How Does A Finger Injury At Work Claim Work?

By Jo Caine. Last Updated 26th June 2023. Are you thinking about making a finger injury at work claim? Were health and safety standards missing or incomplete in your workplace leading to an accident that damaged one of your fingers? The inconvenience of even a slight injury like this can cause a lot of disruption and expense, but compensation could help.

Finger injury at work claim guide

In this guide, we look at the claims process and provide you with the information you may need in order to decide whether you have valid claim or not. If you would prefer to discuss your case right now, please feel free to get in touch by:

Calling our team on 0161 696 9685 to have your case evaluated for free.
Use the ‘contact us’ online request
Or speak to our ‘live support’ option below

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Types Of Workplace Finger Injuries
What Are The Initial Steps Of Making A Finger Injury At Work Claim
How Long After The Accident Could You Make A Claim?
Finger Injury At Work – How Much Could You Be Owed?
How Is Your Final Settlement Agreed?
Getting The Right Solicitor For Your Finger Injury At Work Claim

Types Of Workplace Finger Injuries

It’s difficult to think of a workplace task that does not require the use of our fingers. Whether it is an industrial setting operating tools or the constant activity of using a keyboard, the delicate bones, and muscles of our digits can be at the forefront of risk from accidental damage.

You may be aware that a law called the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974 places a duty of care and responsibility on all employers to create (amongst other things) a workplace where a finger injury hazard is removed or reduced as much as is reasonably practicable.

To comply with safety laws employers could conduct regular risk assessments, act promptly on staff concerns about health and safety, and make the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) rules clearly understood to all concerned.

Typical finger accident scenarios

So, with this in mind let’s consider some possible finger injury at work scenarios. You could suffer a:

Crushed finger in malfunctioning machinery
Soft tissue cuts, bruises, and tears on sharp, exposed surfaces
Burns from temperature or chemicals because of lack of personal protective equipment (PPE)
Fractures that could arise from slipping or tripping on uneven floors
Jammed fingertips, or torn off fingernails due to faulty fittings
Acts of workplace violence
Constant contact with vibrating machinery (Vibration White Finger)
Repetitive strain injury from keyboard over-use

Compensation for an accident at work claim could be made for any finger injury that you can prove was the result of health and safety negligence. But a claim cannot be made for an accident alone, it has to involve actual, related injury.

Also, under Section 7 of the Act, employees have a legal duty to take as much care of themselves as possible. So ask yourself the following three questions to determine a valid claim:

Who had the duty of care at the time and place of the accident?
How did they breach that duty?
Was I Injured as a direct consequence?

Speak to our team if you need any help with these points and learn more about what are your rights after an accident at work.

Workplace Finger Injury Statistics

The statistics below show the levels of reported upper limb injuries to workers for the period 2020/21. Non-fatal injuries to employees in Great Britain by site of injury 2020/21

Source: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm

What Are The Initial Steps Of Making A Finger Injury At Work Claim

Making an effective finger injury at work claim starts with solid evidence. If you are sure the finger injury was the result of deficient health and safety standards or even if you are not sure and think you may have been partially at fault for the workplace accident, you could start by doing the following:

Getting medical treatment
Reporting or recording the incident in the workplace accident book
Asking witnesses if they would be prepared to give a statement to what they saw
Gathering CCTV footage
Taking photos of the scene
Considering hiring legal representation in your claim

It may feel daunting to start a finger injury at work claim alone. A personal injury lawyer will have the expertise to advise on when to accept a settlement and how to negotiate all aspects of the claim with you. Allowing you the time to concentrate on getting better.

How Long After The Accident Could You Make A Claim?

Under the conditions of the Limitation Act 1980, there is usually a three-year time limit for starting a personal injury claim for compensation in the workplace. This period starts from the date of the accident or the ‘date of knowledge’ of injury or illness.

Certain exceptions apply. The three-year period can start from the date of a minor’s 18th birthday. Giving them until age 21 to claim. Furthermore, it can be possible to launch a claim on behalf of a minor immediately by acting as a ‘litigation friend‘ and undertaking all required tasks for them. This can also apply if claiming for someone who lacks the mental capacity to represent themselves. Speak with our team for more information about this.

Can You Work With A Broken Finger?

If you’ve suffered a finger injury at work, it could have an impact on your ability to perform your role in the workplace. However, it may have little or no impact at all. The answer to this question depends on the severity of your finger injury and the nature of your job.

To give an example, you may work in a call centre. A broken finger may be unlikely to mean you are unable to work, as it may be possible to simply answer the phone with your uninjured hand.

However, if you work in a role that requires a high level of dexterity, such as a surgeon, then you would not be able to perform surgery with a broken finger until the digit healed.

If you are forced to miss time at work due to a finger injury, compensation awarded to you could account for a loss of earnings if you are eligible.

Get in touch with our advisors today if you have any questions.

Finger Injury At Work – How Much Could You Be Owed?

If you have crushed your finger at work, you could potentially claim if you can prove that the accident was caused by your employer’s negligence. Following a successful claim, compensation for your finger injury should include general damages.

General damages compensate you for the pain and suffering your finger injury has caused you, as well as how it may have impacted your quality of life.

To help you gain a clearer idea of how much you could receive in general damages for your injury, we have created the following table. The amounts listed have been taken from the 16^th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document used to help many legal professionals value claims.

However, you should only use this table as a guide. How much compensation you receive will depend on the various factors of your claim.

Injury	Notes	Amount
Amputation of Index and Middle and/or Ring Fingers	The hand will be rendered of very little use and it's grip will be very weak.	£61,910 to £90,750
Loss of thumb	The thumb has been completely lost.	£35,520 to £54,830
Severe Fractures to Fingers	These may lead to partial amputations that will impair the hands grip and result in a deformity.	Up to £36,740
Total and Partial Loss of Index Finger	The top end of this bracket is applicable if the finger has been completely lost.	£12,170 to £18,740
Serious Injury to the Thumb	A fracture, nerve damage or the top of the thumb has been amputated.	£12,590 to £16,760
Serious Injury to Ring or Middle Fingers	A serious tendon injury or fractures that result in a deformity with stiffness.	£10,320 to £16,340
Fracture of Index Finger	Despite the fracture mending quickly, the grip will remain impaired.	£9,110 to £12,240
Loss of the Terminal Phalanx of the Ring or Middle Fingers	The ring or middle fingers terminal phalanx is completely lost.	£3,950 to £7,870
Serious Injury to Little Finger	A fracture that will require surgery with time in plaster.	In the region of £6,000
Loss of Part of the Little Finger.	What is left of the tip of the finger will be sensitive.	£3,950 to £5,860

Additionally, following a successful claim for a finger injury at work, your settlement may also include special damages. Special damages compensate you for the financial losses you have suffered due to your injury, such as:

Any medical expenses.
Loss of earnings.
Travel costs.

To help support your claim for special damages, you will need to provide evidence of these financial losses. Receipts, payslips, and bank statements could all be used as evidence.

Contact one of our advisors today to find out whether you may be eligible for compensation if you cut your finger at work.

How Is Your Final Settlement Agreed?

Personal injury claims must go through a process of pre-action protocols before a settlement is reached. These actions are a way for both parties to:

Formally understand the exact nature and circumstances of the accident and injury
Communicate in a meaningful way to reach a resolution
Stick to a timetable for responses and actions

Mediation and Arbitration

One of the final pre-action protocols is mediation or arbitration. This gives both parties a chance to use an intermediary to discuss a resolution. Acting as a ‘go-between; the mediator can help both sides reach a settlement figure ‘without prejudice‘ that seems fair without the need to go all the way to court.

Getting The Right Solicitor For Your Finger Injury At Work Claim

If your workplace finger injury case meets the personal injury claim’s eligibility criteria, you may wish to have a solicitor help you. A solicitor could help you gather evidence, ensure your claim is filed within the relevant time limit, and guide you through the claiming process.

Our advisors could assess your case, and if you’re eligible, we could connect you with a solicitor on our panel who has experience working on claims for workplace injuries. Furthermore, they may offer to represent you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement. Some of the benefits of making a claim under this arrangement include:

Not having to pay your solicitor anything upfront for them to start working on your claim.
Not having to pay any fees during the claiming process.
If your claim fails, you will not have to pay your solicitor for their services.

Alternatively, if your personal injury claim succeeds, you will pay the solicitor working on your claim a success fee. This fee is taken directly from your compensation award, and the percentage that can be taken as one is legally capped.

To learn whether a solicitor from our panel could help you if you have suffered a finger injury at work, you can contact our advisors. They are available 24/7 to assess your claim and offer you free advice. To connect with someone from our team today, you can:

Call 0161 696 9685
Use our live chat.
Or contact us online.

Learn More About Workplace Injury Claims

With this in mind, the resources below could also help your finger injury at work claim:

More statistics about workplace injury
Advice from the NHS on treating a finger injury
Lastly, guidance on avoiding repetitive strain injury (RSI)

Below, you can find links to lots more guides on accidents at work:

Accident At Work Claims

Road Traffic Accident Claims

Public Place Claims

Medical Negligence Claims

Personal Injury Claims

Finger Injury At Work Compensation Claim Specialists

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