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Office accident claims involve employees taking legal action against their employer for negligent conduct that directly caused an injury at work. Injuries sustained in office settings can be very serious, often resulting in head trauma and complex fractures. As a result, if you have gotten hurt while in the office and you believe your employer is to blame, it’s very important that you seek the justice you deserve by looking into accident at work claims. Don’t both our advisors and our panel of solicitors are here to help you balance the scales after suffering an injury that wasn’t your fault.
Here at Legal Helpline, our advisors work around the clock to make sure that their free guidance is available 24/7 to those who need it. Some of the things our advisors can help you with include assessing the eligibility of your office accident claim, providing you with a compensation estimate, and breaking down how the initial stages of the personal injury claims process work. Our panel of solicitors offers their legal services to eligible claimants on No Win No Fee terms because they believe in providing professional legal guidance in an accessible format. Get in touch with a dedicated advisor today to take that first step to securing the personal injury compensation you deserve:
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- What Are Office Accident Claims?
- Can I Claim After Being Injured In An Office?
- Examples Of Office Accidents
- What Injuries Could An Office Accident Lead To?
- How Much Office Injury Compensation Can I Claim?
- How To Make A Claim After Being Injured In An Office
- How Legal Helpline Can Support Your Office Injury Claim
- Office Accident Claims On A No Win No Fee Basis
- More Information
What Are Office Accident Claims?
Office accident claims are when employees take legal action when their employer’s negligent actions directly cause them to suffer an injury. Despite office settings having far fewer hazards than higher-risk workplaces, such as factories, office workers can still get hurt. If an employee suffers a physical or psychological injury because their employer failed to establish a safe working environment, the injured employee may have an eligible office accident claim.
Did you know we can tell you if you have a valid personal injury claim right now? Simply call us today to discuss your claim during a free consultation.
Can I Claim After Being Injured In An Office?
You can claim after being injured in an office if you are able to prove that your employer’s negligent actions directly resulted in you suffering a physical or psychological injury.
If you’re unfamiliar with making a personal injury claim, it’s understandable to feel unsure about the eligibility of your office accident claim. To be helpful, we have provided below the specific eligibility requirements, which you can use as a blueprint in relation to office accident claims:
- You were owed a duty of care: Your employer has a legal responsibility to take reasonable steps to help ensure your safety while working, as per the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. In an office setting, this could involve ensuring there are no trailing cables or wires across the floor.
- The duty of care was breached: One of the elements that contributes to your claim’s eligibility is your employer breaching their duty of care towards you in some capacity. For example, your employer fails to get the office computers PAT tested to ensure they are safe for employees to use.
- This breach caused you to suffer an injury in the office: In order for your office accident claim to be valid, you must have suffered a physical injury, psychological injury or illness. For example, you turn on your computer without realising that it has not been PAT tested, leaving you with serious burns and scarring from a severe electric shock.
What Other Laws Must Offices Comply With?
Offices must comply with several other laws covering workplace health and safety, including those that require the identification of environmental hazards and the management of risks associated with display screen equipment. These requirements are primarily governed by the following regulations:
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: This law reinforces the Health and Safety at Work ect Act 1974 by requiring employers to proactively identify, assess and manage risks in the workplace.
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992: Employers must ensure their workplace meets the required standards for health, safety and welfare, including ventilation, lighting, cleanliness and temperature.
- The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992: Requires employers to protect employees from the associated risks of display screen equipment, such as PCs, laptops, and tablets.
If you have questions about legislation in relation to office accident claims, please don’t hesitate to ring one of our advisors today.
Examples Of Office Accidents
Office accidents often involve slips, trips, and falls, as well as manual handling incidents. We’ve provided an in-depth list below of the different types of office accidents that can take place:
- Falls from height: These might occur if your employer has you use a defective ladder, resulting in you breaking your arm when it gives way beneath you.
- Being struck by a falling object: If cupboards or shelving are overloaded or left in disrepair, you might suffer a serious concussion and several fractures from heavy objects falling on you.
