When Are You Eligible To Claim For A Back Injury In Construction Work?

In this article, we explain when you could claim for a back injury in construction. We start by reviewing the eligibility criteria that apply to personal injury claims when claiming compensation for a back injury at work. After that, you’ll read about some of the most common types of back injuries that could occur in a construction site accident and how settlements in an accident at work claim are calculated.

Our article also explains the types of supporting evidence that could be used to strengthen construction injury claims. Finally, we describe how one of the specialist solicitors from our panel could help you make a back injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis.

If you have any questions about building site accident claims, why not get in touch for free advice and a no-obligation assessment of your building site injury claim? To do so you can:

  • Call 0800 408 7825 to speak with a specialist.
  • Use our free live chat service.
  • Contact us online to tell us about your accident.

a man holding his back after suffering an injury to it on a construction site

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When Are You Eligible To Claim For A Back Injury In Construction Work?

While working, your employer has a duty of care to take reasonably practicable steps to ensure your safety and well-being. This duty is derived from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Other laws such as the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are designed to help improve construction site safety. Following the rules of such laws can reduce the chances of back injuries at work. For example, conducting a risk assessment in the construction industry is a standard practice that can reduce workplace accidents.

You may have grounds to make a personal injury claim for a back injury in a construction site accident if:

  • You were owed a duty of care by your employer at the time and place of the accident.
  • You had an accident because that duty was breached.
  • As a direct consequence of that accident, you suffered a back injury.

As well as your employer owing you a duty of care while at work there may be other parties on a building site that could also have a responsibility for your health and well being such as the contractor, site manager or other companies working alongside you. The claiming criteria to claim against these entities are very similar. So if you were injured on a building site through the fault of another company or person you may still have an eligible personal injury claim.

Work-related back injuries can have a long-term impact on your domestic, social and work life. These are all factors that should be considered when seeking back injury compensation. Working with a specialist personal injury solicitor may improve your chances of receiving a fair compensation amount.

Man lying on construction site floor with a back injury

To find out if you could claim compensation for a construction site accident or have  your case assessed for free please call our advisors on the contact details above.

Common Causes Of Back Injuries In Construction Work

As described above, you could claim for a back injury in a construction site accident if the accident occurred because a duty of care for your safety was breached.

Some examples of the types of construction accidents that could result in back injuries include:

  • You suffered a slipped disc following a manual handling accident because of a lack of proper training.
  • Your employer asked you to work at a height but failed to provide a safety harness. Subsequently, you suffered a serious back injury after falling.
  • Due to a lack of warning signs on the building site, you fell into a deep excavation and suffered a broken back and slipped disc as a result.
  • Bones in your lumbar vertebrae were crushed when you were pinned to a wall by a dumper truck being driven by an untrained worker.
  • You were tasked to lift heavy equipment on your own without any PPE, causing you to suffer muscle strain and tear.

examples of different types of accidents in construction

This is just a sample of the types of construction site accidents that could lead to a back injury. If your accident isn’t listed, but you would like to claim for construction site injuries, why not call the number above so that a member of our team can check if your building site injury claim is valid?

To learn more about other injuries that can be suffered on a construction site, head here to view our detailed guide.

Potential Compensation For A Back Injury At Work

Back injury compensation amounts vary from case to case. For example, compensation for paralysis will generally be a lot more than that paid for soft tissue damage.

To help assess the extent of your suffering, an independent medical report might be obtained as part of the building site accident claims process. The report can help those valuing your claim to determine a fair level of compensation if your building site injury claim is successful.

Compensation for any physical or emotional pain is called general damages.

To help calculate your back injury claim amount, solicitors and insurance companies may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document that lists various injuries along with guideline brackets.

While we don’t have a specific back injury claim calculator, the compensation table below does list some JCG figures for several back injuries. However, the amounts displayed are for guidance only.

Compensation Table

Please note, the first line in our table is not from the JCG.

Type of Injury Level Guideline Bracket
Multiple Severe Injuries and Special Damages Severe Up to £1,000,000 +
Injuries Involving Paralysis Tetraplegia (also known as Quadriplegia) £324,600 to £403,990
Paraplegia £219,070 to £284,260
Back Injuries Severe(i) £91,090 to £160,980
Severe(ii) £74,160 to £88,430
Severe(iii) £38,780 to £69,730
Moderate(i) £27,760 to £38,780
Moderate(ii) £12,510 to £27,760
Minor(i) £7,890 to £12,510

If you’d like us to value your claim for a back injury in construction, please use the number above to contact us.

Claiming Special Damages In Construction Injury Claims

In addition to general damages, special damages may be awarded if you have suffered financially because of your back injury.

Therefore, if you make a successful claim for a back injury in construction, your settlement could cover any:

  • Medical or rehabilitation costs.
  • Care costs.
  • Travel expenses.
  • Loss of earnings.
  • Costs relating to home adaptations to make it easier to cope with your back injury.

Image showing a calculator

Construction Injury claim Calculator

Such costs must be proven so it’s a good idea to keep hold of any relevant receipts, wage slips or bank statements.

To check how much you could claim for a back injury at work, please speak to a member of our team today.

What Evidence Could Help You Claim Compensation For Back Injuries In Construction?

To help prove building site accident claims, you should provide evidence to demonstrate how your accident occurred, who you think is to blame and why, and how your back injury has affected you.

To support a back injury claim, the following evidence could all prove useful:

  • Photographs of the accident scene as well as any visible injuries (cuts, bruises etc.).
  • Medical reports from the hospital that treated your injuries.
  • Details of any potential witnesses to your accident.
  • Video footage of the accident (mobile phone or CCTV footage for example).
  • A copy of an accident report form relating to your accident.

If you work with a solicitor from our panel, they will gather evidence to support your claim as part of their service. For example, they might contact the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if your accident was investigated.

To check if you’ve enough evidence to claim for a back injury in construction, please speak to an advisor today.

Claim For Injuries Caused In A Construction Site Accident On A No Win No Fee Basis

If you have a valid back injury at work claim, we could connect you with a personal injury solicitor from our panel. To have your construction injury compensation claim assessed for free call our advisors today. In a free consultation, where there is no obligation to put forward a claim, construction site accident claims can be evaluated.

If an expert solicitor from our panel agrees to take on your case they will represent you under No Win No Fee terms. Importantly, they’ll work under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) to provide a No Win No Fee service if your claim is taken on.

Using a CFA means:

  • No upfront payment for your solicitor’s work is required.
  • You don’t pay for your solicitor’s work while the claim is ongoing or if it fails.
  • You’ll have a success fee deducted from your settlement if your claim is won. The percentage of your compensation that solicitors can take for No Win No Fee services is legally capped.

Solicitor sitting at their desk

Construction Injury No Win No Fee Solicitor

To find out if a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel could help you to claim for a back injury in construction, you can:

  • Call 0800 408 7825 to talk to an advisor.
  • Use our 24/7 live chat service.
  • Contact us online to tell us about your accident.

Learn More About How To Claim For A Back Injury In Construction Site Work

Here are a few more of our accident at work claim guides for reference:

Finally, we’ve linked to a few external resources too:

For more advice on how to claim for a back injury in construction, please call our team today.