Can I be sacked for having an accident at work? What if it wasn’t my fault? Could I get disciplined for making an accident at work claim?

If you’ve been injured at work, these are all questions that might be on your mind. In this guide, we’ll discuss when your employer can legally dismiss you after having an accident at work and when they cannot.

If the accident wasn’t your fault, you might be interested in making a compensation claim but are worried that this could jeopardise your job. Additionally, we’ll talk about your rights after suffering an accident at work, and whether or not you could lose your job for claiming compensation.

Following this, we’ll touch on whether or not you are entitled to sick pay after suffering an injury in a workplace accident.

We hope our guide will answer any questions you might have about whether or not you can get sacked following an accident at work, but if it doesn’t, our team of advisors are here to help. Contact us today to get started or to learn more about making a personal injury claim:

• Contact us online
• Call us on 0330 0432925
• Use the live chat

Can I Be Sacked For Having An Accident At Work?

You can’t be legally fired for being ill or injured, nor can you lose your job for an accident that wasn’t your fault. If you are, this could be seen as unfair dismissal.

However, if the accident occurred because you acted negligently, you can be sacked for this. For example, if you came into work drunk and caused a pallet truck accident, this could be seen as gross misconduct, and your employer could legally fire you.

Keep reading to find out, “Can I be sacked for having an accident at work and making a claim?”.

Can I Be Sacked For Having An Accident At Work And Claiming Accident At Work Compensation? 

No, you can’t be sacked for taking legal action and making an accident at work compensation claim. Whether you work in an office or in a warehouse, it’s your legal right to pursue compensation after suffering an injury at work that wasn’t your fault. In the next section, we will discuss when you could be eligible to make a personal injury compensation claim.

If your employer dismisses you because you chose to make an accident at work claim, this could be unfair dismissal. We’ll talk more about unfair dismissal in the next section.

Our team of advisors are here to help if you are interested in making a claim for an injury caused by a breach of health and safety legislation. Contact us today to learn more.

What Can I Do If I Have Been Fired After An Accident At Work? 

You have multiple options if you’ve been fired after an accident in the workplace that wasn’t your fault, but we recommend making an accident at work claim.

To make an accident at work claim, you need to be able to prove that:

• You were owed a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA).
• This duty of care was breached.
• As a result, you were injured.

Under HASAWA, your employer owes you a duty of care, which means they need to take all reasonably practicable steps to help ensure your safety while working. If they fail to do this, and you get hurt as a result, then you may be able to make a claim. For example, if your employer provided you with no training on how to operate a forklift but still made you use one, resulting in you crashing the forklift and suffering injuries, you could be eligible to make a claim for compensation.

Making an accident at work claim can help with the financial strain of being unable to work, as it can cover not only your pain and suffering but also financial losses and lost earnings.

What Is Unfair Dismissal?

Unfair dismissal happens when you are wrongfully sacked, or if your employer doesn’t follow the proper procedures when letting you go. In some cases, you may be able to make an unfair dismissal claim. To get more help surrounding unfair dismissal, you can check Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service.

Contact us today if you have suffered an injury in a workplace accident and would like to know if you could make a compensation claim.

Am I Entitled To Sick Pay After An Accident At Work? 

Sick pay can depend on the company you work for. Some companies offer full pay to cover sickness, some offer half pay, and some do not provide sick pay at all as it is not a legal requirement to provide this. Check your contract to find out your company’s policies.

However, if you are classed as an employee, earn an average of £123 a week and have been sick for more than three days, you may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). You can claim SSP for up to 28 weeks.

If you make a accident at work claim that is successful, you can still claim for loss of earnings even if you’ve been receiving SSP. Contact our team of advisors today to learn more.

Contact Us To See If You Can Claim For A Workplace Injury

When you make an accident at work claim, you don’t need to work with a solicitor. However, it’s highly recommended, and it can make the process seem a lot less stressful and less complex.

When you work with a solicitor, they can use their years of training, education, and expertise to help with:

• Explaining legal terminology.
• Providing you with free legal advice.
• Filing your claim within the time limit.
• Presenting your claim in court.
• Communicating with the other party.
• Making sure all your losses are covered by your settlement.
• Negotiating a final compensation amount.

Our panel of accident at work solicitors can help with all of this on a No Win No Fee basis. They are experts in personal injury claims, and work under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which usually means that:

• You don’t pay for their work upfront or as the claim is ongoing.
• You don’t pay for their work at all if the claim fails.
• You pay a success fee if the claim succeeds. This is a legally limited percentage taken from your compensation.

Contact Our Team

We hope our guide has answered the question, “Can I be sacked for having an accident at work?” but if you still need more information, a member of our team can help.

Get in touch today to ask questions, talk about the claims process, and find out if you could be entitled to claim compensation with a personal injury solicitor from our panel by:

• Contacting us online
• Calling us on 0330 0432925
• Using the live chat

Learn More About How To Claim For A Workplace Injury

For more helpful accident at work guides:

• Learn more about forklift accident compensation claims.
• Find out how to claim for a crane accident at work that left you injured.
• Get help with making a hand injury at work claim.