- Electrical hazards: Overloaded sockets or defective computer equipment could lead to you sustaining severe electric shock injuries and permanent scarring. Office management might be liable for your injuries if they failed to conduct regular inspections or maintenance.
- Manual handling: You could suffer a debilitating back injury if you are asked to move heavy goods between offices without receiving any training on proper lifting techniques.
This is not an exhaustive list of office accidents. Have you been hurt while working in an office? Call today so our advisors can provide fast and clear guidance.
What Injuries Could An Office Accident Lead To?
An office accident could lead to a multitude of different injuries, such as contusions, sprained ankles, and life-altering brain damage. Please find below the different injuries an employee could suffer in an accident at work:
- Broken bones ranging from a fractured finger to a fractured back
- Soft tissue injuries, including sprains and strains, as well as torn cartilage, muscles and ligaments
- Burns and scalds ranging from first-degree to third-degree burns
- Cuts and lacerations
- Dislocations
- Crush injuries, often resulting in organ damage
Have you suffered one of the injuries listed above, and it wasn’t your fault? You might have an eligible office accident claim. Call today to find out.
How Much Office Injury Compensation Can I Claim?
The amount of office injury compensation you can claim is dependent on the type of injury you have suffered, the severity of said injury and whether you have lost money as a direct result of your injury.
When a solicitor calculates personal injury compensation, they will determine what you are owed in general damages. This is a head of loss that compensates claimants for pain and suffering they have endured, including both the physical and psychological effects of their injury.
To guide solicitors in determining the amount of general damages for claimants, the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) are often consulted. The JCG is a helpful framework, specifically, a publication that covers different types of injuries, severities, and corresponding suggested compensation brackets.
To give you a clear picture, we have created a table below that includes several JCG brackets. However, please note that the highest-valued entry in the top row is not from the JCG. Please only use our table below for guidance, not as confirmed compensation amounts for office accident claims.
| INJURY | COMPENSATION BRACKET | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Injuries Plus Special Damages | Up to £500,000+ | Multiple severe injuries plus special damages including things like medical expenses, lost wages and travel costs. |
| Brain and Head - Moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 | This level of award covers head and brain injuries involving a moderate to severe intellectual deficit, a personality change, an effect on sight, speech, and senses. |
| Brain and Head - Less Severe | £18,700 to £52,550 | The injured individual will have symptoms such as persisting problems such as poor concentration and memory or disinhibition of mood. |
| Ankle - Severe | £38,210 to £61,090 | The injured person will have suffered an injury requiring an extensive period of treatment and/or a lengthy period in plaster or where pins and plates have been inserted. |
| Knee - Severe (iii) | £31,960 to £53,030 | This compensation bracket covers injuries involving continuing symptoms byway of pain and discomfort and limitation of movement or instability or deformity. |
| Back - Moderate (i) | £33,880 to £47,320 | The injured claimant may have suffered injuries such as compression/crush fracture of the lumbar vertebrae where there is a substantial risk of osteoarthritis and constant pain and discomfort. |
| Back - Moderate (ii) | £15,260 to £33,880 | This level of award covers injuries involving disturbance of ligaments and muscles giving rise to backache, soft tissue injuries resulting in a prolonged acceleration and/or exacerbation of a pre-existing back condition. |
| Neck - Moderate (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 | Here you will find injuries such as fractures or dislocations which cause severe immediate symptoms and which may necessitate spinal fusion. |
| Neck - Moderate (ii) | £16,770 to £30,500 | This compensation bracket covers injuries such as soft tissue or wrenching-type injury and disc lesion of the more severe type resulting in cervical spondylosis. |
| Hand - Moderate Injuries to the Thumb | £11,800 to £15,370 | The injured person will have suffered damage to nerves and tendons which can lead to impairment of sensation in the thumb. |
Can Office Accident Claims Cover Financial Losses?
Yes, office accident claims cover financial losses such as lost wages, medical expenses and travel costs under a head of loss called special damages.
