Accident At Work Claims Guide | How Much Compensation Can I Claim?
By Danielle Jordan. Last Updated 1st November 2023. If you’ve been injured in an accident at work because your employer breached their duty of care, then you may be entitled to claim compensation.
This guide offers advice on making an accident at work compensation claim. It explains what type of work accidents you may be able to claim for.
We’ll also discuss the eligibility requirements for starting a workplace accident compensation claim. Also, in this guide, we’ll explain more about the duty of care that employers owe their staff.
We will also provide guideline examples of compensation for an injury at work, and the benefits of making a workplace injury claim with the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor.
To speak to an advisor about claiming injury at work compensation, you can contact our team of friendly advisors.
They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help answer your questions and offer advice for free. You can get in touch with our team by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Filling out our online contact form with your query
- Chatting with our specialist solicitors now using our live chat function
Explore Our Guide
- Accident At Work Compensation Examples
- What Are The Criteria For Making An Accident At Work Claim?
- Examples Of Work Accidents
- What Evidence Can Help Prove An Injury At Work Claim?
- How Long Do I Have To Claim For An Accident At Work?
- Accident At Work Claims With No Win No Fee Solicitors
- Additional Guides And Further Resources
Accident At Work Compensation Examples
You may be wondering, ‘How much compensation for a work injury could I receive?’ If your claim for work accident compensation is successful, your settlement could consist of two heads of claim. These are called general and special damages.
General damages compensate for the physical pain and mental suffering that has been caused by your injury at work.
To help them when assigning value to personal injury claims, legal professionals can refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for guidance. This text provides guideline compensation figures for different injuries.
In our table below, we look at a few figures from the 16th edition of the JCG. As each claim is different, these amounts are only provided as guidance.
Injury Type | Additional Details | Example Compensation Award |
---|---|---|
Multiple serious injuries and special damages | Multiple serious injuries alongside financial losses, such as lost earnings, the cost of prescriptions, and the cost of home adjustments. | Up to £1,000,000+ |
Very Severe Head Injuries | Full time nursing care is required as despite the return of eye-opening and waking and sleep patterns, there is little to no meaningful evidence of response to the surrounding environment paired with double incontinence. | £282,010 to £403,990 |
Moderately Severe Head Injuries | There is a very serious cognitive or physical disability with a substantial dependence on others. | £219,070 to £282,010 |
Severe Neck Injuries (i) | Neck injuries that cause spastic quadriparesis, incomplete paraplegia, or that prevents the claimant from moving their neck despite the constant wearing of a collar. | In the region of £148,330 |
Moderate Neck Injuries (i) | Injuries such as dislocations or fractures that immediately cause severe symptoms, as well as chronic conditions. | £24,990 to £38,490 |
Severe Back Injuries (i) | This bracket contains the most severe injuries, such as damage to the spinal cord and nerve root injuries causing paralysis. | £91,090 to £160,980 |
Severe Back Injuries (ii) | These injuries have special features that raise them up from lower brackets, such as nerve root damage that causes some loss of sensation. | £74,160 to £88,430 |
Chest Injuries (b) | A traumatic injury to the lungs or chest that caused permanent damage and reduced a person's life expectancy. | £65,740 to £100,670 |
Moderate Ankle Injuries (c) | A fracture that leads to a less serious disability such as the person having difficulty walking on uneven ground or standing for long periods of time. | £13,740 to £26,590 |
Moderate Knee Injuries (b) (ii) | Brusing, twisting or laceration injuries that cause occasional pain with aching and discomfort. | Up to £13,740 |
What Else Can Accident At Work Compensation Payouts Include?
As mentioned, your claim may also comprise special damages which allow you to claim back any past or future monetary losses. The losses incurred as a direct result of your injuries might include:
- Medical bills, such as the cost of any prescriptions or physiotherapy
- Loss of earnings, including loss of promotion or reduction in pension
- Care costs, including for yourself or anyone else dependent on you
- Home adaptations, such as changes to the structure of your home to make it more accessible
Please note, that you must provide evidence in order to claim back any financial losses under special damages. For instance, you could keep receipts to highlight any medical expenses or payslips to show any lost wages.
If you’re unsure whether you could factor financial losses into your claim for a work accident, get in touch with our team of advisors for free legal advice.
Alternatively, if you have any further questions about how to claim compensation, our team could help.
What Are The Criteria For Making An Accident At Work Claim?
If you are injured because your employer failed to uphold their duty of care, then you may be able to make a claim.
In the UK, employers owe their employees a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). This means they must take all reasonably practicable steps to make sure that their employees are safe while working.
In order to make a claim for compensation, you have to be able to prove that:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care.
- They breached this duty.
- You were injured as a result.
These three factors come together to form employer negligence under tort law.
To learn more about making a claim or to find out if you are eligible to pursue compensation, contact our team of advisors today. They can offer more information on the personal injury claims process and can offer a free evaluation of your case.
Can I Make A Workplace Accident Claim If I’m Self-Employed?
In some cases, you may be able to make a claim if you are self-employed. For example, if you are a self-employed contractor who was working on a construction site, the building site manager may have owed you a duty of care. If they breached this duty of care and caused you harm, it may be possible for you to seek compensation.
An example could include you sustaining a head injury after not being provided with necessary personal protective equipment, such as a hard hat.
To find out more about claiming work injury compensation as a self-employed worker, get in touch with our advisors today. Or, read on to learn more about workplace accident claims.
Examples Of Work Accidents
In order to claim compensation for an injury at work, the accident must have been caused by your employer’s negligence.
To give you an idea of when your employer has breached their duty of care – which is to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of injury in the workplace – we’ll discuss some example scenarios in this section.
Below you will find some injury at work examples:
- If your employer fails to provide you with adequate training on how to lift heavy loads, you may have a manual handling accident, resulting in a back injury.
- If any slip or trip hazards are not identified and absolved, you could potentially suffer a head injury.
- Equipment should be routinely checked to prevent defective equipment causing a potential accident. For example, a ladder accident could occur, causing a spinal cord injury, if a ladder is not checked properly.
Get in touch for free advice on how to claim for a work injury. We could also put you in touch with our expert personal injury solicitors, and who are experts in workplace accident claims.
What Evidence Can Help Prove An Injury At Work Claim?
If you would like to make a claim, you must collect sufficient evidence to support it. This needs to prove both liability for your injury and the injury itself.
If you would like to seek compensation for an injury at work, here are a few examples of items that could support your claim:
- Copies of any medical letters or medical records from hospitals or your GP with details of the nature of the injuries you suffered as well as the treatment you needed.
- The contact details of any witnesses to the accident. They can give witness statements in the claims process.
- A copy of the accident book with details of the accident. Accident logbooks are a legal requirement for any workplace that employs ten or more members of staff.
- Videos of the incident, such as CCTV footage.
- Photographs of either the accident scene or of your injuries (if these are visible).
If you would like free advice on other items you could submit to support your case for compensation, speak with one of the advisors from our team.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For An Accident At Work?
There is a time limit for starting a personal injury claim after a workplace accident. This time limit is set out by the Limitation Act 1980, which states that you have three years to begin a claim for an accident at work.
This runs from the date of the accident that injured you. However, this rule comes with some exceptions.
The time limit is frozen temporarily for those under the age of 18. A litigation friend can start the claim on the claimant’s behalf during this time. If a claim has not been made by their 18th birthday, the three-year time limit will be reinstated from that date.
Furthermore, the time limit is suspended for those who lack the mental capacity to claim for themselves. A litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf during this time.
If the claimant were to recover the appropriate mental capacity, and a claim has not already been made, the time limit will restart from the recovery date.
Get in touch with our team today to find out if you could be eligible to make a claim for workplace injuries.
Accident At Work Claims With No Win No Fee Solicitors
If you are eligible to make a claim for compensation, one of our solicitors with experience with workplace injury claims could help you. They could help you through the claims process and represent you in your case.
Furthermore, they may offer their services to you under a No Win No Fee arrangement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When claiming with a solicitor under a CFA, you won’t have to pay any upfront or ongoing fees for their work. Additionally, if your compensation claim fails, you won’t pay a fee for your solicitor’s services.
If your claim succeeds, your solicitor will take a success fee from your settlement award. This success fee is a small percentage with a legislative cap.
To find out if you could be eligible to work with one of our solicitors, or to learn more about making a claim for a workplace accident, contact our team today. To get started:
- Call on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
Additional Guides And Further Resources
We hope our guide on how to make an accident at work claim and seek accident at work compensation has helped. We have also provided additional guides exploring different aspects of personal injury claims.
- A helpful guide on your rights if you were dismissed after an accident at work.
- To learn more about what to do if you suffer a back injury at work, see our guide.
- A useful guide providing information on whether you could claim compensation after you left the company.
