Accidents at work are unfortunately very common. Whether you work at a factory, a restaurant, a shop, a farm or an office, there are always potential dangers which could cause an accident at work. If you are involved in a work related accident which was not your fault, you may be entitled to make a work accident compensation claim.

All employers have a legal responsibility to provide employees with a safe and secure workplace.  This responsibility includes providing adequate equipment and materials, providing competent co-workers, providing a safe system of work and providing proper training and supervision.

If you suffer a work related injury, it is important that you notify your employer about the accident as soon as possible. The company you work for is legally required to keep an accident book, so you should also make a record of your accident.

Your employer is legally obliged to have insurance, known as Employers Liability Insurance, to cover them for any accidents at work.  If you are successful in making a no win no fee work injury claim, it is the company’s insurers who would pay the compensation, which can include compensation for loss of earnings.

If you think you may be entitled to make a no win no fee compensation claim for an accident at work, contact National Accident Helpline on 0800 6783 601 or complete our online personal injury claim form.

For further information on work accident claims, click on the links below:

• Office Accident Claims
• Factory Accident Claims
• Lifting Accidents at Work
• Building Site Accident Claims
• RSI Compensation Claims

Lifting accidents at work are not limited to accidents on building sites and in factories. All employees that carry out lifting or manual handling activities of any kind at work are potentially at risk of a lifting injury, whether they work in an office, a school, a restaurant, a building site, a factory or a shop.

Although it is not possible to prevent all lifting and manual handling injuries at work, an employer has a duty of care to take steps to minimise the risk of employees sustaining injuries through lifting and manual handling.

An employer should minimise the risk of lifting and manual handling injuries by carrying out risk assessments at work and ensuring that whenever manual lifting cannot be avoided, employees are adequately trained to lift items in the correct manner.

If you have suffered an injury at work through lifting or manual handling, you may be entitled to make a no win no fee compensation claim.  Contact National Accident Helpline on 0800 6783 601 or complete our online personal injury claim form.

Who pays the compensation for a lifting injury at work?

Your employer is legally obliged to take out insurance cover, known as Employers Liability Insurance, in case of accidents at work.  If you are successful in making a no win no fee personal injury claim for an injury you have sustained through lifting or manual handling, it is the company’s insurers who would pay the compensation awarded, not your employer.

How long do I have to make a lifting injury claim?

In order to make a lifting injury claim on a no win no fee basis, the claim must be made within three years from the actual date of the accident. If you are under the age of 18 at the time of the lifting accident, the three year period would start when you turn 18. The three year period may also be extended if your injury only became apparent at a later date. In these cases the three year period may begin on the date you became aware of the injury sustained through lifting. 

Will I loose my job if I make a claim against my employer?

It is not a legally justifiable reason for your employer to dismiss you on the grounds that you are making a compensation claim for an accident that you have had at work. If your employer did dismiss you on these grounds, it could amount to unfair dismissal. If this has happened you should contact a specialist employment solicitor.

As with any working environment, the employer has a duty of care to ensure factory workers are provided with a safe premises in which to work, as well as safe work practices.  This includes providing adequate equipment and materials in the factory, providing competent co-workers, providing a safe system of work and providing proper training and supervision.  Therefore if you suffer an injury in a factory due to your employer failing to provide a safe and secure workplace, you could be entitled to make a factory accident compensation claim.

If you work in a factory and have suffered an injury due to an accident at work, contact National Accident Helpline on 0800 6783 601 or complete our online personal injury claim form. National Accident Helpline are be able to offer a no win no fee compensation claim, so your factory accident claim won’t cost you a penny and you will receive the compensation you are entitled to.

Who pays the compensation for a factory accident claim?

Your employer is legally obliged to take out insurance cover, known as Employers Liability Insurance, in respect of accidents at work.  If you are successful in making a no win no fee personal injury claim for a factory accident that you have had, it is the company’s insurers who would pay the compensation, not your employer.

How long do I have to make a claim for a factory related accident?

In order to make a successful no win no fee claim for a factory related accident, the claim must be made within three years from the actual date of the accident. If you are under the age of 18 at the time of the factory accident, the three year period would begin on your 18th birthday. The three year period may also be extended if your injury only became apparent at a later date. In these cases the three year period may begin on the date you became aware of the injury.

Will I loose my job if I am making a claim against my employer?

It is not a legally justifiable reason for your employer to dismiss you on the grounds that you are making a compensation claim for an accident that you have had at work. If your employer did dismiss you on these grounds, it could amount to unfair dismissal.

Examples of potential factory accident compensation claims

Oil on the factory floor - Hydraulic oil has leaked from a piece of machinery in the factory but nobody has cleaned it up or placed any warning signs in the area of the spillage. Unaware of the oil spillage, Michelle slips over onto the factory floor and injures her shoulder. After filling in the factory accident book, Michelle is taken to the hospital where the doctor informs her that she has torn the ligaments and muscles in her shoulder.

No safety guard on factory machinery - George had the end of his finger chopped off whilst using a piece of machinery in the factory that he works. The safety guard which would normally prevent this from happening had been damaged and removed several days earlier. Although the supervisor was made aware of this, a new safety guard had not been fitted and George was told to carry on using the machine as normal. As a result of the accident George had to have an operation, and his hand has been left permanently disfigured.

All employers have a legal responsibility to provide employees with a safe and secure workplace.  This responsibility includes providing adequate equipment and materials, providing competent co-workers, providing a safe system of work and providing proper training and supervision.  Therefore if you suffer an injury in the office due to your employer failing to provide a safe and secure workplace, you could be entitled to make an office accident claim.

If you think you may be entitled to make a no win no fee compensation claim for an office accident at work, contact National Accident Helpline on 0800 6783 601 or complete our online personal injury claim form.

