In this guide, we explore how an accident at work could result in an angle grinder injury and when you could be entitled to make a personal injury claim after this kind of incident. We examine what the duty of care is that employers owe their employees and how a breach of this could cause an accident.
Angle grinder injury claims guide
Additionally, this guide examines how legal professionals assign values to these kinds of claims and the advantage of seeking representation on a No Win No Fee basis your accident at work claim is valid. To find out if you can work with a No Win No Fee solicitor on our panel, contact our team of advisors now by:
- Calling us using the number at the top of the page
- Completing our form to contact us online
- Speaking with us using the live chat feature on our site
When Could You Claim For An Angle Grinder Injury At Work?
If you have suffered an angle grinder injury, you could make an accident at work claim, providing you can prove that the injury was caused by a breach of duty of care. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers owe a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to prevent injury to their employees.
In order to make a claim after an angle grinder injury, you must show that:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care
- Your employer breached the duty of care owed to you through their acts or omissions
- You were injured as a result of their breach
Contact our team of advisors today to see if you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim. If so, you could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor
How To Claim For An Angle Grinder Injury At Work
To claim for an angle grinder injury at work, you must show that your employer’s breach of duty caused your accident. Evidence can help support a compensation claim. You may consider the following:
- Requesting CCTV footage of what happened
- Receiving treatment from a health practitioner to get any care you require and medical records of your injuries
- Asking witnesses for their contact details so that they can give a statement later on in the claims process
Furthermore, after you have been injured in an accident, you should fill out the workplace accident book. It’s a legal requirement for any workplace with 10 or more employees to have one of these. If you can’t fill it out yourself at the time, for example, because you’re incapacitated, then someone else can do this for you, and you could use the report as evidence in your claim.
Solicitors can help gather evidence for your case; contact our advisors today for a free case assessment. If you do have a valid claim, then you could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor to work on your case.
When Could Angle Grinder Injuries Be Caused By Employer Negligence?
Angle grinders are potentially hazardous pieces of equipment. There are certain steps that your employer can take to reduce the risk of injuries occurring.
Below are some examples of how employer negligence could lead to you suffering an angle grinder injury:
- You are a new starter tasked with using an angle grinder on a construction site. You raise concerns with your employer as you lack the training and competence to use power tools. Despite this, they insist you carry on, and as a result, you suffer a cutting injury that leaves you scarred.
- Your employer fails to provide suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) in the form of safety glasses; this is a requirement under The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. Because of this, a metal fragment flies off the piece you’re working on, hits you in the face and leaves you with an eye injury.
- You are given an angle grinder with a cutting disc that is in poor condition and should have been replaced, but they missed this because they failed to carry out scheduled maintenance on work equipment. The cutting disc snaps as you carry out the task, and you suffer a hand injury.
These are some ways you may suffer an angle grinder injury at work. To find out the validity of your case, contact our team of advisors now for a free case assessment.
Is There A Time Limit To Make An Accident At Work Claim?
In order to make an accident at work claim after an angle grinder injury, you must adhere to the time limits set out in the Limitation Act 1980. Generally, you have three years from the date of your accident to begin a work injury claim. This begins from the date the accident occurred.
There can be exceptions that apply to this time limit, however. For an assessment of your claim based on your own circumstances, speak with our team today.
Accident At Work Compensation – What Could You Receive?
Successful personal injury claimants can receive up to two heads of claim in their settlement. Firstly, you could be awarded general damages, compensating you for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. The amount you receive will depend on factors like:
- The overall impact and severity of your injuries
- The loss of enjoyment you have suffered because of your injuries
- Your rehabilitation and recovery period
The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can be used by legal professionals to help work out how much you will receive in this head of claim. The JCG provide guidance brackets for injuries of different types and severity. Your medical report could also be used in conjunction with the JCG, and you may be invited to an independent medical assessment as part of the process of claiming.
Since each case differs, we cannot guarantee the amount of compensation your claim could be worth. However, below is a table of guidance figures for different injuries from the JCG to give you an idea of how this head of claim is valued.
Compensation Table
| Injury | Severity | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arm | Severe | £96,160 to £130,930 | Really serious injuries that put the injured party in a position that isn't much better than if the arm had been entirely lost. |
| Less Severe | £19,200 to £39,170 | Significant disability but a substantial degree of recovery is expected. | |
| Eye | Total Loss of One Eye | £54,830 to £65,710 | The level awarded is dependent on age, psychiatric issues and cosmetic impact of the injury. |
| Serious but Incomplete Loss of Vision in One Eye | £23,680 to £39,340 | There may be issues like reduced or double vision in one eye but without significant risk of vision impairment in remaining eye. | |
| Hand | Serious | £29,000 to £61,910 | Where the hand's capacity is reduced to 50 per cent; this bracket could include finger amputations, leaving the hand with reduced function and cosmetic disfigurement. |
| Loss of Thumb | £35,520 to £54,830 | Complete loss of the thumb. | |
| Foot | Serious | £24,990 to £39,200 | Results in continuing pain, prolonged treatment and risk of fusion surgery being needed in the future. |
| Moderate | £13,740 to £24,990 | Displaced metatarsal fractures, leading to permanent deformity and long term risk of future surgery being needed. | |
| Wrist | Significant | £24,500 to £39,170 | There will be a significant and permanent effect on the wrist, however, the injured party will be left with some useful movement. |
| Less Severe | £12,590 to £24,500 | Some disability of a permanent nature, such as persisting pain and stiffness. |
Special Damages When Claiming For Angle Grinder Injuries
The second head of claim you could receive is special damages. Special damages is the head of a claim that relates to costs and losses that your injuries have caused to you incur. To ensure you are fully compensated for these, you should collect evidence to demonstrate them.
Some examples of proof you could obtain include:
- Payslips that show the earnings you would have received had you not been incapable of working because of your injuries
- Train tickets to prove you used public transport whilst being unable to drive
- Receipts or invoices that show any medical care you had to pay for to recover
If you suffered an angle grinder injury in an accident at work, contact our team of advisors today to see if you can work with a solicitor on our panel. If your claim is valid, they could represent you and help build evidence in support of a claim.
Claim For An Angle Grinder Injury On A No Win No Fee Basis
You may want to work with a legal professional who can provide expert advice to support your personal injury claim. If so, the services if a No Win No Fee solicitor working under a Conditional Fee Agreement may be useful to you. This generally means that:
- You wouldn’t have any upfront fees to pay to begin instruction
- You wouldn’t have to pay any legal fees to keep the case progressing
- There’d be no requirement for you to pay for your solicitor’s service if your claim was unsuccessful
- If successful, your solicitor would take a small percentage of your compensation, which is legally capped. This is referred to as a success fee
Our panel of accident at work solicitors can offer this type of agreement and have years of experience in accident at work claims. To find out if you can work with a solicitor on our panel to help with your angle grinder injury, contact our team of advisors now by:
- Calling us using the number at the top of the page
- Completing our form to contact us online
- Speaking with us using the live chat feature on our site
Learn More About How To Make A Work Injury Claim
We hope this guide has answered your questions about claiming for an angle grinder injury caused by negligence. If you would like to read more of our guides, please look here:
- Claiming for a scaffolding accident at work
- When can I make a workplace injury claim?
- How can I claim for a crane accident at work?
For some external resources, refer to the list below:
- Statutory sick pay – A UK Government guide
- When to call 999 – Information from the NHS
- Safety in the use of abrasive wheels – A guide from HSE
Writer Will Granger
Publisher Fern Summers
