An injury sustained from a plastic tote box can be caused by your employer or even by a box manufacturer. Have you been injured in a plastic tote box accident? Did you suffer injuries as a result? If the answer is yes, please read our helpful plastic tote box injury claims guide and learn if you could be eligible for compensation.
Key Takeaways
- According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 17% of non-fatal work injuries were due to handling, lifting or carrying between 2023 and 2024.
- You could make a claim directly against the manufacturer for product liability compensation, or against your employer for personal injury following an accident at work with a plastic tote box.
- A faulty plastic tote box can cause injuries due to inadequate packaging or a manufacturing error, such as missing parts and jagged edges.
- To prove that a manufacturing issue occurred with a plastic tote box, you could provide product evidence, an insurance policy and receipts to support your purchase.
- One of our No Win No Fee solicitors could help you make your compensation claim.
At Legal Expert, our advisors are committed to providing the best service as possible to clients seeking compensation. As part of the free services that we offer, you could enjoy an eligibility consultation to decipher the strengths of your case. If your claim is strong, you could be connected with one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors who have decades of combined experience. To start your plastic tote box claim today, feel free to get in touch:
4.8 (466 reviews) How To Make Plastic Tote Box Injury Claims
Firstly, to be eligible to make plastic tote box injury claims, you must be able to prove that the negligent actions of another caused your injuries.
You could make a plastic tote box injury claim against your employer following an accident at work. Alternatively, a claim could be made against the manufacturer if the product was defective or faulty.
Below, we explain in more detail when you could make a claim in each of the scenarios.
Claims Against My Employer
In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), employers have a duty of care toward their employees. Essentially, employers should take reasonably practicable steps to ensure the safety of their employees while performing their duties. For instance, employers should provide training sessions and regularly inspect machinery as part of their duty of care.
Moreover, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 state that it is an employer’s duty to ensure all work equipment is safe for its intended purposes.
Therefore, if you’ve sustained injuries in a plastic tote box accident due to your employer’s negligent actions, you could make an accident at work claim.
Claims Against The Manufacturer
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, products must be of satisfactory quality, arrive as described and be able to be used for their intended purpose. A product may be deemed as faulty if the product does not meet this criterion.
There are 3 main types of defect:
- Failure to warn about any possible issues with the product
- Design of the product
- Manufacturer issues
Therefore, if you’ve suffered an injury due to a defective plastic tote box, you could make a claim against the manufacturer for compensation under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
For further information about how to make claims against the manufacturer, please contact one of our friendly advisors today.
4.8 (466 reviews) What Are Some Examples Of Plastic Tote Box Accidents?
There are many scenarios that may give rise to plastic tote box accidents. As such, please see the following examples and how they could lead to plastic tote box injury claims as a result:
- Your employer may have stacked too many plastic tote boxes on top of each other in a warehouse. As a result, plastic boxes could fall from a height, leading to severe head, back and crush injuries.
- Your employer may have left a stack of plastic tote boxes in the walkways of your building, causing you to trip and fall over them. You could suffer from knee and leg injuries as a result.
- Your employer may have instructed you to carry heavy plastic tote boxes, despite having never provided manual handling training. Consequently, you could drop the box due to improper lifting technique and suffer a broken foot.
- Several plastic boxes may have been placed in weak packaging, rendering it unable to withstand the weight of the boxes. As such, the plastic tote boxes could fall out, causing ankle injuries and a foot injury.
- A plastic tote box could have cracks, dents, missing parts or jagged edges, leading to a cut finger, bleeding and laceration scarring.
Please note that the above list is not exhaustive; plastic tote box injuries can be sustained in many different workplace situations.
To discuss your plastic tote box accident with one of our friendly advisors, please get in touch with our team today.
How Can I Prove Liability For A Plastic Tote Box Injury?
To prove liability for a plastic tote box injury, you will need to present sufficient evidence regarding your injuries and how your accident occurred.
Some examples of evidence you could gather to support a claim against your employer include:
- Your medical records which details your injuries
- A copy of an accident report form, which details your accident.
- CCTV footage of the accident. You have a legal right to request CCTV footage of yourself.