Who pays the compensation for an office accident claim?

Your employer is legally obliged to take out insurance cover, known as Employers Liability Insurance, in respect of accidents at work.  If you have suffered an injury as a result of an office accident, and are successful in making a no win no fee personal injury claim, it is the company’s insurers who would pay the compensation, not your employer.

How long do I have to make a claim for an office accident?

In order to make a successful no win no fee claim for an accident in the office, the claim must be made within three years from the actual date of the accident. If you are under the age of 18 at the time of the office accident, the three year period would begin on your 18th birthday. The three year period may also be extended if your injury only became apparant at a later date. In these cases the three year period may begin on the date you became aware of the injury.

Will I loose my job if I am making a claim against my employer?

It is not a legally justifiable reason for your employer to dismiss you on the grounds that you are making a compensation claim for an accident that you have had at work. If your employer did dismiss you on these grounds, it could amount to unfair dismissal.

Examples of potential office accident claims

Below are some hyperthetical examples of office accidents which could give rise to no win no fee compensation claim.  As with all personal injury claims, each claim is judged on its own merits. The best way to see if you are entitled to make a compensation claim for an office accident is to contact a personal injury solicitor, who will be happy to discuss your potential claim with you.

Faulty office chair - Jane sits on her office chair which collapses, causing her to fall on to the floor. Several previous complaints had been made to her office manager that her chair felt unsafe, but no action was taken.  As a result of the accident Jane suffered a back injury, which caused pain and discomfort for over 3 months and required physiotherapy at the hospital.   

Loose cables under the office desk - Stephen works in a busy call centre.  Computer and telephone cables hang loose underneath the desks. As Stephen stood up to leave his desk, his feet got caught around the loose cables, causing his to trip over. As a result of the office accident Stephen fractured his wrist and was in plaster for 6 weeks.

If you have been involved in a building site accident in the past three years and the accident was not your fault, you may be entitled to make a building site accident claim. Providing you have suffered injuries as a result of the accident on a building site, and have received medical attention, you should contact a personal injury solicitor who will be able to discuss your compensation claim.

Contact National Accident Helpline on 0800 6783 601 or complete our online personal injury claim form.

Whenever working on a building site or carrying out any other construction work, your employer has a duty of care to ensure you are provided with all of the necessary personal protective clothing (PPE). Your employer also has a duty to provide safe systems of work throughout the building site, suitable and safe machinery and competent and appropriately trained staff.

The main types of building site accident claims are:

Who pays the compensation for a building site accident claim?

If you make a successful no win no fee personal injury claim for a building site accident that you have had, the compensation you are awarded would be paid by your employer’s insurance company. This is known as Employers Liability Insurance.

How long do I have to make a claim for an accident on a building site?

If you suffer an injury due to a building site accident, the claim must be made within three years from the actual date of the accident. If you are under the age of 18 at the time of the building site accident, the three year period within which to make a no win no fee claim would begin on your 18th birthday. If your injury only becomes apparent at a later date after the accident, the three year limitation period would begin on the date you became aware of the injury.

Is my job at risk if I make a claim against my employer?

Your employer cannot dismiss you for making a compensation claim for an accident that you have had on a building site at work. This is not a legally justifiable reason to dismiss an employee, so could amount to unfair dismissal.

Example of a potential building site accident compensation claim

Falling off scaffolding - Lee is a bricklayer working on a building site. Whilst working on scaffolding that had been erected the day before by a scaffolding company, Lee slipped and fell off the edge of the scaffolding. The scaffolder had forgot to connect safety barriers on this section of scaffolding, which would have prevented Lee from falling off. The fall was witnessed by several other workers and was recorded in the site accident book. Lee was taken to hospital by ambulance and sustained broken ribs, concussion and torn ligaments in his ankle. Lee was unable to return to work on the building site for 8 weeks.

Although RSI is not a medically recognised condition in itself, the term RSI is used to describe a number of injuries caused by repetitive movement or overuse which affects the muscles, nerves and tendons. RSI injuries can be very debilitating and are normally associated with injuries to the wrists, hands, shoulders, arms and neck.

If you have suffered an RSI injury at work, contact National Accident Helpline on 0800 6783 601 or complete our online personal injury claim form. National Accident Helpline will be happy to discuss your potential RSI compensation claim and offer a no win no fee compensation claim, so your RSI claim won’t cost you a penny and you will receive the compensation you are entitled to.

To make a successful claim for RSI compensation, it is essential to be able to prove the following:

• That your employer knew, or ought to have known, that you were exposed to risk of injury through your work activities;
• That your employer failed to take reasonable steps to minimise the risk of injury; and
• That your injury was caused, either fully or in part, by the work that you were required to carry out and your employer’s failure to take steps to minimise this risk of injury.

Who pays the compensation for an RSI compensation claim?

Your employer is legally obliged to take out Employers Liability Insurance to cover them for any potential accidents that occur in the workplace.  If you make a successful RSI claim on a  no win no fee basis, it is your employer’s insurance company who would pay the compensation, not your employer.

How long do I have to make a claim an RSI claim?

Unlike most accident at work claims which are based on a single event, RSI claims are normally based on injuries caused by repetitive movements over a period of time. Therefore as there may not be a specific date when the accident occurred, the three year period within which the RSI claim must be made would begin on the date that the RSI injury was diagnosed by a doctor.

Will I loose my job for making an RSI claim against my employer?

It is not a legally justifiable reason for your employer to dismiss you on the grounds that you are making a compensation claim for an accident that you have had at work. If your employer did dismiss you for making an RSI claim against them, you could be entitled to make a claim for unfair dismissal. If this has happened to you, contact an employment solicitor who would be able to give further advice.