How To Successfully Claim Compensation For Eye Injuries At Work

By Lewis Macoll. Last Updated 7th September 2022. 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

If your claim is successful, you will receive general damages. This head of claim covers the pain and suffering caused by your injury. General damages are worked out on a case-by-case basis with the help of a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG provides a list of injuries alongside corresponding guideline compensation values. We’ve created an easy-to-read table of eye injuries and their JCG brackets below.

Injury TypeCompensation BracketNotes
Total BlindnessIn the region of £252,180Total 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)£60,010 to £99,440Reduction of vision in the second eye along with other symptoms.
Total Loss of One Eye£51,460 to £61,690Consideration given to age, psychiatric consequences, and cosmetic effect.
Complete Loss of Sight in One Eye£46,240 to £51,460Total loss of one eye with consideration given to risk of sympathetic opthalmia and regional scarring.
Incomplete Loss of Sight in One Eye£22,230 to £36,960Serious but not total loss of vision in one eye without high risk of losing vision in the second eye.
Minor Eye Injuries£3,710 to £8,200Minor injuries such as being struck in the eye, splashed by liquids, or exposed to toxic fumes or smokes.
Transient Eye Injuries£2,070 to £3,710Injuries with full recovery in a few weeks.

You might also be able to claim special damages. This head of claim covers any financial losses you might experience due to your injuries. For example, if you rely on your sense of sight to do your job but lose this sense due to your injuries, you may not be able to return to work. In this case, you could potentially claim for loss of future earnings as part of your special damages. 

You will be required to provide proof of financial losses. For example, you can use previous payslips to demonstrate the range of earnings you might have lost.

 It’s important to note that the JCG provides guidelines, not guarantees. For a free and more detailed valuation of your claim, contact our advisors today.

What Else Can You Include In A Claim For Compensation For An Eye Injury?

We’ve already discussed what could be included in payouts in eye injury claims. However, this section includes some further examples of what could potentially be claimed for under special damages. Compensation for an eye injury could also cover:

  • Loss of use of a vehicle – If you are recovering from an eye injury, you will be unlikely to be able to drive your car. However, you will still have to pay the insurance and MOT. Therefore, it may be possible for you to claim some of these costs back.
  • Damage to clothing – When you sustained your eye injury, it’s possible that you then got blood on your clothes. Any damage to your clothes could potentially be compensated for.
  • Medical fees – You may have to go through extensive treatment following an eye injury. If you were treated privately, the fees can quickly add up.
  • Travelling costs – Again, eye injuries could leave you unable to drive. Therefore, you may have to get taxis or public transport to get around.

If you are claiming for an expense not featured on this list, speak to an advisor to find out if you are entitled to claim for it. They offer no obligation consultations of accident at work claims free of charge.

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