What Are The Most Common Accidents At Work Claims?

What are the most common accidents at work? Are you reading this as someone who has just suffered an injury on the job? Do you need guidance on seeking compensation? At Advice, we offer the resources to explain if you could have a valid personal injury claim against your employer and what compensation amounts could be awarded to you.

Common accidents at work claims guide

Unfortunately, workplace accidents are common. According to the Health and Safety Executive statistics (HSE) 1.7 million people reported suffering from a work-related injury or illness. That said, however, it is important not to mistake every accident at work for a possible personal injury claim. Some are just incidents that no one is at fault for. So as part of this article, we look at how an employer may be liable.

Our panel of personal injury solicitors could help you launch an effective claim right now if you wish. Starting your search for appropriate damages can begin when you:

Contact our team on 0161 696 9685 for a free, initial consultation
Use the ‘live support’ option for instant help
Or contact us online and request a call back’
Alternatively, please continue reading the sections below and click on the highlighted text for further reading about common accidents at work.

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Employers’ Duty Of Care To Prevent Common Accidents At Work
Common Non-Fatal Work-Place Accidents
Common Fatal Work-Place Accidents
Damages You Could Be Awarded For Common Accidents At Work Claims
Check How No Win No Fee Claims Work

Employers’ Duty Of Care To Prevent Common Accidents At Work

A law called the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974 requires all UK employers to have certain practices and procedures in place to limit the risks to employee health and wellbeing. To adhere to health and safety legislation employers could look at:

Operating a safe work environment
Conducting regular risk assessments to spot issues before someone is injured
Clearly providing the appropriate health and safety information to all concerned
Providing training or supervision as needed
Meeting with safety representatives to discuss issues
Providing personal protective equipment (PPE) as needed.

There are other legal requirements that relate to specific industries such as working at heights or using chemicals.

Employees have a duty to take as much care as possible as well. When considering common accidents at work it can be useful to ask three questions right at the start to clarify whether your employer is liable for your injury:

Did your employer have a legal duty of care to you at that moment?
How did they breach that legal duty?
Injured as a consequence?

Common Non-Fatal Work-Place Accidents

Most workplaces should have an accident book in which any type of workplace injury should be reported. In addition to this, there is a law called RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) where employers must record certain ‘reportable incidents’ that are generally more serious in nature.

These statistics are divided into ‘fatal’ and ‘non-fatal’ but both are drawn from the RIDDOR source. As percentages from a total of 51,211 non-fatal injuries reported during 2020/21, common accidents at work include:

Falls, trips, or slips on the same level – 33%
Handling, lifting, or carrying injuries – 18%
Struck by a moving object – 10%
Acts of workplace violence – 8%
Falls from a height – 8%

Common Fatal Work-Place Accidents

142 workers lost their lives during 2020/21 with the construction industry accounting for the highest (39 deaths) followed by Agriculture and Manufacturing, (34 and 20 respectively). Causes of workplace accident fatalities are:

Falls from a height – 35 deaths
Struck by a moving vehicle – 25
Struck by a moving object – 17
Trapped by something overturning or collapsing – 14
Contact with moving machinery – 14 fatalities

Importantly, you can claim compensation after the death of a loved one in the workplace if it was caused by negligence. Speak to our team and they can explain the steps you can take to seek damages for wrongful death or fatal accident.

Damages You Could Be Awarded For Common Accidents At Work

After suffering common accidents at work that leave injuries caused by negligence, it can be possible to seek two types of compensation in a personal injury claim. General damages are the first. These are calculated by looking at the results of an independent medical assessment and comparing those injuries with similar ones listed in the Judicial College Guidelines. It assesses:

Loss of amenity
Pain, and suffering
Impact on relationships
Risk of long term health problems

The chart below gives an idea of some typically encountered injuries and their award brackets:

Area of injury	How severe?	JC Guideline Award Bracket	Notes
Head	(d) Less Severe Brain Damage	£14,380 to £40,410	Generally good recovery but some persisting issues with concentration or memory
Head	(c) Moderate Brain Damage (i)	£140,870 to £205,580	The person will have moderate to severe intellectual deficit, change in personality, speech and sight both affected. There will be no employment prospects.
Back	(a) Severe (i)	£85,470 to £151,070	Spinal cord damage and nerve root issues normally found in exceptional cases. Acute pain and disability with partial paralysis
Back	(b) Moderate (i)	£26,050 to £36,390	Awards in this bracket covers lumbar vertebrae fractures and continual pain requiring surgery.
Hand	(e) Serious Hand Injuries	£27,220 to £58,100	Injuries leaving a 50% reduction of use and where several fingers needed to be amputated but rejoined causing poor grip, dexterity and cosmetic appearance.
Wrist	(d) Wrist injuries	Rarely exceed £9,620	A soft tissue injury that takes longer than usual but is complete
Ankle	(b) Severe	£29,380 to £46,980	Conditions that require an extensive period in pins, plates or plaster,
Toes	(d) Serious toe injury	£9,010 to £12,900	Crush and multiple fracture injuries to the big toe or others, leaving pain, scarring and an impaired gait
Chest Injury	(d) Simple chest injury	£11,820 to £16,860	Typical of a single, penetrating stab, causing tissue damage but no serious lasting issues
Chest Injury	e) Lung Disease	£5,000 to £11,820	Toxic smoke or fume inhalation leaving some damage but nothing serious enough to be permanent

It’s important to note that these amounts are suggestions only. Each case will vary according to the medical evidence presented and the severity of the injuries.

Special damages

In addition to general damages, you can request back lost sums of money associated with the injury. For instance, you may have wage slips that show a loss of earnings? Perhaps you had to pay out for medical treatments not available freely on the NHS?

Did you need childcare help or domestic assistance from family, friends, or paid professionals? As long as you can provide documentation to prove these out-of-pocket expenses to you, and they directly relate to the injuries, it could be possible to include them in your settlement. It’s essential to retain all bills or receipts and invoices for this.

It’s also important to consider future costs. As it is possible to only claim once, it’s essential to include expenses that may arise in the weeks, months, or years to come. A personal injury solicitor can help you accurately track and predict these costs. As well as this, you can either speak to our team about any other amounts you feel you are owed or use our compensation claims calculator.

Check How No Win No Fee Claims Work

A No Win No Fee solicitor could offer their services on this basis. It means you would use a Conditional Fee Agreement CFA to fund the service your solicitor supplies.

Legal agreements such as this enable you to access excellent legal representation at no upfront charge or any as the case gets up and running. In fact, only a maximum 25% deduction from your payout becomes due if a No Win No Fee case succeeds. If the case does not win, there is nothing to pay your solicitors for their service.

This affords you instant professional legal help. There is a three-year time limit on personal injury claims. With this in mind, why not get in touch today to see how our panel of personal injury solicitors could help you?

Contact our team on 0161 696 9685 for a free, initial consultation
Use the ‘live support’ option in the bottom right-hand corner for instant help
Or contact us online and request a call back’

View Our Related Guides

In addition to the details about common accidents at work, the resources below offer further reading:

Also, you can see further statics on workplace injury here
Or read about the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) whilst off work
Lastly, we look at preventing slips and trips in the workplace

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

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Published by AL.

Accident At Work Claims

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Public Place Claims

Medical Negligence Claims

Personal Injury Claims

The Most Common Accidents At Work Claims Guide

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