How To Claim For A Hand Injury At Work

In this article, we will explore when you could be entitled to begin a personal injury claim after sustaining a hand injury at work. We start by considering the eligibility criteria for accident at work claims and set out the types of evidence that can be used to strengthen your hand injury claim.

hand injury at work

How To Claim For A Hand Injury At Work

As you continue reading, you’ll find examples of how a work injury and accident could occur and information on the duty of care your employer owes you to prevent accidents at work. Furthermore, we look at how compensation is calculated in successful personal injury claims.

Finally, if your claim is valid, you might benefit from the support of one of the specialist No Win No Fee solicitors on our panel. Therefore, we explain some of the services they could offer if your claim is taken on.

Our team is happy to check whether you’re able to claim after sustaining a hand injury on a no-obligation basis. Therefore, for free advice, you can:

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How To Claim Compensation For A Hand Injury At Work

Employers owe a duty of care to their staff with respect to their health, safety, and well-being. This duty is established by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and requires them to take reasonable and practicable steps to prevent employees from becoming injured in the workplace.

Some of the steps your employer can take to uphold their duty to try and prevent work injuries include:

  • Provide sufficient safety training.
  • Conduct risk assessments regularly to try and identify as well as remove or reduce the risk of any known hazards.
  • Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as protective gloves where needed.

You could be eligible to sue your employer and begin a personal injury claim for a hand injury at work if:

  • At the time and place of your accident, you were owed a duty of care by your employer.
  • Your employer failed to uphold their duty.
  • As a consequence of your employer breaching this duty, you sustained a hand injury.

We can assess the merits of your claim for free. Therefore, if you’d like to check if you have a valid claim for an accident at work, why not call today?

Examples Of Employer Negligence That Could Lead To A Hand Injury At Work

Here are some examples of how an employee could sustain a hand injury at work:

  • You may have sustained a finger amputation while using a cutting machine that had a missing safety shield after your employer had failed to have it replaced.
  • You may have sustained a wrist fracture after a slip, trip or fall on a puddle in a corridor caused by a radiator that was known to be leaking.
  • Items of stock may have fallen from shelving in a warehouse after being stacked incorrectly because no manual handling training was provided. As a result, your hand was crushed.
  • You may have suffered a scald injury to your hand in the staff room because the temperature of the hot water from the taps was not regulated correctly due to a faulty thermostat that had not been repaired.

Many other scenarios could result in workplace hand injuries. However, not all accidents at work will form the basis of a valid personal injury claim. As such, please get in touch to discuss your eligibility to claim compensation.

How Can You Prove A Hand Injury At Work Was Caused By Employer Negligence?

If you wish to claim compensation for a hand injury at work, you will need to prove employer negligence. Therefore, you’ll need to supply as much evidence to strengthen your claim. When claiming for a workplace injury, the following evidence could all prove useful:

  • Photographs of your hand to show any visible injuries. Also, pictures of the accident scene.
  • Contact information for anybody who is a potential witness to the accident.
  • Workplaces with 10 or more employees must have an accident book. You could acquire a copy of your accident report form from this book to prove when and where you injured your hand.
  • Video footage of the accident, such as from CCTV cameras.
  • Medical record copies, such as doctor reports or copies of test results.

If your claim is valid, one of the accident at work solicitors from our panel may offer to represent you and help you seek compensation. As part of the services they provide, they could assist you with building your case and acquiring a strong body of evidence.

To find out more about how to make a work injury claim and how our panel of expert solicitors could help, please call today.

Potential Compensation From A Work Injury Claim

Hand injury compensation settlements awarded in successful accident at work claims vary from case to case. Generally, though, you could receive an award comprising up to two heads of loss. The first of these is general damages which compensates for the pain and suffering you’ve experienced because of your injuries, both physical and psychological.

To help determine the value of general damages, you may be asked to attend an independent medical assessment. This will usually be organised for you and can produce an in-depth report on the extent of your injuries. Reference can also be made to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document listing guideline compensation brackets for several injuries.

Compensation Table

Our compensation table uses figures from the JCG but please be aware that these guideline amounts cannot be guaranteed. Also, please note the first entry is not from the JCG.

Type Of InjurySeverityDescriptionGuideline Award Brackets
Multiple Severe Injuries with Financial ExpensesSevereA payout for multiple severe injuries could reflect compensation for the physical and psychological impacts of the injuries as well as for the financial losses incurred, such as medical costs, travel costs, and lost income.Up to and above £700,000
HandTotal or Effective Loss of Both HandsWhere both hands are rendered little more than useless by extensive damage caused by a serious injury.£140,660 - £201,490
Total or Effective Loss of One HandA crushed hand that is surgically amputated.£96,160 - £109,650
Amputation of Index, Middle and/or Ring FingerHand is rendered of very little use with exceedingly weak grip.£61,910 - £90,750
Serious Damage to Both HandsResulting in significant loss of function and cosmetic disability of a permanent nature.£55,820 - £84,570
Serious The hand is reduced to around 50% capacity.£29,000 - £61,910
Severe Fingers FracturesThese may lead to partial amputations and deformity as well as grip impairment, a reduction in mechanical function, and sensation disturbment.Up to £36,740
Less SeriousA severe crush injury that causes function to be significantly impaired without the need for future surgery.£14,450 - £29,000
Total and Partial Loss of Index FingerTotal loss will see an award at the top end of the bracket being given.£12,170 - £18,740

Special Damages In A Hand Injury Claim

The second head of loss, known as special damages, compensates for the expenses, costs, and financial losses linked to your hand injury at work. If your claim is successful, your payout could therefore cover the following under special damages:

  • Lost earnings and future losses too.
  • Medical expenses including physiotherapy or prescription fees.
  • The cost of a carer if required.
  • Travel expenses.

Importantly, evidence such as payslips or receipts should be submitted to prove any financial costs.

Find out how much compensation you could be awarded for a hand injury at work by calling the number above. We can offer you a free valuation of your potential claim and explain in further detail how personal injury settlements are calculated.

Use No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors To Claim Hand Injury Compensation

If your hand injury at work claim is valid a solicitor from our panel may offer to help you. Some of the services they could provide include:

  • Evidence gathering.
  • Filing your claim on time.
  • Handling all communication on your behalf.
  • Providing updates regularly so you know how your claim is progressing.
  • Valuing your claim.

Additionally, they can offer these services on a No Win No Fee basis under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This generally means that:

  • No fees for your solicitor’s work are charged upfront.
  • Also, you don’t pay your solicitor for their work while the case progresses or if it is lost.
  • When you receive compensation following a successful claim, a percentage of it will be deducted by your solicitor. This is their success fee. Legally, the success fee percentage is capped so you can rest assured that you’ll receive the majority of any settlement awarded.

To see if you could claim for a workplace hand injury, you can:

Learn More About How To Seek Compensation For An Injury At Work

Here is a sample of our other personal injury claims guides:

Also, you might wish to refer to some of these useful external links:

If you’d like more information about how to claim for a hand injury at work, please call our team today.