How Much Compensation Can i Claim For A Homebase Accident?
Have you been injured by an accident at Homebase? You could be entitled to to make a Homebase accident claim for compensation, if you were a customer, or an employee who was injured in Homebase in an accident that wasn’t your fault. Trust Legal Expert to manage your claim and get you the compensation you are entitled to.
Who are Homebase? Homebase are one of the UK’s largest DIY retail stores Started by retail giant Sainsburys they offer a supermarket style approach to shopping for DIY supplies and gardening products. According to Statista, the UK home and garden industry is a growing industry, which was worth over 39 million Euros in 2017. As of April 2017 Homebase had 255 branches in the United Kingdom and also has several in the Republic of Ireland.
Select a section
- A Guide To Homebase Accident Claims
- DIY Store Accident Claims
- What Can Homebase Store Accident Claims Include?
- What Is Homebase’s Duty of Care?
- HomeBase Accident At Work Compensation Claims
- Slip, Trip and Fall In Homebase Compensation Claims
- A Guide To Homebase Forklift Trucks Accident Claims
- Storage And Racking Accident At Homebase
- How To Make Accident at Homebase Compensation Claims
- How much Compensation Can I Claim for A Homebase Accident Claim?
- Homebase No Win No Fee Claims
- Why Choose Legal Expert or your Homebase Accident Claim?
- Call Us For Free To Start Your Claim
- Useful Links
A Guide To Homebase Accident Claims
As we have already clarified Homebase are a major chain of DIY stores, operating in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The stores offer a “supermarket” style approach to DIY shopping, with a large range of hardware, home fixtures, fittings and garden products all under one roof. Under the Health and Safety Act of 1974 retail businesses, including Homebase have a duty of care to provide a safe and hygienic environment for customers and staff alike. This essentially means anticipating any potential hazards which create a risk of injury or illness to persons in their shop and putting 
processes (also known as control measures) in place to ensure that accidents do not take place. This can include accidents that happened on the shop floor, or in areas which are just for staff, such as storage areas. This could be something as simple as making sure a shelving display is correctly fixed to the wall, so it can’t fall on a customer, or sign correctly sign posting a floor which has just been mopped, so customers know to show caution and don’t slip on the wet surface.
Whilst a lot of Health and Safety practises are “common sense”, in a professional environment retail stores such as Homebase need to put certain processes in place to ensure that proper Healthy and Safety practises are upheld in a correct manner. This includes: conducting regular risk assessments of the premises, putting in place appropriate control measures to manage these risks, providing adequate training to staff of all levels to ensure they understand how uphold appropriate levels of Health and Safety, and displaying a Health and Safety Law poster.
Why is it is imperative that Homebase upholds proper Health and Safety practises such as these? Firstly, it is unacceptable for a store no matter how large or small to knowingly put members of the public at risk. Secondly, if an accident at Homebase does occur, and an investigation finds that it is due to negligence on the part of the store, the injured party could be entitled to claim compensation from the Homebase; which could cost them untold amounts in payments and damage to their reputation.
Have you been involved in Homebase store accident that was not your fault? If the accident that occurred was due to negligence on the part of the company then you could be entitled to make a Homebase Accident Claim. These can include Homebase no win no fee claims, which minimise the financial risk to you. We, Legal Expert, are experienced in helping injured customers and employees make successful compensation claims against a DIY or furniture store giants. This guide will explain the sort of accidents you can claim for and how much compensation you may be entitled to, in more detail.
DIY Store Accident Claims
A large DIY superstore such as Homebase is a unique retail environment, which presents its own set of risks. Most Homebase premises are large with a shop floor set up which is a cross between a supermarket and a warehouse. The stores also have large warehouse style storage areas, where items are stored on high racks and forklift trucks are in operation.
Here are some common DIY store accidents:
- Slip, trip and fall in Homebase: These may include slips that were caused by wet floors, where a spill was not immediately mopped up. Slips, trips and falls at Homebase can also be caused if a floor is damp from having been recently mopped up and there is no proper signage indicating that the floor is wet. Special care should also been taken in the stores outdoor “garden centre” departments, where watering plants may also cause wet floors.
- Slips, trips and falls can also be caused by faulty or damaged railings, or railings that were not properly fixed to the wall. A fall can potentially cause broken bones, back injuries or cause the victim to hit their head on a wall, floor, or a piece of furniture.
- Loose displays causing an accident at Homebase: Homebase also sells household furniture, fixtures and fitting such as kitchen and bathroom suites. Sample items are often displayed in store, to promote these items. If these items are not properly fixed to the floor or calls, they can come loose when customers handle them. In extreme cases they can cause customers to fall, or fall on top of customers and crush them.