Or, to get more helpful information:

• Learn when to call 999 from the NHS.
• Find out how to request CCTV footage of yourself with information from GOV.UK.
• Read about health and safety basics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Thank you for reading our guide on ‘Can I be sacked for having an accident at work?’. If you have any further questions or would like help with making a personal injury claim, you can contact our advisors.

In this guide, we’ll look at how to report an accident at work and how the accident at work claim process works. If you’ve been injured as a result of negligence, then you could be entitled to receive compensation. 

We’ll discuss what compensation payout you may be entitled to if your personal injury claim is successful. We’ll also look at the potential causes of an accident at work and when one could be attributed to negligence. 

Finally, we’ll discuss how No Win No Fee solicitors and how working with one can benefit you when making a personal injury claim. 

If you’d like to discuss your claim further or want to begin the process one of the solicitors from our panel, then you can use the below contact information to get in touch with our advisors:

• Call us by using the number on the banner above
• Fill out our contact us form on our website
• Use the live chat feature on your page now

How to report an accident at work- A guide

How To Report An Accident At Work

If you’ve injured yourself whilst at work, then you should report the injury to your employer to ensure that they have an official record of it taking place. If an employer has more than ten employees working for their company, then it’s a legal obligation for them to have an accident book on-site. This is outlined in The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979.

In contrast, they’re not required by law to report every accident they write about in the book. Specified injuries need to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive by your employer through the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. Reportable incidents include amputations, most fractures, any loss of consciousness caused by a head injury, and any serious burns that cover over 10% of the body. 

By reporting the accident, the employer will have an official record of the accident taking place. This can be used as valuable evidence when making a claim. Furthermore, this information can be used by your employer to stop accidents from happening in the future. 

Now that we’ve outlined exactly how to report an accident at work, the rest of this guide will explain how best to make a personal injury claim. If you have any more questions, however, then please get in touch with our team. 

When Are You Eligible To Make A Work Injury Claim?

Every employer will have a duty of care to their employees, regardless of where they work. This means that an employer has a duty of care to provide a safe environment, facilities, and equipment. This is outlined in The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

A breach of this duty of care that directly causes an injury is called negligence. Below are some examples of injuries that could lead to making a successful claim:

• Faulty machinery – If you work in construction, for example, using a faulty ladder could result in you falling and suffering a spinal injury in a construction accident. If your employer knew the ladder was faulty but allowed you to use it anyway, then this is a breach of duty of care. 
• Insufficient training – If you work with a forklift and have not been trained sufficiently, you may mishandle equipment and sustain a head injury in a forklift accident as a result. Your employer is responsible for providing you with training. 
• Poor housekeeping. Good housekeeping should be maintained. If you sustained a hand injury when tripping over cables that were left on the floor instead of being tidied away, then this could be grounds for a claim.

Evidence is crucial to make a successful workplace injury claim. In the next section we will look at collecting evidence. If you have any more questions, for example about how to report an accident at work, speak with a member of our team today. 

Potential Evidence That Could Help In An Accident At Work Claim

In order to make a successful workplace injury claim, you’ll have to provide evidence to prove that your injury was caused by employer negligence. 

There are different types of evidence that could support this type of claim. For example:

• CCTV footage of the accident
• A diary of your treatment and symptoms
• Copies of the records from when you sought medical care 
• Photographs of your injury and the accident site
• Taking contact details of any witnesses so that they can give a statement 

As stated above, you’d only be able to make a successful accident at work claim if you provide sufficient evidence to prove that your injury was caused by employer negligence. A member of our panel of solicitors would be happy to help you collect this evidence, provided you have a valid claim. Speak with our team today to see if you could be put in touch. 

What Accident At Work Compensation Could You Recieve?

General damages is one of the heads of claim that can make up compensation. It accounts for the pain and suffering that physical and psychological injuries cause. Below, we have created a table using figures are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines. Solicitors use these to help them value claims. 

Compensation Amounts

Special damages are another head of claim that could make up your overall compensation amount. This head aims to reimburse you for any financial losses that you have experienced due to your injury. Some examples of costs that could be covered include:

• Loss of earnings if you can’t work due to your injury
• Cost of care
• Adjustments to your home whilst recovering
• Medicine you’ve paid for

Similar to general damages, you’ll have to provide evidence to receive special damages; this can come from invoices, receipts, or bank statements. Get in touch with our team for a valuation of your claim today or to have other questions about how to report an accident at work answered. 

Our Panel Of Accident At Work Solicitors Can Work Your Case On A No Win No Fee Basis

A No Win No Fee agreement, in particular a form of this called a Conditional Fee agreement, may be offered to you when making a claim with a lawyer. This generally means that: 

• There aren’t any upfront payments to make to your lawyer
• As the claim progresses, you won’t be expected to cover their costs
• Nothing to pay for their services if the claim is not a success

If you’re awarded compensation, then you will have a legally-capped percentage of your settlement deducted by your lawyer.

You can contact us for free to get a consultation in regard to your personal injury claim. Providing you have a valid case, one of the experienced solicitors from our panel would be happy to help you and offer guidance on how to report an accident at work.

You can get in contact with us by:

• Call us by using the number on the banner above
• Fill out our contact us form on our website
• Using the live chat feature on this page

Learn More About How To Claim For An Accident At The Workplace

If you’d like to learn more about how to report an accident at work, then you can follow the below links to more guides we’ve produced:

• Making an office accident claim
• How much could I get for slips trips and falls in the workplace?
• I tripped and fell at work – can I claim?

Additionally, you can follow these guides for external links:

• Statutory Sick Pay information
• HSE statistics
• Your rights as an agency worker

Writer Louis Peach

Publisher Fern Summers

In this guide, we’ll explore what causes accidents at work and when you could be entitled to claim compensation. 

You can only make an accident at work claim if you can prove that your injury was caused by your employer’s negligence. We’ll explore this further in this guide, as well as how a personal injury lawyer could help you with this. 

Finally, we’ll look at the compensation you may be entitled to, providing that you make a successful workplace injury claim. 

If you have any questions about the personal injury claims process or want to begin your personal injury claim, then you can speak to our advisors by using the contact information below:

• Call us by using the number on the banner above
• Fill out the contact us section of our website
• Use the live chat feature

What causes accidents at work?

What Causes Accidents At Work?

A variety of circumstances can cause accidents at work. However, in order for you to claim, it’s essential that it was caused by negligence. Negligence is where you’re owed a duty of care, this is breached, and you’re injured as a direct result of this breach. 

This duty of care that employers have towards those who they employ is illustrated in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It details that they need to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of their employees. 

For example, your employer should provide you with the training and protective equipment that you need to safely carry out your role. They should also maintain good housekeeping and ensure that equipment and machinery is in good working order.

If you’d like to make a claim, chat with one of our advisors by using the contact information above. They can tell you if your case is valid and give some insight into what causes accidents at work. 

When Are You Eligible To Claim For An Accident At The Workplace?

Below are some examples of how an accident at work could occur as a result of negligence.

• You could be involved in a slip, trip or fall because your employer did not mark a wet floor with the correct signage
• Your employer fails to train you on how to use a piece of machinery in a factory. This means you operate it incorrectly and sustain an arm injury as a result.
• You are not given the helmet that you need to work on a construction site on which there is scaffolding. Because of this, an object falls from a height and causes a head injury.

Speak with our team for free legal advice about claiming.

Evidence That Could Help You Make An Accident At Work Claim

This section clarifies the types of evidence that could help when making an accident at work claim. 

Firstly it’s important to get the required medical attention that you need. This is to determine the exact nature of your injury and provide you with any treatment or medication that you need. As well as this, you could ask for copies of any medical reports produced. This could help to demonstrate the way that you’ve been affected by the injuries you sustained. 

Below are some different types of evidence that may be helpful when making an accident at work claim:

• CCTV footage of the accident
• Photographs of your injury and the accident site
• Contact details of potential witnesses who will be able to provide statements
• A copy of the accident book. Reporting an injury at work is important. Some injuries and incidents need to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

You would only be able to claim successfully if you have sufficient evidence to prove that your accident and injuries were caused by employer negligence. A solicitor from our panel to help you collect any necessary evidence if you choose to work with one. 

What Compensation Could You Recieve From A Work Injury Claim?

General damages is one of the heads of claim that can make up accident at work compensation. It compensates for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity that injuries cause. These figures are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines, which lawyers use to help them value claims. 

Compensation Brackets

Special damages are another head of claim that could make up your overall compensation amount. These aim to reimburse you for any financial losses you have experienced due to your injury. Some examples of the payments that could be included in special damages are:

• Loss of earnings if you can’t work because of your injury
• Cost of care
• The cost of adjustments to your home
• Medicine you’ve paid for

You’ll have to provide evidence to receive special damages; this can come from invoices, receipts, or bank statements.

Call our team today to find out what causes of accidents at work could form the basis of a valid claim. 

Use Our Panel Of Accident At Work Solicitors On A No Win No Fee Basis

A No Win No Fee lawyer could work with you on your claim. They could offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement which is a kind of No Win No Fee agreement. 

Under this kind of agreement, you generally:

• Won’t pay your lawyer upfront or as the claim moves forward
• Don’t owe your lawyer any money if your claim isn’t a success

If you are awarded compensation, a legally-capped percentage of your settlement will be deducted from your compensation award. This is called a “success fee”.

You can contact us for free to get a consultation in regard to your personal injury claim if you have questions about what causes accidents at work. Providing you have a valid claim, you could be passed on to one of the experienced solicitors from our panel.

Learn More About How To Claim For An Accident At Work

We hope that this guide about what causes accidents at work has helped. You can follow the below links to more guides we’ve produced:

• Herniated disc at work claims
• Cutting injury at work claims 
• Claiming for a work neck injury 

Additionally, you can follow these guides for external links:

• Statutory Sick Pay
• NHS- First aid 
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Writer Louis Peach

Publisher Fern Summers