Injuring your hand at work could leave you in pain and could prevent you from both being able to continue with your normal workplace duties, participate in hobbies or go about your normal daily life. You could claim compensation if your accident at work was caused by your employer acting negligently. In this guide we look at when and how to make a hand injury claim.
Our guide covers key points such as types of hand injuries and causes of accidents at work. We also look at eligibility to claim compensation and look at how settlements may be calculated. Our guide also includes information on your employers liability for injuries
Please get in touch with our team if you have been harmed by a hand injury at work.
- You can phone 0800 408 7827 and speak to an advisor.
- Contact us by making an inquiry online.
- Get live advice from our online chat.
Browse Our Guide
- Common Types Of Hand Injuries At Work
- Hand Injury Compensation Amounts
- Liability For Workplace Injuries – Employer Responsibility
- How To File A Hand Injury Claim
- Resources
Common Types Of Hand Injuries At Work
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics for the most recently available year (2023/24) show that there were 4,107 workplace hand injuries.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a government agency which promotes and regulates health and safety in the workplace. HSE statistics for the most recently available year (2023/24) show that there were 4,107 workplace hand injuries.
These statistics cover hand injuries which have been reported under the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). This means that these injuries were serious enough to be reported under RIDDOR. Further injuries may have occurred but not have been serious enough to report under these regulations.
Depending on the nature of your industry, workplace, job role and the type of equipment used, there are many different ways in which you could suffer a hand injury at work.
Potential examples include:
- A broken hand or fingers – broken or fractured bones could be caused by a crush injury, a slip or trip, or by a falling object at work.
- Lacerations and cuts – these may include a minor injury at work or a deep laceration causing permanent nerve damage. A cutting injury at work could happen in workplaces such as kitchens or where using machinery.
- Strains and sprains – you could suffer strains and sprains during manual handling operations. This could occur if you have not been correctly trained or provided with the right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
- Scalds and burns – you could suffer a scald or burn injury whilst working with hot equipment in a workplace such as a kitchen. Staff should be provided with the proper training and PPE.
- Crush injuries – crush injuries could happen during manual handling operations, such as whilst using a lift truck or when moving other heavy objects or machinery.
Please contact our team for further information on how to sue your employer for a hand injury at work.
Can You Claim For A Broken Hand At Work?
You could claim compensation for a broken hand at work if you can show that your employer was at fault. A broken hand injury could consist of a:
- Broken or fractured metacarpals – these are the bones in your palm.
- Broken or fractured phalanges – these are the bones in your fingers.
You could suffer a broken or fractured bone in the hand as a result of high force trauma. For example, road traffic accidents caused by faulty work vehicles could lead to a variety of different hand injuries, such as a broken thumb or a broken ring finger.
A broken or fractured hand could be caused by the types of accidents listed in the previous section. They may also be caused by the improper use of tools, or the use of equipment.
If you have suffered a broken hand at work please contact us to find out how to make a personal injury claim.
Hand Injury Compensation Amounts
If you make a successful hand injury claim you will be awarded compensation. How much compensation you could be awarded will depend on several factors. These can include the type of hand injury suffered and the severity of this injury.
| Hand Injury | Severity | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple injuries to the hands. | Severe injury | Up to £500,000 with special damages. |
| Hand injury | (A) Total loss of both hands (or effective loss). | £171,680 - £245,900 |
| (B) Serious injury to both hands. | £68,070 - £103,200 | |
| (C) Total loss of a hand (or effective loss). | £117,360 - £133,810 | |
| (E) Serious injury | £35,390 - £75,550 | |
| (G) Less serious hand injury | £17,640 - £35,390 | |
| Hand injury | (J) Fractured index finger | £11,120 - £14,930 |
| (M) Amputation of the little finger | £10,550 - £14,940 | |
| (S) Very serious thumb injury | £23,920 - £42,720 | |
| (T) Serious thumb injury | £15,370 to £20,460 |
Next, we look at how a compensation award may be calculated.
How Compensation Is Calculated
Your solicitor, or other parties to the claim may use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to work out how much compensation may be awarded for a hand injury at work. The JCG may be referred to when solicitors calculate general damages. This is compensation awarded for any pain and suffering you have experienced.
The table above uses JCG figures in row two onwards. The highest figure represents how much compensation may be awarded where both a hand injury and special damages are taken into account.
Your hand injury compensation claim could also include special damages. Special damages refer to the quantifiable monetary losses that a claimant has incurred as a result of an injury or accident. These damages are intended to compensate for specific expenses and financial losses. Here are some examples of what special damages may include:
- Medical care such as treatment for your injuries, physiotherapy or even plastic surgery.
