In this guide, we’ll be looking at the most common cause of injury at work. If you’ve been in an accident at work which left you with an injury, then you may be able to claim as long as it was caused by a breach of duty of care. This guide aims to discuss what makes you eligible to claim compensation for the most common causes of injury at work.
We’ll also be exploring what negligence is and showing how your employer may have shown negligence in order for you to become injured at work. Further on down the guide, we’ll explain what duty of care is and why your employer has a legal obligation to provide this at the workplace.
If you can prove that your employer’s negligence has led to your injury at work, then you could receive a settlement. We’ll also be looking at how these compensation amounts are valued.
If you’re interested in making an injury at work claim, then you could benefit from the services of a solicitor. Our panel of solicitors work under a kind of No Win No Fee agreement called a Conditional Fee Agreement. We’ll be exploring what this means for you further down in this guide. However, you can get in touch with us anytime by using the following information:
- Filling out our contact us form online
- Calling us using the number at the top of the page.
- Chat with one of our advisors by using our live chat feature on our website
If you’re interested in finding out more about the most common cause of injury at work, then read on to find more.
Most common cause of injury at work claims guide
A Guide To The Most Common Cause Of Injury At Work
There are many different types of injuries that you could sustain at work. In this article, though, we’ll be exploring the most common cause of injury in the workplace in Great Britain.
Sustaining an injury at work has the potential to impact your life in a number of different ways. This includes both physical and psychological harm. The level of harm you experience is considered when determining how much compensation you could receive, providing that your claim is successful.
In order to make a successful workplace accident claim, you’ll have to prove that your employer breached the duty of care that they owed you, which caused you to be injured at work. We’ll explain what this means further through this guide.
In order to find out how to make a successful accident at work claim, you can get in touch with us by using the contact information above.
What Is The Most Common Cause Of Injury At Work?
The latest Health and Safety Executive statistics show that the most commonly reported cause of injury in the workplace in Great Britain was slips, trips or falls on the same level in 2020/21. This accident type accounted for 33% of all non-fatal workplace accidents reported by employers.
Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, certain incidents need to be reported to the HSE. These reports made under RIDDOR are used to create the above statistics.
If you’ve been in any injury at work and can prove that it was caused due to negligence by your employer, then read on to find out how to make an accident at work claim.
When Could You Make An Accident At Work Claim?
An employer’s duty of care is illustrated in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Employers have to ensure, within reason, that a workplace’s facilities, equipment, and environment are all safe and secure enough that they can be used without risk of injury. An employer has a duty to do this to the extent that it’s practicable.
To see how this employer negligence looks in practice, we’ll take a look at a few different examples:
- An employee hurts themselves on a faulty piece of scaffolding that an employer failed to address despite being aware of the problem.
- An employee wasn’t given correct training resulting in them injuring themselves whilst trying to perform their work-related duties, resulting in a burn accident
- An employer fails to provide employees with free PPE where necessary. For example, a lack of helmets on a construction site or in a factory could lead to a head injury such as concussion
It’s important to note that without evidence, your claim may not be successful. We’ll discuss this more in the section below. If you’d like further guidance on what the most common cause of injury at work is, then speak with a member of our team.
Potential Evidence That Could Help You Recieve Accident At Work Compensation
After you’ve been injured at work, one of the first steps that you can take is to seek medical attention. This ensures that you’re given the correct and necessary treatment for any injuries that you may have. As well as this, it can provide you with useful medical records that you can use to help support your claim.
You may be wondering, “what should I do after an accident at work?”. You can also take steps to collect evidence to prove that you were harmed as a result of negligence on your employer’s behalf. Below is a short list of just a few types of evidence you can collect:
- Witness contact details
- CCTV footage of the incident
- Pictures of your injuries and the scene of the accident
- A report from the accident at work book
A solicitor can help you to collect any relevant evidence to support your injury at work claim. To find out more, contact us using the information above.
What Could You Recieve From An Accident At The Workplace?
You might want to know more about the process of calculating compensation for an accident at work claim. If so, this section could help.
