Solicitors Specialising in Work Accident Compensation
How widespread are workplace injuries?
There are still simply far too many accidents at work in the UK. According to recent figures released by the Health and Safety Executive, 2019/20 saw a huge 38.8 million working days lost due to workplace illness or injury. And an earlier YouGov report found that 16% of all personal injuries were caused by a work accident.
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) estimates that there are approximately 15,000 work-related injuries in work places across the UK each year. Worryingly, this figure could be significantly higher as many people do not report their workplace injuries and consequently suffer in silence.
Panel Accredited Personal Injury Solicitors
Our Law Society accredited Personal Injury Claim Panel solicitors have significant experience in Work Accident Claims and represent workers who have suffered an accident or injury at work through no fault of their own.
Our Work Accident Solicitors represent clients locally in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset and throughout England and Wales.
Our team are happy to make hospital/home visits for those clients with serious work injuries or can see you in our Salisbury, Andover, Fordingbridge or Amesbury offices or in interviewing facilities in West Dorset.
Call us now for FREE initial phone advice, and a FREE initial first interview for all accident compensation claims
How we can help you claim compensation for your injury at work
We handle claims for a wide range of compensation claims including:
- Armed forces accident compensation claims
Click here to read more about making a Military Accident Compensation Claim
- Construction accidents
- Dangerous machinery
- Dangerous working practices
- Factory accidents
- Exposure to dangerous substances
- Forklift truck accidents
- Farm accident compensation
- Faulty equipment
- Heavy lifting accidents
- Inadequate training
- Industrial disease
Click here to read more about making an Industrial Disease Claim
- Office accident claims
- Scaffolding or ladder fall accidents
What can I claim for if I pursue a work accident claim?
Your claim will include a claim for compensation for the injuries you have sustained, along with any expenses.
These can include:
- Loss of both current and future earnings
- Private Medical Treatment
- Additional transportation costs
- Any other losses or expenses you have incurred – which includes damage to any personal belongings
Funding For Work Accident Claims
- Our personal injury solicitors offer no win no fee arrangements for employer’s liability compensation claims.
Click to find out more about how no win no fee could help you win compensation for your workplace accident.
- You keep all your compensation – the defendants pay our legal costs when you win your claim
- We offer FREE phone advice and FREE initial interviews to see if your Work Accident Compensation Claim is worth pursuing – and if so, how much compensation you are likely to get
- We are approved by most legal expenses insurers who may be able to pay for your legal costs
My accident at work claim – what should I do first?
If you have been involved in an accident at work, here are the steps you must take immediately after the accident to make sure that you have the best prospects of making a successful claim (even if you decide later not to do so).
- If your injuries are serious enough to allow a claim for compensation, you will need to get medical treatment. Therefore, you need to attend your GP or Accident & Emergency Department as soon as possible after the accident. Not only will this be necessary from an evidence point of view to pursue your work accident claim, but of course, more importantly, it will allow you to obtain treatment for your injury. You have a duty to keep your injuries to a minimum and getting prompt medical treatment helps to prove this. You also need to know that your injury is not more severe than you initially thought
- As soon as you have received treatment for your injuries after your accident, you should inform your supervisor.
- Make sure all the details of the works accident are entered accurately in your employer’s work accident book – this will be an important piece of evidence if you decide to claim. Every employer must keep accident book. If your injuries are too severe, you can ask a colleague to make sure that this is done.
- To prove that the employer is responsible for injuries, keep a written record of as much evidence as possible.
- Take photographs of the scene of the accident and of any machinery involved – in fact anything which could be used to show cause of the accident and that the accident was caused by your employers negligence. With increasingly complex mobile phones, this should be sufficient for your workplace accident claim. Try to put an object in the picture to provide a scale for the defect or packaging or water that is on the floor, such as a match box. If possible date the picture by inserting a newspaper.
- Get the names of any witnesses to the work accident – and ask if this has happened before at your workplace.
