Claiming Compensation After A Finger Injury At Work

By Danielle Coleman. Last Updated 26th October 2022. If you’ve suffered a finger injury at work because of your employer’s negligence, you might be eligible to pursue compensation. Finger injuries can range from cuts and sprains, all the way up to full amputations and can have a large impact on your life.

Through this guide, you can find out how to make a claim after an accident at work, and what proof you might need to proceed. We will also look at how compensation awards are calculated.

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Finger injury at work claims guide

Choose A Section

Could I Claim Compensation For A Finger Injury At Work?
Finger Injury Accident Scenarios
How Could I React To A Finger Accident At Work?
How Long Do I Have To Claim For A Finger Injury At Work?
Finger Injury Compensation Amounts (UK)
Positives Of Using No Win No Fee Lawyers
Discover More About Finger Injury At Work Claims

Could I Claim Compensation For A Finger Injury At Work?

If you’ve sustained a finger injury at work and your employer is at fault, you may be eligible to claim compensation. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) outlines how an employer must go about creating a reasonably safe workplace for their employees. The responsibility that your employer has to ensure your safety is also known as a duty of care.

If you can prove that your employer has breached their duty of care, resulting in your injury, then you may be awarded compensation. For example, if your employer did not carry out the appropriate risk assessments before asking you to complete a task, and you fractured your finger as a result, they may be found at fault. As a result, you might be entitled to claim.

There is a time limit for when you can make a claim. Generally, the personal injury claims time limit is three years beginning on the date of your injury. However, exceptions can apply; find out more by speaking with our team.

Get in touch today to see if you have a valid claim.

Frequency Of Injuries In Work

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) is a piece of legislation that states what types of injuries must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by employers.

According to their 2020/21 statistics, there were 18,988 injuries to upper limb locations. Of these, 5,181 were to one or more fingers or thumbs.

For more information on making a claim for a finger injury at work caused by negligence, speak with one of our advisors today.

Finger Injury Accident Scenarios

There are many ways you could sustain a finger injury at work. As mentioned above, HASAWA outlines your employer’s duty of care. If they breach this duty of care, they could be found at fault for any injuries you subsequently sustain.

In this case, you could be able to claim compensation. See below for some common examples of how an n accident could happen as the result of negligence.

Poor housekeeping: Walkways should be kept clear of clutter and obstructions, and spillages should be cleaned up or marked appropriately to prevent slips and trips. For example, if you are walking through your office and trip on a cluster of loose wires, you could fracture your finger as you fall.
Inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): For some job roles, PPE is essential. Your employer must provide free PPE and ensure it is inadequate working order to prevent injuries in the workplace. An example of this is if you aren’t provided with protective gloves while you work with an electric saw, your fingers are at risk of deep lacerations.
Lack of training: Employers must provide free training relevant to your job role to help reduce the risk of injury. For example, if you work in a factory but are not properly trained in how to use the machinery, you could suffer crush injuries to your fingers.

These are just a few examples of how some finger injuries could occur as a result of negligence. For more information, contact our team of expert advisors today.

How Could I React To A Finger Accident At Work?

If you sustain a finger injury at work and wish to make a claim, you might wonder what evidence is needed to prove your claim. To make a successful personal injury claim, you must be able to prove that:

Your employer owed a duty of care to you
They breached this duty of care
You were injured as a result of this breach

There is a variety of different types of evidence you could gather after your finger injury to strengthen your claim. For example:

Medical notes or records: Seek medical attention as soon as possible after your injury. This will ensure you get the help you need, and will also create documentation of the injuries you have sustained. You may be invited to an independent medical assessment later on in your claim to verify that your injury is consistent with the reported accident.
CCTV footage: If your workplace has CCTV, you can request footage of the accident from your employer. If this footage shows them acting negligently, this could support your claim.
Witness statements: Contact details from witnesses could enable a statement to be taken later on in the claims process.

Collecting evidence is an important part of the personal injury claims process. You can hire a No Win No Fee lawyer to help you. Contact our advisors now to see if a personal injury solicitor from our panel could help you make your claim.

