Within this guide, we look at who could make an office accident claim after an accident at work. We do this by examining the eligibility criteria that must be met to have grounds to launch a personal injury claim against your employer. In workplaces, employers owe staff a duty of care to take steps in order to keep them safe. We look at the legislation that states this and provide examples of how this duty can be breached.
You may also wish to know how office accident compensation could be awarded for a successful claim. This guide covers how settlements are awarded for personal injury claims.
If you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements and decide to pursue a claim against your employer, you may want legal representation during the claims process. We conclude this guide with a look at how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help with your accident at work claim.
Direct any questions you have about making office accident injury claims to an advisor from our team. To talk about accident at work claims:
- Call 020 8050 2736
- Use our claim online form to request a call back.
- Ask about office accident compensation claims in our live chat.
Select A Section
- How To Make An Office Accident Claim
- What Evidence Is Needed For Office Accident Claims?
- What Types Of Accidents Can Lead To Office Compensation Claims?
- How Much Compensation For An Office Accident Claim?
- Why Claim Office Accident Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Read More About Office Injury Accident Claims
How To Make An Office Accident Claim?
If you sustain injuries in a workplace accident, you may have good grounds to make an office accident claim. While you are in the workplace, your employer must take all reasonable and practicable steps to ensure your health, safety, and welfare. This is set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) as the duty of care that employers owe their employees.
Health and safety laws apply to all workplaces, including offices. To uphold the duty of care, workplaces are required to undertake risk assessments. Following on from the risk assessment, your employer must take all reasonable steps to reduce the risks, if they can’t be eliminated entirely. For example, an office risk assessment may identify trailing cables. If the cables can’t be moved, a cover could be placed over them to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls.
If your accident happened in an office and you would like to claim compensation, you need to satisfy the personal injury claims requirements. This means that you need to prove that:
- A duty of care was owed to you.
- Your employer neglected this duty.
- You sustained injuries because of this neglect of duty.
What Evidence Is Needed For Office Accident Claims
If you decide to claim office injury compensation, you will need to submit evidence as part of the claims process. The evidence gathered will need to prove liability for your injuries.
Examples of evidence that could be helpful when making an office accident claim include:
- Witness contact details. If anyone saw the incident that caused your injuries, you could make a note of their contact details so they can provide witness statements later in the office accident claims process.
- Accident book entry. By law, any workplace with 10 or more employees must have an accident book. This should be filled in with your name, the date and time plus any relevant details about the accident.
- Medical reports. You can request a copy of your medical records if you sought medical treatment following your accident at work. These could help illustrate your injuries and what impact they are expected to have on your life.
- Photographs and videos. You can take photographs of any relevant items, such as a faulty office chair or your injuries to submit. Additionally, you can request CCTV footage of yourself (if any exists).
Contact our advisors to discuss what evidence you can collect to support your compensation claim for an office injury.
What Types Of Accidents Can Lead To Office Compensation Claims?
There are various accidents that could cause office workers to sustain injuries. These include:
- Faulty equipment accidents. For example, you have asked your employer for a new chair because yours is faulty. However, the employer failed to provide this. Your chair eventually collapses while you are in it, causing a back injury and broken bones.
- Poorly installed furniture accidents. For example, if your office has a shelving unit, but this is not secure, the unit could fall on you, causing crush injuries.
- Fall from height. The lighting in the stairwell of your office has broken but your employer has failed to have this fixed. When walking down the stairs, you lose your footing, and you suffer a brain injury.
- Slips, trips and falls can occur in lots of different ways. For example, if cables and wires trail across the floor, you could trip and suffer a knee injury. Additionally, a slip on a wet floor could happen if there isn’t a wet floor sign resulting in a broken wrist or head injury.
- Manual handling accidents. It is vital that you receive adequate training before being instructed to carry out any manual work. Failure on the part of your employer to provide training could result in you suffering a serious back injury.
If you would like to discuss the incident that caused your injury, speak with a member of our advisory team. They can also assess whether you could make an office accident claim.
How Much Compensation For An Office Accident Claim?
If your office accident claim has a positive outcome, your settlement could consist of two parts, known as general and special damages.
General damages compensate for any physical pain and mental damage that have been caused by your office accident. To help value this part of your office injury claim, the party who does so may refer to the guideline compensation amounts published by the Judicial College (JCG).
In our table below, we look at how compensation could be awarded. The figure in the top row shows how compensation could be awarded for multiple severe injuries and special damages. The remaining figures were taken from the 17th edition of the JCG.
| Injury | Severity | Notes | Guideline Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries and Special Damages | Very Serious | Settlements could include compensation for multiple injuries and expenses, such as lost wages and medical costs. | Up to £300,000+ |
| Brain Damage | Moderate | Moderate to severe intellectual deficit, a personality change, an effect on sight, speech, and senses with a significant risk of epilepsy. | £183,190 to £267,340 |
| Brain Damage | Less Severe | Although these claimants have made a good recovery and can take part in normal lifestyle activities, there may be persisting problems such as poor concentration. | £18,700 to £52,550 |
| Back Injuries | Severe (ii) | These injuries have special features that result in loss of sensation, mobility impairments, sexual difficulties, impaired bladder and bowel and scarring. | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Back Injuries | Moderate (ii) | Many back injuries are included in this bracket, such as backache from ligament and muscle disturbance and soft tissue injuries that accelerate or exacerbate a pre-existing back problem. | £15,260 to £33,880 |
| Arm | Permanent and Substantial | Serious forearm fractures (to 1 or both) have resulted in significant residual and permanent disability. | £47,810 to £73,050 |
| Arm | Simple | The claimant has sustained a simple forearm fracture. | £8,060 to £23,430 |
| Knee | Severe (iii) | The injured person may suffer continuing pain, discomfort, movement limitations, instability or deformity. | £31,960 to £53,030 |
| Knee | Moderate (i) | These injuries involve torn cartilage or meniscus and dislocation causing minor instability, weakness or other mild future disability. | £18,110 to £31,960 |
| Ankle | Moderate | These injuries, including fractures and ligamentous tears, cause less serious disabilities, including difficulty walking on uneven ground, or standing or walking for long periods. | £16,770 to £32,450 |
Can I Claim Special Damages?
Additionally, you might be awarded special damages as part of your settlement for an office accident claim. Special damages are awarded to compensate for any out-of-pocket expenses you experienced because of your office injury.
Your settlement may include compensation for:
- Lost wages for time spent off work recovering from your injuries.
- Carer costs, this may include full-time nursing for severe injuries or a visiting carer.
- Mobility equiupment needed to cope with your injuries, such as a wheelchair.
- Medical expenses, such as the cost of prescriptions.
Direct any questions about what could be included in your settlement to a member of our team.
Why Claim Office Accident Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
If you satisfy the eligibility and would like to pursue an office accident claim, you may like to do so with legal representation. One of the accident at work solicitors from our panel could support your compensation claim. Our panel typically provide a No Win No Fee service under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When your solicitor works on a No Win No Fee basis, you:
- Won’t be asked to pay for their representation upfront.
- Don’t have to pay ongoing fees.
- Only have a small success fee deducted from your award if your office accident compensation claim is successful. This amount is a percentage that is limited by the law.
- Won’t be asked to pay this fee if your claim fails.
Contact our advisory team with any questions you have about claiming for an office accident. Additionally, if you meet the eligibility criteria, you could be connected to one of the personal injury solicitors from our panel.
To talk about office accident claims:
- Call 020 8050 2736
- Request a call back with our claim online form.
- Ask about office accident compensation in our live chat.
Read More About Office Injury Accident Claims
Additional guides about making a personal injury claim:
- Details about minor injuries at work and the eligibility requirements to claim compensation.
- Guidance about how long you have to claim after an accident at work.
External resources that might be useful:
- Guidance on health and safety for employees from the Health and Safety Executive.
- Advice on first aid from the NHS.
- Details about claiming statutory sick pay (SSP) from the government.
If you need any further guidance about starting an office accident claim, speak to a member of our team.