If you are wondering, ‘I’ve had an accident at work, what should I do?’, this guide could help. In some instances, you may be eligible to begin a personal injury claim for the harm you suffered at work. However, certain criteria need to be met in order to do so. This guide will discuss these in more detail as well as explore the different steps you could take as part of the accident at work claims process.
What Should I Do If I’ve Had An Accident At Work?
Additionally, we will discuss the duty of care your employer owes you in the workplace, how this could be breached and the accidents and subsequent injuries that could be caused as a result of a breach.
Further on, our guide will explore personal injury compensation settlements for accident at work claims.
Finally, we will outline the benefits of making your claim with a solicitor who offers their services on a No Win No Fee basis.
Please read the guide for more information. Alternatively, contact our advisors today to discuss your potential claim. To reach them, you can:
- Call on the number at the top of the page.
- Contact us online.
- Message us using our live chat.
Choose A Section
- When Are You Eligible To Claim For A Work Injury Claim?
- If I’ve Had An Accident At Work, What Should I Do?
- Examples Of A Workplace Accident Caused By Employer Negligence
- How Much Compensation Could You Receive From An Accident At The Work?
- Make An Accident At Work Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis Using Our Panel Of Solicitors
- Learn More About Making A Serious Injury Claim
When Are You Eligible To Claim For A Work Injury Claim?
For a personal injury claim to be valid, the following needs to be established:
- Firstly, you were owed a duty of care by your employer.
- Secondly, this duty was breached.
- Thirdly, the breach caused you to sustain physical or psychological injuries.
This is a definition of negligence, for which you could be eligible to seek personal injury compensation.
Employer’s owe their duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This key piece of workplace health and safety legislation outlines that employer’s need to take steps considered both reasonable and practicable in order to prevent employees from becoming harmed at work.
Part of an employer’s responsibilities is to remove the risk posed by any known hazards or reduce the risk, where it is not possible to remove it completely.
If they fail to do so, it could lead to you becoming harmed in the workplace.
How Long Do You Have To Claim For An Accident At Work?
In addition to ensuring the eligibility criteria, laid out above, are met, you must also begin legal proceedings within the limitation period outlined in the Limitation Act 1980. Generally, this is three years from the date of the accident. However, certain exceptions can be made to the time limit.
For more information on these exceptions, please contact an advisor. They can also assess your eligibility to put forward a claim and answer the question ‘I’ve had an accident at work, what should I do?’.
If I’ve Had An Accident At Work, What Should I Do?
Following an accident at work in which you sustained an injury, there are several steps you could take. For example, you could gather evidence to support your case as a way to help prove liability and provide details on your injuries.
Examples of the evidence you could gather include:
- CCTV footage of the accident.
- A copy of your medical records to highlight the extent of your injury.
- A copy of the incident report from the accident book at work.
- Contact details of witnesses who can make a statement at a later date.
- A diary to illustrate the psychological and physical impact of your injury on your quality of life.
One of the solicitors from our panel could offer services to assist you in seeking compensation, such as helping you gathering evidence to build a strong case.
To find out whether you could be eligible to have them help you, please get in touch using the number above.
Examples Of A Workplace Accident Caused By Employer Negligence
There are several ways an accident at work could occur. For example:
- Employees may injure themselves in a fall at work after an employer failed to do a slips and trips risk assessment.
- An employee may injure themselves by falling down the stairs in the workplace due to a faulty handrail that an employer failed to fix.
- Injuries could be sustained whilst manual handling if no manual handling training at work has been provided.
- An employee could sustain an injury in a slip, trip or fall on a wet floor due to no wet floor sign being displayed.
- A factory accident could occur due to malfunctioning equipment that injures employees, such as a forklift or conveyor belt.
Please be aware that not all accidents and injuries that happen in the workplace will be the result of employer negligence.
After an accident at work, you may be left wondering, ‘I’ve had an accident at work, what should I do?’. If so, call our team to find out the potential steps you could take.
How Much Compensation Could You Receive From An Accident At The Workplace?