So you can get more familiar with how special damages work, we’ve provided a list of financial losses below that can be covered under this head of loss:
- Loss of future earnings, such as missed promotional opportunities or bonuses
- Specialist equipment, such as hearing aids or a wheelchair
- Miscellaneous costs such as missed holidays or personal training sessions
In order to secure special damages as part of your accident at work compensation, you will need to prove that you have incurred financial impacts in the first place. As a result, your solicitor will ask you to provide evidence such as payslips, invoices and receipts.
Would you like some guidance on collecting proof to secure special damages in relation to office accident claims? Connect with an advisor today so we can assist you.
How To Make A Claim After Being Injured In An Office
To make a claim after being injured in an office, you will need to gather as much evidence as you can, such as photographs of the accident scene and your medical records, and adhere to the legal time limit.
Below, we discuss the process of collecting proof to support your claim and adhering to the legal time limit in detail, so you know exactly what to do moving forward.
How Can I Prove Fault For An Office Accident?
To prove fault for an office accident, you will need to present as much evidence as you can that clearly shows that your employer is responsible for the injury you sustained at work. For instance, copies of maintenance or training logs could provide insight into any failure by your employer to address faults or to provide sufficient instruction on manual handling techniques. In addition, you can use CCTV footage (if available in the building) or photographs showing poorly secured cables, defective equipment, or loose carpeting.
For a more detailed explanation of the process of gathering proof, head over to our other guide on the evidence needed for a personal injury claim.
Office Accident Claim Time Limits
You typically have 3 years to start your office accident claim from the date of the incident, as outlined by the Limitation Act 1980.
However, the legislation does highlight specific exemptions to the legal time limit. To find out more about who is exempt, please refer to our other guide on the time limit for compensation claims.
We know that this might be a lot to take in at once. Did you know that our panel can gather supportive documentation for clients so they can focus on their recovery and spend time with loved ones? Contact our advisors today to find out more.
How Legal Helpline Can Support Your Office Injury Claim
Here at Legal Helpline, providing clients with the correct support during their office injury claim is important to our panel. To ensure their clients get the support they need, our panel of solicitors delivers a comprehensive range of services to help make the claims process as smooth an experience as possible.
Here are some examples of the support services that our panel can provide:
- Secure any necessary rehabilitation you require in order to improve your health and wellbeing
- Put you the centre of the claims process with regular, transparent updates
- Translate the legal jargon into plain English, so you know what’s going on with your office accident claim at all times
- Explain how workplace legislation works and how it influences your claim
- Assess all damages and losses so they are accounted for in your personal injury compensation
Are you interested in any of the support services above? We’re happy to let you know that this is not an exhaustive list, and our panel offers much more. Ring today to learn about these services.
Office Accident Claims On A No Win No Fee Basis
The No Win No Fee solicitors on our panel here at Legal Helpline can help you make an office accident claim by providing you with a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) contract. In simple terms, this means:
- You don’t pay any solicitor service fees if your office accident claim is unsuccessful
- You pay no solicitor service fees while your claim is in progress
- You pay nothing up front for service fees
If your office accident claim is successful, you pay a success fee. The success fee is capped by law to a percentage, as established by the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013. We want to reassure you that this means you take home the majority of your compensation, which is exactly what you deserve.
Contact Legal Helpline
Here at Legal Helpine, we understand the impact a workplace injury can have on an individual’s life and, therefore, what is at stake. So, if you’re looking for legal representation that will do everything in its power to set your office accident claim up for success, please connect with an advisor today using the contact information below:
- Call us for free on 0333 0000 729
- Contact us online
- Use our live chat to get free advice by simply sending a text!
More Information
Learn more about office accident claims by reading more of our guides:
- Read our guide on unsafe practices in the workplace.
- Take a look at our other guide on the importance of reporting accidents in the workplace.
- Have a read of our guide on whether you get full pay if you’re injured at work.
These external resources may also broaden your knowledge and research:
- Request CCTV footage of yourself from GOV.UK.
- Learn about the accident book in workplaces by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
- Review this A – Z of conditions from the NHS.
Thank you for taking the time to read our guide on office accident claims.