- Contact details of potential witnesses who could support your version of events at a later date
- Photographs of any visual injuries
In addition to this, if you alternatively wish to claim against the plastic box manufacturer, you could provide:
- A receipt or invoice confirming the purchase of the defective product
- Any evidence of product warranty or insurance cover
- Correspondence between yourself and the manufacturer addressing the defect
- Product evidence, such as retaining the faulty box in its original condition and packaging
- Your medical records to show the injuries you sustained.
If you’re connected with one of our specialist No Win No Fee solicitors, they could help gather evidence on your behalf. To start your claim today, please contact one of our friendly advisors.
What Compensation Can Be Awarded In Plastic Tote Box Injury Claims?
What compensation can be awarded in plastic tote box injury claims will depend on what harm was suffered, how severe this harm was and how it has impacted your daily life.
Any injuries you suffered would be compensated under general damages in your personal injury claim.
Your medical report and the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) will be used by a solicitor when calculating the value of your general damages. Legal professionals will use the JCG publication as it contains compensation guidelines for a range of injuries.
All entries in the table below, aside from the first figure, have been taken from the JCG. Please note that they are merely guidelines and do not guarantee how much compensation you will receive.
| Injury | Severity | Estimated Compensation Pay-out |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries with financial losses | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Brain Damage | Moderately Severe | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 | |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (i) | In the region of £181,020 |
| Back Injuries | Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Wrist Injuries | A loss of function to the wrist | £58,710 to £73,050 |
| Hand Injuries | Severe Fractures to Fingers | Up to £44,840 |
| Leg Injuries | Severe (iv) Moderate | £33,880 to £47,840 |
| Foot Injuries | Moderate | £16,770 to £30,500 |
Additionally, you could also be awarded with special damages, which aim to reimburse you for any financial losses you suffered due to your injuries. For instance, you may have paid out of your own pocket for long-term physiotherapy sessions to aid a hip injury.
You could therefore claim for the following special damages:
- Loss of earnings
- Medical expenses
- Travel costs
- Home modification costs
- Care costs
It’s crucial that you provide evidence to support your special damages, such as invoices, receipts and payslips. To learn more about special damages, please contact our team today.
4.8 (466 reviews) How Long Will I Have To Bring A Totebox Injury Claim?
You will have 3 years to bring a totebox injury claim forward. As per the Limitation Act 1980, the 3-year time limit will begin from the accident date.
The same 3-year time limit also applies to claims against the manufacturer. As such, claims must be made within 3 years:
- From the date of the injury, or;
- The date you became aware that your injuries were due to a faulty plastic tote box
Moreover, the following exceptions apply:
- If the claimant is a child, the 3-year time limit to start their claim begins from their 18th birthday.
- If the claimant has insufficient mental capacity, they can only make a claim by themselves if they make a full recovery. From this date, they will have 3 years to do so.
In both situations, you could claim on a loved one’s behalf as a litigation friend. To learn more about this, please get in touch today.
How Can Legal Expert Help Me To Claim For My Plastic Totebox Accident?
At Legal Expert, our advisors work meticulously around the clock to answer questions and provide advice. Moreover, you could be connected with one of our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors who are experts in plastic tote box injury claims. Operating under a Conditional Fee Agreement, you could experience the following:
- No solicitor service fees at the beginning of your claim, or throughout the process
- No solicitor fees in the event that your claim is unsuccessful
- If your claim is successful, you’ll be required to pay a success fee. This is taken from your compensation as a percentage that is legally capped.
Our expert solicitors can provide regular claim updates, explanations of legal terminology, help with arranging physiotherapy, and much more. To learn about the further benefits of starting a claim with Legal Expert, please contact us today:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Use our free live chat feature
Learn More
To learn more about personal injury claims, please see some of our other guides:
- Learn about leisure centre accident claims
- Get help with dangerous machinery at work injury claims
- See the following advice on how to claim after a ladder accident
Additional external resources:
- See the following advice on when to call 999 from the NHS
- Learn about manual handling at work from HSE
- Get help with applying for statutory sick pay from Gov.uk
Thank you for reading our plastic tote box injury claims guide.