A personal injury payout awarded following a successful claim will include compensation for work-related injuries that addresses the pain and suffering you experienced, as well as the overall impact your injuries have had on your quality of life. This is awarded under general damages.
In order to calculate this head of claim, solicitors can use medical evidence alongside the Judicial College Guidelines to help them. This publication contains guideline award amounts, some of which you can find in the table below.
Compensation Table
Injury Type Compensation Amounts - Guidelines Notes
Severe Back Injuries (i) £91,090 to £160,980 Damage to spinal cord and nerve root causing severe pain and disability.
Severe Arm Injuries £96,160 to £130,930 Severe injuries falling just short of amputation. However, they are still extremely serious and leave the person little better off than if they had lost the arm.
Very Severe Foot Injuries £83,960 to £109,650 Permanent, severe pain or really serious permanent disability caused by the loss of a substantial portion of the heel resulting in mobility being grossly restricted.
Severe Knee Injuries (i) £69,730 to £96,210 A serious knee injury which causes joint disruption, gross ligamentous damage, lengthy treatment and considerable pain as well as function loss.
Severe Leg Injuries (ii) £54,830 to £87,890 Very serious leg injuries resulting in permanent mobility issues.
Very Severe Ankle Injuries £50,060 to £69,700 Transmalleolar fracture with extensive soft-tissue damage.
Serious Hand Injuries £29,000 to £61,910 Injuries have reduced the hand to about 50% capacity.
Severe Hip/Pelvis Injuries (iii) £39,170 to £52,500 A fracture that results in a partially successful hip replacement.
Less Severe Elbow Injuries £15,650 to £32,010 Function impaired but there is no need for major surgery.
Shoulder Injuries £5,150 to £12,240 Fracture of the clavicle.
Please only use these figures as a guide because your settlement will differ depending on the unique details of your case.
What Else Could I Claim For?
Special damages is the other head of claim that could be included in your overall payout. It accounts for the financial losses incurred as a result of your injury. For example:
- Loss of earnings
- Medical expenses
- Travel costs
- Care costs
Evidence will be required to prove your financial losses. For example, you can collect payslips and invoices as well as travel tickets and receipts.
If you would like a personalised estimate of the compensation you could be awarded following a successful accident at work claim, please get in touch using the number at the top of the page.
Make An Accident At Work Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis Using Our Panel Of Solicitors
Whilst it is not essential to work with a solicitor, it can be beneficial as they can offer services to assist you with seeking compensation. For example, the solicitors on our panel can:
- Helping you gather evidence
- Building your case
- Presenting your case in full within the limitation period
- Providing you with regular updates on your case
- Valuing your claim
Additionally, they can provide their services under a No Win No Fee capacity by offering you a contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
Under the terms of a CFA, you will not be charged any fees for your solicitor’s services upfront, during the course of your claim, or if your claim is not successful.
Should your claim prove successful, your solicitor will take a small success fee out of your compensation. The amount they can take is restricted by the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013, so you won’t be overcharged.
Start Your Claim
If you would like to find out whether one of the No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel could represent your claim, contact an advisor for free today. They can carry out a free case assessment and determine whether you have legitimate grounds to make a personal injury compensation claim. If you do, they can assign a solicitor from our panel to begin working on your case.
Additionally, they can answer any questions you have regarding your potential claim, including ‘I’ve had an accident at work, what should I do?’.
To learn more:
- Call on the number at the top of the page.
- Contact us online.
- Message us using our live chat.
Learn More About Making A Serious Injury Claim
For more of our helpful guides:
- Do I need accident at work solicitors near me?
- I had an injury during my probation period – Could I make a claim?
- How to prove liability in a slip and fall case
For more helpful resources:
- Health and Safety Executive – Workplace statistics
- GOV.UK – Request CCTV footage of yourself
- NHS – How to get your medical records
Thank you for reading this guide exploring the question ‘I’ve had an accident at work, what should I do?’. If you require any additional information, call our team on the number above.
Page by WD
Published by NL