- Prescription or over the counter medication.
- Travel costs, such as travelling to a hospital or physiotherapist for treatment.
- Home help and care during your recovery.
Your claim for hand injury compensation could include that for lost income and earnings. In many cases, this can form the bulk of a compensation settlement. Please contact our team to learn more about how to make a hand injury claim.
Liability For Workplace Injuries – Employer Responsibility
Employers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of employees and workers whilst they are carrying out their duties. Under legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must take reasonable steps to keep you safe. Depending on your industry, workplace and job role, there may be additional legislation which your employer should adhere to.
In order to adhere to their duty of care employers may take steps such as:
- Regularly conducting risk assessments and taking steps to address any hazards or potential hazards identified.
- Carry out regular and appropriate training for all employees.
- Provide employees with appropriate and necessary PPE.
If they have failed to adhere to relevant legislation you could make a hand injury claim. Eligibility criteria your case must meet include:
- That an employer had a duty of care to you as a worker or employee.
- That the employer breached their duty of care. For example, they may have failed to properly maintain workplace machinery.
- This breach caused your hand injury. In the above example, your hand may become trapped in machinery causing a laceration.
- That you are within the applicable limitation period. This is set out in the Limitation Act 1980 and will generally be three years.
You can learn more about how to claim for an injury, such as a cutting injury at work, by contacting our specialist team. An advisor could help you to understand the hand injury claims process.
Can I Claim If The Accident Was Partly My Fault?
If you were partially at fault you could still claim for an accident such as a slip, trip or fall at work. To do so, you still need to show that your claim meets the criteria outlined earlier in this guide. If you were partially at fault, your compensation award would be reduced by the amount you contributed to the accident taking place.
For example if you were 50% at fault, such as where you did not wear PPE issued by an employer, but where your employer still contributed to the accident occurring, your compensation payout would be reduced by 50%.
To claim for a hand injury or hand pain at work. Please contact our team.
How To File A Hand Injury Claim
If you think that you have a valid hand injury claim you could be connected to one of our panel of No Win No Fee solicitors. Whilst there is no obligation to make a hand injury compensation claim with a solicitor, we believe that there are advantages to doing so.
Any legal process, such as making a personal injury claim, can potentially be complex. You may need to navigate both medical and legal jargon. Whilst making the claim itself, you will have to navigate and adhere to the claims process. A specialist solicitor could help to explain complex terminology and ensure that your claim is made in the correct way.
No-Win, No-Fee Hand Injury Claims Explained
When considering working with a solicitor we recognise that people can be concerned about potential upfront costs. This is why a solicitor from our panel could help you on a No Win No Fee basis. When you contact us, one of our advisors can take the details of your case. If the solicitor thinks that your claim is valid they could handle your hand injury compensation claim through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
Under this type of agreement, you will pay a success fee if your claim is successful. This fee is agreed as a percentage of your final award and it is subject to a legal limit on the percentage which may be charged. If you are not awarded compensation, there is nothing to pay.
Reporting Your Injury And Gathering Evidence
An important part of filing a claim is both reporting your accident at work to any relevant parties and gathering evidence. If you have an accident at work you should notify your employer as soon as possible. Workplace accidents should be recorded in your workplaces accident report book. In some circumstances, your employer may also need to report an accident to the HSE.
Once you have reported your accident and have sought medical attention you could collect evidence such as:
- A copy of any medical report. This should contain information on what injury you sustained, how serious it was, the treatment required and your prognosis for recovery.
- You should request a copy of the accident report log.
- Taking photos of the cause or scene of the accident as well as of your injury.
If you choose to make a hand injury compensation claim with one of our panel of No Win No Fee solicitors they could provide advice on types of evidence which could support your case and assist in gathering this.
Contact our team today to learn more about the benefits of working with injury solicitors.
Resources
If you need further help or advice, please get in touch with our team.
- Get help and advice by using our online chat.
- Contact us by making an inquiry online.
- You can phone 0800 408 7827 and speak to an advisor.
Here you can find additional resources.
- In this guide we look at how to sue for a warehouse accident.
- Our guide on making a factory accident claim includes information on when and how to make a claim.
- If you suffered a broken forearm at work, learn when you could claim compensation here.
External references
- Find out more about dealing with a metacarpal fracture of the hand in this NHS guide.
- View information on Statutory Sick Pay in this resource from the government.
- Learn more about hand trauma in this resource from the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.
We appreciate you reading our guide on how to make a hand injury claim against your employer. Get in touch for further advice on how personal injury lawyers could help you.