- Ask any of your colleagues who witnessed the accident to immediately write down what they saw. This is important because the sooner they can write down what happened, the less chance there is they will forget or become confused later on. Supportive witness evidence may be vital in proving your claim for compensation.
- Try and get and keep any evidence from the accident scene. For example, if you have tripped over some left over packaging, or slipped on some water in your work premises, you should try to obtain a photograph of that evidence. This could be crucial in proving that your employer was responsible for your accident
- Contact our specialist work accident compensation team, who will give you an initial idea of your chances of success. Using a specialist solicitor with plenty of experience of claiming work accident claims gives you the best chance of winning the compensation you are entitled to
Click here to read more about making an Accident Compensation Claim
Does Everyone Claim the Compensation They Are Entitled To?
What’s more, there is strong evidence that many people never receive any compensation. A report published a few years back by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and (APIL) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) revealed that 85% of people who are injured or made ill through their work never receive any compensation payments.
In “The Compensation Myth”, the figures show that between 2012 and 2013 approximately 610,000 suffered an injury at work. However, out of that number only 90,000 claims were made successfully for injury compensation. Each and every year in the UK, 600,000 people fall ill or are injured in an accident at work, and the 25,000 most severely affected have to give up their job as a consequence.
Many of those lost days do not involve the right to claim compensation – but where there was an accident that was clearly someone’s fault, then there may well be grounds for a personal injury claim.
Why aren’t more work injury claims being made?
APIL is a campaigning organisation which has over 4000 personal injury lawyers as members and operates on a not-for-profit basis. The President of APIL has said he felt a general lack of understanding about the workings of the personal injury compensation system means that employees do not realise they can only claim compensation once negligence has been proven.
The most common injuries suffered in the workplace are back and ligament injuries which fall under the umbrella of musculoskeletal disorders, skin diseases, problems with hearing, slips, trips and falls. The main reason why people are not claiming for these sorts of injuries is that they cannot prove their injury was due to someone’s negligent behaviour. Other simply choose not to pursue a claim.
Employers are in the stronger position when it comes to compensation claims as they control the policies and procedures in the workplace and have easy access to all of the information and equipment. Many people who do have a right to claim after suffering an injury find the process impossible to navigate.
Don’t be put off making your claim for the compensation you deserve
Suffering a workplace injury can be extremely traumatic and you may find that your long term employment prospects as well as your health can be damaged. Whilst many people may be aware that they are entitled to compensation which they desperately need to cover medical bills and the loss of income for example, claiming against an employer can be particularly daunting and some lose out as a result.
Given the potential seriousness of a workplace personal injury, especially if it heavy machinery, it is really important that you are not put off from claiming the compensation you deserve.
What’s more, by taking this stand you may eliminate the chances of a similar accident at work happening again. You owe that to your work colleagues.
What steps should a responsible employer take to avoid workplace accidents?
The following are some examples of employer responsibilities, which if practised should prevent injury and harm coming to their employees and avoid the risk of work accident claims:
- Regular checks on tools and machinery to ensure good working order;
- Staff are trained for any emergency escape plans and the plans are well advertised;
- Cleaning materials are provided and safely stored;
- WC and washroom facilities provided;
- The working environment is a tolerable temperature and has good ventilation;
- Adequate first aid facilities are available and there are trained first-aiders in the workplace;
- Hazardous workplaces are adequately supervised;
- Exposure to damaging chemicals and materials is kept to a minimum; and
- Sufficient protective clothing is provided.
If you suffer a personal injury due to one of the the simple systems not being in place, then it is likely that you will be entitled to claim for compensation. Most employers have Employer’s Liability Insurance and any work accident claims made against them will be covered by such a policy.
Employers’ Liability Insurance
Under the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act of 1969, employers are obliged to hold an Employers’ Liability Insurance policy and they can be fined if they do not have one. This ensures that the employer can meet the claim if an employee suffers an injury in the workplace for which they were not to blame.