How Long Do I Have To Claim For A Finger Injury At Work?

Accident at work claims are subject to the personal injury claims time limit. Usually, you are given three years from the date of the accident or date of knowledge to start your finger injury at work claim as set by the Limitation Act 1980. However, some circumstances will suspend the time limit.

These circumstances include:

If someone under the age of 18 were to suffer a finger injury at work, they could not start a claim prior to their 18^th However, a litigation friend could be appointed to seek finger injury compensation on their behalf during the time limit’s suspension. If a litigation friend has not claimed on their behalf, then the injured party will have three years from the date in which they turn 18 to start their claim.
Those who lack mental capacity also may be unable to represent themselves in accident at work claims. A litigation friend could be appointed to act on their behalf. However, if a claim is not started on their behalf and they regain capacity, they will have three years to start a claim.

Call our advisors to discuss finger injury compensation amounts.

Finger Injury Compensation Amounts (UK)

This section looks at how compensation can be calculated. The brackets in the table below are from the Judicial College Guidelines (16^th edition, 2022), calculated using general damages paid out in past court claims.

Injury Type	Compensation Bracket	Notes
Total or Effective Loss of Both Hands	£140,660 to £201,490	Serious injury involving severe damage or amputation to both hands, rendering them little more than useless.
Serious Damage to Both Hands	£55,820 to £84,570	Injuries that have given rise to permanent disability and significant loss of function.
Amputation of Index and Middle and/or Ring Fingers	£61,910 to £90,750	Injuries that result in amputation and leave the hand rendered of little use.
Severe Fractures to Fingers	Up to £36,740	These may lead to partial amputations and will result in deformity, impaired grip, and disturbed sensation.
Fracture of Index Finger	£9,110 to £12,240	Injuries where recovery has been made, but grip remains weak and osteoarthritis is expected.
Serious Injury to Ring or Middle Fingers	£10,320 to £16,340	Fractures or serious injury to tendons causing stiffness, deformity or permanent loss of grip/dexterity.
Amputation of Little Finger	£8,640 to £12,240	Total amputation of little finger
Amputation of Ring and Little Fingers	In the region of £21,810	Total amputation of ring and little fingers
Severe Dislocation of the Thumb	£6,340 to £7,780	Severe dislocation of the thumb
Minor Hand, Finger and Thumb Injuries	Up to £4,750	Fractures that recover in less than six months, along with scarring, tenderness, and reaction to cold.

As mentioned, the compensation you see listed is called general damages – it is what is awarded for the pain and distress caused by your injury. If you are able to prove that you have suffered an injury and that your employer is liable for the injury you suffered, then you will be awarded general damages for your injury.

The figures above should only be treated as examples as each claim is unique – the evidence or testimony you can provide about how your injury has affected you physically or mentally could affect how general damages is awarded in your claim.

It is not the only compensation you are able to seek either. If you suffered financial losses because of your injury, you could request special damages as part of your claim – this is compensation for any financial losses you have suffered because of your injury. These could be losses such as:

Care costs
Adaptation costs
Affected earnings

If you can provide evidence or records of your losses, and show how they are tied to your injury, then you could be able to request it as part of the compensation you seek. Evidence such as receipts, prescriptions or payslips could also be used for a finger injury at work claim.

A member of our team could answer any questions you may have about claiming for a finger injury or compensation amounts in the UK.

Positives Of Using No Win No Fee Lawyers

You do not need to hire legal representation to make a finger injury at work claim. But, a No Win No Fee lawyer can make the process feel much less daunting.

When you enter into a No Win No Fee agreement, this means that you do not have to pay any upfront fees to your No Win No Fee lawyer. If your claim succeeds, they will take a success fee from your compensation. This percentage is capped by law to ensure you receive the majority amount of your award.

However, if your claim fails, you will not have to pay this. For more information on the benefits of a No Win No Fee agreement, speak with one of our advisors today.

Speak To Us About Making A Finger Injury At Work Claim

Our team of expert advisors are available 24/7 to help you with your claim, and can put you in touch with our panel of personal injury lawyers to work on your finger injury at work claim. Contact us today by: