How To Successfully Claim Compensation For Eye Injuries At Work

By Lewis Macoll. Last Updated 20th May 2024. You might be eligible to claim compensation if you have suffered from eye injuries at work due to your employer’s negligence. Through this guide, you can find out about who can make an injury at work claim, potential compensation payouts, and how a No Win No Fee solicitor might be able to help you.

Our advisors are ready to help you start your claim. Get in touch today by:

  • Calling the number at the top of the screen
  • Starting your claim online
  • Writing to us through our online form
  • Using our live chat
eye injuries at work

A guide to claiming for eye injuries at work

Select A Section:

  1. Can I Make An Eye Injury At Work Claim?
  2. Various Eye Injuries At Work That You Could Suffer
  3. Do Eye Injuries Occur Often?
  4. Compensation Payouts For Eye Injuries At Work
  5. How Do I Benefit From Hiring A No Win No Fee Lawyer?
  6. More Information About Eye Injuries At Work Claims

Can I Make An Eye Injury At Work Claim?

According to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), your employer has a responsibility to ensure a reasonably safe working environment. This responsibility is also known as a duty of care. If you suffer an injury at work due to your employer breaching this duty of care, you may be eligible to make a claim. 

Not every eye injury you might sustain at work can become a successful claim. To make a claim for compensation, you must be able to prove that your injury was caused by your employer breaching their duty of care.

To find out if you could be eligible to make a claim, contact our team of expert advisors today.

Eye Injury Statistics

According to reports made by employers under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) and published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 595 people suffered eye injuries at work in the year 2020/2021. This is according to health and safety statistics for Great Britain. Of this number, 525 of these injuries required seven or more days away from work. 

Various Eye Injuries At Work That You Could Suffer

There are a number of ways that employer negligence can lead to eye injuries at work. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some example injury scenarios that could potentially lead to a claim.

  • Inadequate PPE: According to the HASAWA, your employer must provide you with any personal protective equipment that’s necessary for you to do your job safely. For example, if you work with or around hazardous substances, you may need protective safety glasses to protect your eyes from splashes. If your employer does not provide this and you suffer an injury as a result, you could be eligible to make a claim.
  • Faulty machinery: If you work around heavy machinery in a factory, your employer has a responsibility to ensure that it is well-maintained. If you or your colleagues report a fault in the machinery and your employer does not act on this in a reasonably timely manner, they could be in breach of their duty of care. If a piece of machinery malfunctions because of this negligence and you sustain an injury as a result, you could be eligible to claim. 
  • Lack of risk assessments: Your employer must carry out regular risk assessments to identify and address any hazards in the workplace. For example, if you work in a warehouse, your employer should carry out a risk assessment to ensure that the shelving you use to stack products can handle certain amounts of weight. If they don’t, the shelving could buckle and snap, causing injury.

Our team of advisors are waiting to help you start your personal injury claim. Get in touch today to find out more.  

Do Eye Injuries Occur Often?

In the year 2020/21, approximately 600 reports of eye injuries in the workplace were made under RIDDOR legislation. If you start a claim for compensation following an injury at work, you will need to provide proof that your employer is at fault. If you choose to hire a solicitor, they can help you with this. Otherwise, we’ve listed a few examples of what evidence can be needed for a personal injury claim as follows:

  • Medical records: Seeking medical attention following an accident at work is important for your own health and safety, but it can also help your claim. Any notes or records made by a medical professional can then be used as evidence.
  • CCTV footage: If your workplace is equipped with CCTV, you can request footage of the accident itself or the circumstances leading up to it.
  • Witness statements: You can’t collect a witness statement yourself. However, you can collect the contact details of potential witnesses so that their statements can be taken later on in your claim.
  • Get legal advice: There’s no obligation for you to hire legal representation to make a claim. However, you might find their guidance helpful during the claims process. 

To learn more about how a No Win No Fee solicitor can help you prove your claim for eye injuries at work, contact us today.

Compensation Payouts For Eye Injuries At Work

An eye injury at work can have serious and life-changing consequences. For example, a severe eye injury could result in permanent scarring, loss of vision, and psychological complications, not to mention complete blindness.

This pain and suffering is compensated under general damages. This also covers loss of amenity, which is compensation for loss of enjoyment and the negative impact on your life as a whole. For example, if you enjoy trainspotting but your eye injury has impacted that experience. When general damages are calculated, those valuing your claim might use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for help.

The JCG provides guideline compensation amounts for different types of eye injuries, including blindness and loss of one eye. You can see some examples of these below, but it’s important to note that the first heading was not taken from the JCG.

JCG Compensation Brackets

Injury TypeCompensation BracketNotes
Multiple Serious Injuries And Special DamagesUp to £500,000+Multiple serious injuries including eye injuries, and financial losses, such as travel costs and lost earnings
Total BlindnessIn the region of £327,940Total blindness in both eyes.
Loss of Sight in One Eye with Reduced Vision in the Remaining Eye (i)£90,100 to £168,730Serious risk beyond sympathetic ophthalmia of deterioration in the second eye.
Loss of Sight in One Eye with Reduced Vision in the Remaining Eye (ii)£78,040 to £129,330Reduction of vision in the second eye along with other symptoms.
Total Loss of One Eye£66,920 to £80,210Consideration given to age, psychiatric consequences, and cosmetic effect.
Complete Loss of Sight in One Eye£60,130 to £66,920Total loss of one eye with consideration given to risk of sympathetic opthalmia and regional scarring.
Incomplete Loss of Sight in One Eye£28,900 to £48,040Serious but not total loss of vision in one eye without high risk of losing vision in the second eye.
Minor Eye Injuries£4,820 to £10,660Minor injuries such as being struck in the eye, splashed by liquids, or exposed to toxic fumes or smokes.
Transient Eye Injuries£2,690 to £4,820Injuries with full recovery in a few weeks.

What About Financial Losses?

In some cases, your injuries might cause financial losses. For example, this might include lost earnings as a result of not being able to work anymore, or the cost of travel to and from medical appointments.

Special damages can help cover these costs, as well as the cost of:

  • Prescriptions
  • Home adjustments
  • Mobility aids, such as a cane or guide dog
  • Prosthetics, such as a prosthetic eye

To learn more about compensation for an eye injury at work, get in touch with our team of advisors today.

How Do I Benefit From Hiring A No Win No Fee Lawyer?

You are not obligated to hire a lawyer to make a claim for eye injuries at work. However, the claims process can feel less stressful with the guidance of a No Win No Fee lawyer. 

When you enter into a No Win No Fee agreement, you won’t have to pay any upfront or ongoing fees to your lawyer. If your claim succeeds, your lawyer will deduct a previously agreed percentage of your compensation as their success fee. This percentage is capped by law to ensure you get the majority of your award. However, if your claim fails, you will not have to pay any fees to your No Win No Fee lawyer.

Contact our advisors today to find out if our panel of No Win No Fee lawyers can help you with your personal injury claim.

Ask About An Eye Injury Claim

Our team of expert advisors are available to give you free legal advice and help you start your eye injury at work claim today. Get in touch by:

  • Calling the number at the top of the screen
  • Starting your claim online
  • Writing to us through our online form
  • Using our live chat

More Information About Eye Injuries At Work Claims

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Written by Ham

Published by Vic