- An accident in Homebase caused by high shelving and racking: Homebase stores have a warehouse style set up with high ceilings and items being stored on tall shelves, or racks, often high above the ground. These can include large and heavy items such as doors. If an item falls off one of these high displays onto a Homebase customer or member of staff, it can cause serious injuries, including death.
- Forklift accidents: Homebase sells plenty of heavy household items, from lawnmowers, to fencing, to fencing. Each store has a large warehouse style storage facility. These larger items are moved around by forklift truck. If improperly used forklift accidents can occur: These can include: forklift overturn, workers being struck by a forklift and falls from a forklift. According to The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is an agency of the United States Department of Labor, 70% of forklift accidents can be avoided if proper training and safety procedures are undertaken.
- An accident at Homebase can also take place if the premises is improperly maintained. This includes the entranceway, common parts and exterior points such as the car park. Proper management of the car park is essential, as Homebase stores are often situated on large out of town estates which require a large and busy car park. The added hazzard of customers unloading large heavy purchases onto trolleys can also create additional risk of a DIY store accident.
What Can Homebase Accident Claims Include?
If you have been involved in an accident at Homebase which was not your fault then you may be entitled to claim compensation. People have managed to make a compensation claim against a DIY or furniture store for a wide range of accidents. These can include: a slip, trip and fall at Homebase, forklift accidents and lacerations due to blades being improperly stored. Injuries caused by items improperly stored on shelves or racking, and display items coming loose that have fallen on top of customers or employees can also be claimed for. If the injury you have experienced is not on this this list but has caused you significant harm you may still have a valid claim for compensation. Please get in contact with us, Legal Expert, for your free consultation. You will receive free legal advice and we will be able to assess whether or not you have a valid claim.
What Is Homebase’s Duty of Care?
As a retail store, Homebase has a duty of care to uphold to its customers and members of staff, regarding their Health and Safety. As we have already explained, the business must ensure that certain processes are acted upon to uphold proper health and safety standards. This includes: conducting regular risk assessments of the premises, putting in place appropriate control measures to manage these risks, providing adequate training to staff of all levels to ensure they understand how uphold appropriate levels of Health and Safety, and displaying a Health and Safety Law poster. Companies of a certain size must also have a trained Health and Safety officer amongst their staff. As Homebase staff may have to undertake activities that wouldn’t be expected of most retail workers, such as driving forklift trucks or stacking heavy items onto high warehouse style shelves, specialist training may be required.
If the duty of care that a retail store upholds is broken, then the injured party may be able to seek compensation. In 1990 The House of Lords determined that the definition of duty of care was three-fold, as follows:
- The harm must of occured to due to the retailer’s/employers action, or inaction. The harm also must have been foreseeable to the employer.
- There must be a relationship between the claimant and defendant, for example store owner and patron, or employer and employee.
- There must be a reasonable cause to impose a liability (legal responsibility) of duty of care onto the establishment the claim is being made against.
In conclusion then, if you have been injured in a Homebase store accident you may be able to make a Homebase accident claim. However you must be able to prove that the injury wasn’t your fault and was due to negligence on the part of the Homebase store. You must also be able to prove that the injury that was something foreseeable, within in reason. At Legal Expert, we have decades of experience helping the public make legal claims against retail stores whose neglect of their duty of care has resulted in a customer or employee becoming injured. We treat every claimant as an individual, and deal with each case on a case by case basis. If you think you can make a compensation claim against a DIY or furniture store, we would love to help you get the compensation you deserve.
HomeBase Accident At Work Compensation Claims
Across the UK’s burgeoning retail sector, around 2,250 injuries occur per 100,000 employees. This is according to statistics produced by the Health and Safety Executive. The HSE identifies the most common workplace injuries as being caused by slips, trips, and falls (a single category), muscle strains, repetitive strain injuries, and injuries caused by being hit by a falling object or being crushed. These are all common types of workplace accidents which could lead a claimant to need to make a HomeBase accident at work claim. At Legal Expert, we can offer retail employees our no win no fee claim service to help you make a workplace accident claim.
Slip, Trip and Fall In Homebase Compensation Claims
If you have suffered a slip, trip or fall in a Homebase store, whether you were a customer or an employee, you could be entitled to make an accident at Homebase compensation claim.