Therefore, employers are aware of the likelihood of workplace injury and have the necessary safeguards in place to protect themselves financially in the event of claim being made. Indeed, our injury solicitors generally conduct the claims process in co-operation with the relevant insurance company, rather than the employer. Whilst the initial claim letter (which we send detailing the claim) will be first sent to the employer, they will generally pass it straight over to their insurance provider who will then continue the correspondence with us.
Will I be sacked for a work accident claim against my employer?
No – you cannot be sacked for pursuing a claim for injury in the workplace – a fear which often leads to people to ignore their compensation entitlement.
Large companies, in particular, are used to having personal injury claims made against them and therefore they are both familiar and comfortable with compensatory procedures. After all, they pay their insurance premiums for a reason. The process is usually very amicable, with both employers and employees keen to resolve the issue quickly and efficiently.
What will happen if I am not fit to go back to work?
At first we will do all we can to help you regain your fitness. We can arrange private medical treatment for you, nursing care and rehabilitation. If it is simply not possible for you to return to your previous job, we will explore all alternatives for you, even if retraining is a part of that process. When you ask the Work Accident Solicitors to help you, we will help you.
What happens if my claim is not successful?
We often get asked what happens if a claim is lost, as understandably people do not want to run the risk of paying a hefty bill. However, you can rest assured that even if you do lose your claim, you will not pay anything. This is because we run compensation claim cases under no win no fee agreements, meaning you do not have to worry about forking out for a legal bill.
Do employers have a defence to work accident claims?
Employers can argue contributory negligence. This means that they will try to prove that the personal injury suffered by the employee was partially caused by the employee’s own fault.
For example; if an employee suffers injury from a damaging chemical but he was not wearing the protective clothing which is provided by the employer. In this situation there would be a case for contributory negligence. If this is proved in court then the amount of damages awarded to the employee will be reduced accordingly to reflect their contribution.
What causes most accidents at work ?
You may be surprised to hear that 36% of injuries in the workplace are caused by a person slipping or tripping on a level surface.
The second most likely accident in a workplace is injury from falling from a height such as a balcony or ladder. This type of accident usually causes serious personal injury which requires long-term recovery.
The third most likely injury is caused by moving objects in a workplace, such as the operation of fork-lift trucks. These injuries can be extremely serious as well.
Are there any Hidden Costs
When claiming compensation with our Solicitors, we promise you will not encounter any nasty surprises when it comes to hidden costs. We are open and honest with all our clients from the beginning, and your solicitor will explain how the process will work in terms of finances at the start of your claim.
Accidents in Part-Time Employment
It is thought that 8.1 million people in the UK are employed on a part-time basis. With such a high number working on a part-time basis, it is perhaps unsurprising that there are a significant number of personal injury claims pursued by part-time employees each year.
We often find that part-time workers are particularly apprehensive about bringing a personal injury claim. It is therefore important to dispel two main myths about claiming compensation against your employer as a part-time worker.
- MYTH 1. As a part-time worker, I don’t have the same rights as full-timers
This is simply not the case. If you sustain an injury in the workplace and it was not your fault, you have the same entitlements to a compensation claim as a full-time worker.
If you are negligently injured in part-time employment, your employer will have an insurance policy which accounts for you. The Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act of 1969 made it compulsory for employers to hold Employers’ Liability Insurance. These insurance policies must cover every worker at the establishment, irrespective of their employment status. Therefore, if you are eligible to make a claim, your employer will have adequate protection from their insurers to cover the cost.
- MYTH 2. If I bring a claim against my employer, I’ll be sacked
Laws are in place to ensure that employers cannot sack you simply because you have made a compensation claim against them. In fact, employers can be very supportive throughout your claim Larger employers are often very used to the claims process and are committed to ensuring the welfare of their employees. After all, they pay their insurance premiums, so they may as well use the policy.
Contact our Work Accident Solicitors today
Our work accident solicitors have helped many people win compensation for the pain, suffering and financial losses they have been forced to cope with following work accidents.
At your first FREE interview with us, our Work Accident Solicitors will discuss with you whether your compensation claim is worth pursuing.
To find out more about how we can help you, call or email our offices today for legal advice from specialist Work Accident Solicitors.
