services.
- Following a claim that has a successful outcome, you will pay a success fee from your compensation. This is subject to a cap as outlined in the Conditional Fees Agreements Order 2013.
Contact Us For More Information
We hope this guide on starting an conveyor belt accident at work claim has helped. However, if you require further information, you can get in touch with an advisor. They can offer free legal advice regarding your potential claim and whether a solicitor from our panel could represent your case. To get in touch, you can:
- Contact us by filling out our form
- Call on 0161 696 9685
- Talk with an advisor via the live chat function below.
More Support For Making Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims
For more guides relating to accident at work claims:
- Can I claim for an accident at work after I left the company?
- Workplace injury claim guide
- Can I claim for an accident at work with no injury?
For more external resources that you may find helpful:
- GOV – Statutory Sick Pay
- Health and Safety Executive – Maintenance of Work Equipment
- NHS – When To Call 999
Thank you for reading this guide on when you could be eligible to claim for injuries sustained in a conveyor belt accident at work. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch using the details provided above.
Page by SL
Published by NL