Slips, trips and falls should be taken very seriously. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), slips, trips and falls are the most common form of workplace injury. Sadly, 40% of these accidents result in more serious injuries and medical complications. The complications resulting from a slip, trip and fall at Homebase can be very serious. In 2008, there was one case that made the news where a customer fell backwards on a flight of stairs at a Homebase store, hitting her head. She was knocked unconscious and died in hospital from a brain hemorrhage the next day. A subsequent investigation found that the staircase on which the fatal accident occurred was built within relevant building regulations at the time of construction. However Health and Safety Expert Robert Shaw told the Coroner that he believed the staircase construction was unsafe, because the gap between the handrails was too wide and one step was an inch higher than all the others, which could easily disorientate a customer. Because the staircase construction was legal at the time it was built, the victim’s family were not able to successfully make a Homebase accident claim. However, the accident potentially could have cost Homebase untold amounts of money in compensation payment. What’s more, a serious or fatal accident resulting in a slip, trip or fall in Homebase can also cost the store immeasurable amounts in loss of moral credibility and reputation damage.
A Guide to Homebase Fork Truck Accident Claims
If you were injured in a fork truck accident at Homebase that was not your fault, you could be entitled to make a forklift accident claim from the company. The law applies to you whether you were a customer or an employee.
Forklift accidents are sadly a very common occurrence for employees working in a warehouse, storage or distribution environment. According to Croner-i 13,000 UK workers are hospitalised each year with serious injuries. There have been serious incidents reported in the past where workers at Swift Caravans in Hull and an Amazon distribution centre in the US have suffered fatal injuries due to forklift accidents. Homebase ought to take heed from B&Q, a similar DIY superstore, which in recent years has undergone hefty fines due to fork truck accidents. In an employee was pinned against a wall, on another account a customer was killed in a forklift accident. After a thorough investigation, B&Q was found to be in breach of numerous Health and Safety regulations and the company was fined £65,000 and £550,000 for each forklift accident respectively. As well as potentially costing businesses like Homebase numerous amounts of money in compensation claims, these forklift accidents have a serious human cost and also destroy the employee’s and customer’s trust in the business. With a potentially dangerous piece of equipment like a forklift, there is no excuse for violating Health and Safety regulations.
Storage And Racking Accident At Homebase
Have you been injured in a Homebase store accident involving storage and racking facilities? Whether you were an employee or a customer, if the accident was due to negligence on the part of the company, you may be entitled to make a Homebase accident claim for compensation.
There are two types of injuries that are common in DIY stores and storage, around shelving and racking. The first type of injury is due to incorrect manual handling of goods to be placed into storage, or on the display shelves in store. According to Healthy Working Lives one third of reportable injuries which last over three days and over 10% of serious injuries involve manual handling. What’s more an estimated 12.3 million working days are lost due to manual handling related injuries. Employers such as Homebase have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to ensure that employees avoid manual handling related injuries. This includes carrying out risk assessments and taking reasonable measures to ensure that manual handling related injuries are not caused. Training staff on how to lift heavy objects, work in teams where necessary is important. As is ensuring that staff only lift objects within their guideline weights, to prevent a DIY store accident from taking place.
Another very serious problem, which particularly affects DIY stores like Homebase is the problem of items falling from high shelving and racking displays and injuring customers. As Homebase stores are a unique retail environment where items for sale are displayed on high shelves (including heavy items ranging from front doors, to lawn mowers, to paint cans), it is essential that the stores follow recommended guidelines on how to stack items safely to ensure falling object accidents are avoided. This includes ensuring items are stacked correctly and ensuring shelving and racking has been properly assembled and cannot collapse.
Sadly some of these accidents can be fatal. Homebase can learn from the mistakes of its High Street rival B&Q who has seen multiple accidents of this type over the years. In 2009 a customer in the Republic of Ireland was killed and an employee had a “near miss” after a fencing unit fell from a high shelf. There have also been other incidents in British B&Q stores where an employee was knocked unconscious after a lawnmower fell on their head and another incident where a door fell on a customer’s head. These incidents forced the company to be fined £28,000 and £10,000 respectively. Again the severity of these accidents cost DIY super stores like Homebase greatly financially but also cost them untold amounts in reputation damage and moral credibility.
How To Make Accident at Homebase Compensation Claims
If you are injured in a Homebase store accident, you could make sure that you follow certain procedures on the day, which will help your case. Firstly, take photographs of any visible evidence of the hazard that caused your injury, secondly, get the contact details of any eye witnesses to the accident. If you have already been injured in a Homebase store accident, then don’t worry, your solicitor can help to carry out an investigation around the incident. Retail stores are required by Health and Safety regulations to record all accidents in their incident log book. Check that they record your accident and injury accurately.
