In this guide, we explain accident at work lawyers and whether hiring a No Win No Fee solicitor could prove beneficial when claiming compensation. We explore your employer’s duty of care, owed to all employees. Also, we explain the legislation that governs this.
Accident at work lawyers claim guide
When the duty of care is breached, workplace injuries could happen. We explore a few examples of injuries that could be caused by employer negligence. We look at what steps you could take following an injury at work and how these could help strengthen your compensation claim.
We’ve provided examples of injuries and their potential values and will explain the different heads of claim. This guide also explores what evidence you might be expected to provide in order to claim.
Additionally, we look at No Win No Fee agreements and their benefits. We also explore how one of the No Win No Fee accident at work lawyers from our panel could help your claim.
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Choose A Section
- Do I Need Accident At Work Lawyers For My Claim?
- Typical Accidents In Work
- How Do I Prove My Accident Claim?
- Using Accident At Work Lawyers To Value Compensation
- Could I Save Money With A No Win No Fee Agreement?
- Additional Guidance About Accident At Work Lawyers
Do I Need Accident At Work Lawyers For My Claim?
Your employer owes you a duty of care as set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). It may not be possible to eliminate workplace risks entirely, but your employer must take reasonably practicable steps to reduce them under the HASAWA.
You may experience an injury if your employer breaches this duty of care, making a compensation claim possible. You do not have to hire accident at work lawyers, however, legal representation could prove beneficial to your claim.
This is because accident at work solicitors have experience working with these kinds of claims. They can offer you advice on guidance on collecting evidence and when to accept or reject an offer of compensation, among other things.
Furthermore, they can ensure that all of the aspects of your claim are covered. This is important because if you miss something out of your claim, you can’t then go back and claim again.
Contact our advisors if you have experienced an injury at work due to employer negligence.
Current Statistics For Work Accidents
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) collects workplace injury statistics, including those reported under the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This is a self-reported survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
693,000 non-fatal injuries were recorded by the LFS in 2019/20. This equated to around 2,160 incidents per 100,000 workers.
Typical Accidents In Work
If your employer neglects their duty of care, it could lead to workplace injuries. If an accident at work results in an injury and it was caused by an employer’s breach of duty of care, you may want to claim compensation using accident at work lawyers.
We’ve provided a few examples of how employer negligence could result in an injury:
- Inadequate training. Employers should provide all training required to safely carry out work duties for free. For example, if you are not trained to use a particular piece of equipment, then you might not know how to operate the emergency stop button. This could then result in an injury to yourself or colleagues.
- Lack of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). If any PPE is required to carry out your job role safely, then it should be provided by your employer for free. Furthermore, your employer should replace it if it’s no longer fit for purpose.
- Faulty equipment. Your employer should keep equipment checks up-to-date. Any equipment deemed unsafe should not be used until it is repaired or replaced. Malfunctioning machinery, for example, could topple over resulting in a crushing injury.
Contact our advisors to discuss the circumstances of employer negligence surrounding your injury.
How Do I Prove My Accident Claim?
A workplace injury must have been caused by employer negligence in order to claim compensation. The actions you take following your injury could help strengthen your claim.
After an injury you could:
- Seek medical attention. Details of the diagnosis and treatment you received from a visit to a doctor or the hospital following your injury should be in your medical records. These could be submitted as evidence. Also, if you are claiming compensation, you might be invited to an independent medical appointment for a more detailed assessment of your injuries.
- Note witnesses. If there are any witnesses, you could make a note of their contact details. Legal professionals could contact them for a statement at a later date.
- Request CCTV. There might be footage of the accident that led to your injury. You could request CCTV footage from the relevant person.
- Ask for legal advice. Accident at work lawyers can be beneficial if you decide to claim compensation. Working with a solicitor offers a number of benefits.
To find out more information about how you could take steps to strengthen your claim, contact our advisors for free legal advice.
Using Accident At Work Lawyers To Value Compensation
Following an injury at work, if you choose to claim, your settlement may come with two heads; general damages and special damages. We’ve included some information on both heads below.
General Damages
The part of your claim that compensates you for your injuries and any emotional distress suffered as a result is called general damages. Legal professionals refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them value claims. This document provides a list of injuries with the potential compensation brackets. The below table provides a few examples from the JCG. It is for illustrative purposes only.
| Injury | Potential Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kidney damage (a) | £169,400 to £210,400 | Serious permanent damage to or loss of both kidneys. |
| Moderate brain damage (ii) | £90,720 to £150,110 | Moderate to modest deficit of intellect and some epilepsy risk. |
| Very severe facial scarring | £29,780 to £97,330 | Disfiguring with a severe psychological reaction in relatively young claimants. |
| Moderately severe post traumatic stress disorder | £23,150 to £59,860 | Effects are likely to result in significant disability for the foreseeable future, however, some recovery is possible with professional help. |
| Moderate neck injuries (i) | £24,990 to £38,490 | Severe immediate symptoms, including from fractures and dislocations. |
| Bladder damage (d) | £23,410 to £31,310 | Some fairly long-term interference with natural function. |
| Less serious leg injuries (i) | £17,960 to £27,760 | Incomplete recovery from fractures or serious soft tissue injury. |
| Arm injuries | £6,610 to £19,200 | Forearm fractures. |
| Chest injuries (e) | £5,320 to £12,590 | Inhalation of toxic fumes or smoke with some residual damage. |
| Minor shoulder injuries (i) | £4,350 to £7,890 | Soft tissue injury but almost a complete recovery in less than two years. |
Special Damages
You might be able to recover costs incurred due to your injuries under special damages. However, you must supply evidence of the costs. This could mean saving receipts, for example.
You could recover costs for:
- Personal items. If any of your belongings were damaged in the accident that caused your injury, you could recover the costs of having them repaired or replaced. For example, if your sunglasses broke during a fall.
- Loss of earnings. Your employer might have a sickness pay scheme or you might be eligible for statutory sick pay. However, you could still recover your loss earnings. This includes time to attend medical appointments.
- Transport. Any taxi fares, bus fares or mileage to and from medical appointments could be recovered.
To discuss what special damages you could claim and what evidence you should save, contact our advisors. If they feel your claim is valid, they could connect you with one of the accident at work lawyers from our panel.
Could I Save Money With A No Win No Fee Agreement?
If you choose to claim compensation, you might want to hire accident at work lawyers. A No Win No Fee agreement is one way to hire legal representation.
No Win No Fee means there are no upfront solicitor fees, which minimises the financial risk connected with hiring legal representation. A legally capped success fee will be taken from your award should your claim prove successful. If it’s not successful, then you don’t pay this fee.
Speak To Us About Accident At Work Lawyers
Our advisors are ready to discuss your claim 24 hours per day, seven days a week. They are happy to discuss the employer negligence that led to your injury and what evidence you could supply to help strengthen your claim. Eligible claims may be put in contact with a panel of personal injury solicitors.
To start your No Win No Fee claim today:
- Contact us with the online form
- Use the live chat feature
- Click on the banner at the top of the page
Additional Guidance About Accident At Work Lawyers
We’ve provided the following links that you may find useful:
- Information about statutory sick pay (SSP) from the government.
- NHS guide to first aid.
- A guide to requesting CCTV footage of yourself from the government.
And some helpful guides with more information about accident at work lawyers:
- More About Witness Statements And How They Can Support Work Accident Claims
- Sick Pay Following An Accident At Work
- Can I Use A Calculator For Accident At Work Claims?
- Accident At Work Claims – How To Start A Claim
- A Close Look At Accident At Work Reporting
Writer Danielle Bunch
Editor Fern Sykes