- See our guide if you’re wondering about claiming compensation after you didn’t take time off work.
- Read our compensation claims for night shift accidents.
- Find out about claiming compensation after an accident at work with no safety shoes.
- Read our guide to see if you can make an accident at work claim without an injury.
- Find out what your employers’ responsibilities are after an accident at work?.
- Find out if you can make a claim after being injured at work on your probation period.
- I had an accident at work, what are my rights?
- Head here to learn more about accident claims and find advice on your legal rights
- Brain injury claims
- Mesothelioma and asbestos exposure claims
- Get compensation for a car accident
- Serious injury claims
- Motorcycle accident claims
- Medical misdiagnosis claims
- Hospital negligence claims
- What does No Win No Fee mean?
- Head injury claims
- Try our whiplash compensation calculator
- How to find No Win No Fee solicitors
- What is the personal injury claims process?
- How to make a PTSD compensation claim
- Who’s responsible for recording injuries at work?
- Easyjet Data Breach Compensation Claims Guide
- How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Tesco Accident?
- How long after an injury at work can I claim compensation?
- Industrial Deafness Claims
- Permanent Scar Injury Claims Guide
- Why not check out our knee injury settlement calculator
- How to receive compensation for a hernia injury
- Foot injury claims guide
- Care home claims guide
- Finger injury claims guide
- How to sue a company for an injury
- Can I sue my employer for a slip and fall?
- Hairdresser injury compensation claims
- Claiming compensation after a rail crash
- What is the minimum speed for a whiplash claim?
- How to make a compensation claim for industrial dermatitis
- Slipped on ice? Learn how to claim compensation
- Partial finger amputation compensation guide
- Burn injury claims guide
- Ladder Accident Claims Guide
- Head here to see our guide on No Win No Fee solicitors for the Luton area
- No Report Or Record In The Work Accident Book – Can You Still Claim?
- Concussion Injury Claims Guide
- Faulty Chair Claims Guide
- Car Accident Claim Time Limits Explained
- Agency Workers Accident At Work
- Will Suing My Employer Create Problems?
- Can I Claim For An Accident In An Office?
- How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Warehouse Injury?
- Accident at Work Solicitors
- How Long After An Injury at Work Can I Claim Compensation?
- How Much Compensation For Arm Injury Claims?
- Settlements For Broken Teeth
- Hand Injury Accident Claims – How Much Compensation Can I Claim?
- Broken Jaw Bone Compensation Claims
- I Had An Accident But Did Not Report It, Can I Still Claim?
- Nursery Accident Claims
- Gym Accident Claims Guide
- What To Do When the Insurance Company Denies Liability
- Trip Over Tools Work Accident Claims
- Compensation For Whiplash Guide
- Liverpool Personal Injury Solicitors
- Fractured Vertebrae Compensation
- How Much Can I Claim For An Accident Caused By Dangerous Machinery At Work?
- I Was Injured At Work, What Are My Rights?
- I Had An Accident At Work, Is My Employer Liable?
- Facial Injury Claims
- I hurt myself at work, can I claim?
- Read this article to learn more about accident at work abroad claims
- How to Prove An Accident at Work Claim
- £125,000 Compensation For Fractured Sternum Case Study Guide
- Temporary Worker Rights After An Accident At Work
- Attacked As A Lone Worker Claims
- Claiming When An Employee Did Not Report An Injury
- Temporary Worker Rights After An Accident At Work
- Can I Claim Compensation If I Am A Agency Worker?
- Sick Pay After An Accident At Work Explained
- Can I Be Sacked For Claiming Against My Employer?
- Can I Claim For Being Dismissed After An Accident At Work?
- Accident at Work Solicitors
- Steps To Take When Injured At Work
- Can I Claim For An Accident At Work Injury When At Fault?
- Accident At Work Claim Time Limits Explained
- How To Make Inadequate Tools And Equipment Claims
- Back Injury Caused By No Health And Safety Training Claims
- Gardener Injury Claims Explained
- I Fell Through A Roof At Work – Can I Claim?
- Carpet / Lino Slip Trip At Work – Can I Claim?
- Kitchen Slip Or Trip Claim Guide – How To Claim
- Rubbish Bag Injury At Work Claims Guide
We have also provided the following external resources that could help:
- Visit the HSE website to find out about the different types of reportable incidents under RIDDOR.
- See the NHS website for any medical advice following an injury at work.
- For more information on claiming compensation after an accident or injury, see the government website.