At Legal Expert, we assess each accident at Homebase compensation claim on its unique circumstances and treat each claimant with respect. You will be given a free, no obligation consultation where you will receive legal advice. During the consultation your lawyer will establish whether or not the accident at Homebase was the fault of the store. If we decide to take on your case then we will help you collect incriminating evidence against the store; contacting witnesses and going through medical records if necessary, to determine the extent of the injuries that you sustained. If you wish, you can make a Homebase no win no fee claim, which will mean that you can claim compensation without any financial risk to you. To begin the process and start making an accident at Homebase compensation claim, please call 0800 073 8804 to speak to one of our friendly advisors.
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Homebase Accident Claim?
If you are liable for compensation, the interactive table below can give you a rough idea of how much you might be make from your accident at Homebase compensation claim. However please be aware that each Homebase accident claim is different, so actual compensation rates will vary on a case-by case basis. Therefore, please only consult this table as a guideline.
| Injury | Severity | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knee injury | Moderate | £22,250 – £33,200 | Including moderate injuries and damage to the joint, as well as ongoing pain and (some reduction in function). |
| Elbow injury | Moderate | £11,400 – £23,900 | Injuries including partial loss of use or function of the elbow joint. Claimant may also have some pain in the elbow. |
| Shoulder injury | Moderate | £6,250 – £9,750 | Injuries will cause pain and may restrict shoulder and arm movement. |
| Back injury | Moderate | £8,750 – 30,750 | More serious injureis include damage to the back as a whole, ongoing pain. |
| Back Injury | Severe | £69,200 – £122,350 | Including injuries of the spine and nerve roots or clusters. Such injuries can lead to a combination of serious consequences. |
| Chest Injuries | Moderate | Up to £3,000 | Injuries including (not limited to) fractures of the chest and ribs which lead to disability or longer term pain. |
| Neck Injuries | Severe | £50,000 – £99,500 | Serious and severe neck injuries can include serious damage to spinal discs. |
| Foot Injury | Mild | Up to £10,450 | More mild foot injuries which the claimant will fully recover from. |
| Foot Injury | Moderate | £10,450 to £19,000 | Moderate foot injuries, such as loss of function in one or both feet. |
| Foot Injury | Severe | £31,900 to £53,200 | Severe foot injuries can include injuries up to and including the complete amputation of one or both feet. |
For a more accurate estimate of how much compensation you could claim, please call Legal Expert’s offices, to speak to a friendly advisor on 0800 073 8804 to see how much your Homebase accident claim could be worth.
Homebase No Win No Fee Claims
Legal Expert understands that if your life has been turned upside down by an accident that wasn’t your fault, you might have experienced a loss of income and may not want the additional stress and risk of paying an upfront fee. Therefore we arrange for a solicitor who offers a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), also known as a “no win no fee” service. This means that you will only pay the solicitor’s fees, if your accident at Homebase compensation claim is successful, eliminating any financial risk on your part.
Why Choose Legal Expert For Your Homebase Accident Claim?
We are Legal Expert, a trusted legal advisor who works with some of the country’s top solicitors in the field of Personal Injury Law. Many of our lawyers have decades of experience helping injured customers and employees of retailers, who experienced accidents due to the company’s negligence, claim what they are due. What’s more, if you are not offered a satisfactory amount in compensation in the first instance, we will fight aggressively to get you the payout amount you are actually due.
If you have a legitimate personal injury claim to make against Homebase or another DIY store, call Legal Expert today on our free phone number to speak to an understanding advisor. After we have reviewed your case, we will match you with an expert personal injury lawyer to take on your case.
Call Us For Free To Start Your Claim
The time is now to make a compensation claim against a DIY or furniture store that caused you to be injured. You suffered an injury due to negligence on the part of Homebase, trust Legal Expert to help you claim what you are owed.
Call us today on 0800 073 8804 to begin the process. Or alternatively, use the chat function on this page to speak to an advisor, or fill out our claim online form today to make your enquiry. We will follow up with a free legal consultation to see if you can claim compensation for an accident at Homebase. This includes Homebase no win no fee claims. Contact us now, and let us help you make your compensation claim.
Useful links
No Win No Fee Compensation Claims Guide and Free Advice
A complete guide to making a “no win no fee” compensation claim with LegalExpert.co.uk.
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Supermarket Accident Claim?
Help and advice on making compensation claims if you have were injured in a supermarket accident, due to their negligence.
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Warehouse Injury?
Help and advice on making compensation claims if you have sustained a warehouse injury, due to another’s negligence.
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Slip, Trip or Fall Claim?
Help and advice on making compensation claims if you have had a slip or a fall due to another’s negligence.
How Much Can I Claim For A Manual Handling Injury?
Help and advice on making compensation claims if you have had a manual handling injury due to another’s negligence.