General damages compensation is one of the heads of claim that will make up your compensation. This head of claim aims to compensate you for the pain and suffering that your injuries have caused you.
Solicitors can use the Judicial College Guidelines to help them value claims. This is a document that contains guideline compensation brackets for a variety of different injuries. We’ve used these figures to create a table below for you to get a general idea of how much compensation you may be owed.
| Injury Type | Compensation Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Injuries | £96,250 - £135,920 | (b) Severe (i): This bracket mirrors compensation you'd see from amputations. This is because of the severity of the injuries. Includes severe degloving of the leg, bone grafting, or shortening of the leg. |
| Leg Injuries | £54,830 - £87,890 | (b) Very Serious (ii): Injuries leading to permanent issues with moving around, mobility assistance is required for the rest of their life. |
| Back injuries | £91,090 - £160,980 | (a) Severe (i): Damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots. Leads to extremely serious consequences that aren't usually found in back injury cases. |
| Back Injuries | £74,160 - £88,430 | (a) Severe (ii): Cases which have special features taking them outside any of the lower brackets. Includes nerve damage with loss of feeling, reduced mobility, impairment of function in the bowels and bladder, sexual difficulties, and extreme scarring. |
| Back Injuries | £27,760 - £38,780 | (b) Moderate (i): Cases where any remaining disability is less severe than above examples. Symptoms include constant pain and discomfort. Spinal fusion will be necessary. |
| Arm Injuries | £96,160 - £130,930 | Injuries which fall short of amputation but are serious, and leave the person in a similar state as if their arm was completely removed. |
| Arm Injuries | £19,200 - £39,170 | (c) Less Severe Injury: While there will have been disabilities to a significant extent, the claimant will have recovered or will have expected to have recovered to a substantial degree. |
| Knee Injuries | £69,730 - £96,210 | (a) Severe (i): Symptoms include gross ligamentous damage, lengthy treatment, considerable pain and/or loss of function. |
| Wrist Injuries | £47,620 - £59,860 | (a) Severe: Injuries lead to loss of function in wrist. |
| Elbow Injuries | £39,170 - £54,830 | (a) A Severely Disabling Injury: Injuries that leave a lasting and sometimes permanent disablement. |
You can also receive special damages when claiming for an injury at work. Special damages aim to compensate you for any financial losses you may have experienced due to your injuries. This can include:
- Cost of care
- Loss of earnings
- Medical expenses
- Cost of home adaptations
It’s important to note that you’ll have to collect evidence to claim special damages. This can include receipts, invoices and payslips for example.
If you’re unsure of what evidence you should collect, then our team of experienced injury at work solicitors would be happy to help you provided you have a valid claim. Get in touch with us by using the contact information above to find out more about the most common cause of injury at work.
Why Make A No Win No Fee Claim With Our Panel Of Accident At Work Solicitors?
No Win No Fee solicitors can offer their services to you under a Conditional Fee Agreement. This kind of No Win No Fee agreement means that there are usually no ongoing or upfront fees that you’ll have to pay for your solicitor’s services. As well as this, you usually won’t have to pay for these services if the claim is unsuccessful.
If your claim is successful, then you’ll have to pay your solicitor a success fee. This is taken from your compensation as a percentage before your settlement reaches you. Note that this success fee is subject to a legal cap, meaning you can’t be overcharged.
Contact Us For Free To See If You Can Claim For Employer Negligence
Our work accident solicitors can provide this service for you, assuming that your claim is valid. To find out more, get in touch with our advisors, who are available 24/7, by using the contact details below:
- Call us using the number at the top of this page.
- Filling out our contact us form online
- Writing to us online using the live chat feature
Learn More About How To Claim For An Accident At Work
If you’re interested, there are a few extra external resources that you might find helpful below:
Thank you for reading our guide on the most common cause of injury at work and how you could claim for harm caused by negligence. If you have any more questions, please get in touch.
Writer Louis Peach
Publisher Fern Summers
