An office may seem like a safe working environment, but this is not always the case. Every year people are injured whilst working in offices. Where accidents could or should have been prevented, injured parties could claim compensation from a negligent employer. In this guide we will discuss when you could make an office accident claim.
We look at how compensation for office accidents is calculated and the eligibility criteria which you need to meet to make a claim. Then we look at types of office accidents, evidence which could help you make a successful claim and how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you. We finish by providing you with additional resources and answering some frequently asked questions.
To discuss claiming for an office accident, please contact our team. You can:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825.
- Request a call back using our ‘contact us’ form.
- Use our live chat to discuss your personal injury claim.
Jump To A Section
- How Much Compensation Could I Get For An Office Accident Claim?
- Can I Claim For An Office Injury?
- What Circumstances Could Lead To An Office Accident Claim?
- How Do I Prove My Claim Against My Employer For An Office Accident?
- Why Make An Office Accident Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- More Resources About How To Make Personal Injury Claims
- FAQs About Office Accidents
How Much Compensation Could I Get For An Office Accident Claim?
If you have been injured in an office accident at work which was caused by your employer’s negligence, you could be eligible to claim compensation. We will discuss eligibility criteria in a subsequent section, here we will look at how office accident claims may be calculated.
If you make a successful office injury claim your compensation settlement may be made of two parts. These are called general damages and special damages.
General damages are awarded for pain and suffering which have been caused by your accident. How much compensation you are awarded will depend on factors such as the injury you suffer and how serious it was. Your solicitor may refer to guidelines published by the Judicial College (JC) when offering advice on the value of your claim.
The table below contains example figures from the JC guidelines. Please note that figures in row one include special damages and are not taken from the JC guidelines and these are just examples as every case is different.
| Injury Sustained | Severity | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe or serious injury + special damages | Serious up to severe | Up to £1,000,000+ inclusive of special damages. |
| Brain damage injuries | Very severe - A | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Brain damage injuries | Moderately severe - B | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Back injury | Severe - A (iii) | £47,320 to £85,100 |
| Back injury | Moderate - B (ii) | £15,260 to £33,880 |
| Neck injury | Severe - A (iii) | £55,500 to £68,330 |
| Neck injury | Moderate - B (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 |
| Ankle injury | Moderate - C | £16,770 to £32,450 |
| Knee injury | Moderate - B (i) | £18,110 to £31,960 |
| Elbow injury | Moderate to minor - C | Up to £15,370 |
Can I Claim For Loss of Earnings After An Office Accident?
Special damages could also be awarded as part of your settlement. They compensate people for expenses and losses caused by their injuries.
A large part of special damages compensation could be for the impact your accident has had on your income. You could claim for loss of earnings (wages, etc) due to any time off work caused by your injuries. You could also claim compensation for the impact that the accident has had on your career. If you have had to change job roles or lost pension entitlement, you may be entitled to damages to reflect these factors.
Other examples of special damages include:
- Medical expenses, such as the cost of medical care, physiotherapy, and prescription medication.
- Mobility aides.
- Costs for adapting your home or vehicle.
- The cost of getting too and from medical appointments.
Without knowing the details of your case we can not say how much compensation you could be awarded. Contact us to find out more about making an office accident claim.
Can I Claim For An Office Injury?
To make any type of personal injury claim you must meet the eligibility criteria to do so. In general you will need to show:
- That another party (such as an employer) owed you a duty of care.
- This party breached their duty to you. They may have failed to identify hazards in the workplace, provide training or issue you with safety equipment as examples.
- You suffered an injury caused by the breach. For instance, you may have tripped on trailing wires in a workplace, and this resulted in you breaking your wrist.
Your employers’ duty of care is set out in The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. To meet this duty of care, they should:
- Carry out risk assessments.
- Ensure that workplace machinery and equipment are correctly maintained.
- Provide training at work as necessary, such as manual handling training.
- Issue staff with personal protective equipment (PPE) where required.
If your employer breached their duty of care and you were injured, you could make an office injury claim.
What Circumstances Could Lead To An Office Accident Claim?
From exposed cable to poor lighting on a stairway or damaged furniture, office environments could be more hazardous than you thought. Below we look at several examples of ways employer negligence could cause an accident at work and when you could make an office accident claim.
- Slips, trips and falls. Slips and trips are one of the most common types of accidents at work and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics show that this is the case. If an employer fails to fix broken stairs, repair torn carpets or secure trailing wires, as examples, you could slip, trip and fall.
- Faulty equipment. Office equipment may include furniture, storage (such as shelving) or electrical equipment (such as printers and computers). If these are not well maintained shelves could collapse, furniture could break or you could suffer an electric shock caused by faulty electrical equipment.
- Manual handling injuries. Office employees may need to lift and carry equipment, heavy boxes of files or other materials. Employers have a duty of care to ensure that employees have the necessary training to safely lift and carry objects. If you were injured due to a lack of training at work, your employer could have been negligent.
These are just some examples of how office injuries could be caused by an employer’s negligence. For more information on making office accident compensation claims, please contact our friendly team today.
How Do I Prove My Claim Against My Employer For An Office Accident?
In the previous sections we have demonstrated that in order to make a compensation claim you need to show that you were owed a duty of care and that your employer negligently breached this duty. One of the most important parts of the office accident claim process is gathering sufficient evidence to demonstrate this.
To prove that your employer was liable for your injuries you could collect evidence such as:
- Details of anyone who witnessed the accident taking place.
- Copies of the accident report book.
- Photos or video which show either the scene of the accident, its cause, or the accident taking place.
Next, you will need evidence which shows how you were injured. This may include:
- Records from any medical care or attention you received.
- Details of your injury diagnosis.
- Records of any medication needed.
If you choose to work with a personal injury solicitor from our panel they could help you collect evidence relevant to your claim. Speak to our team to learn more about personal injury claims.
Why Make An Office Accident Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Whilst you can make office accident injury claims without a solicitor, we believe that specialist help could increase your chances of securing the best possible compensation settlement.
At Public Interest Lawyers we work with a panel of experienced No Win No Fee solicitors who could help you make a claim. Working with a No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor means that you will not need to make any payments for their services unless and until you win your case.
There are no solicitor fees to pay:
- At the start of your case (upfront fees).
- As your case progresses (ongoing fees).
- If your case is unsuccessful.
If your case is successful, your solicitor will charge a success fee. This is a legally capped percentage of your compensation settlement. What you will pay will be set out in a Conditional Fee Agreement. This agreement is signed by you and your solicitor when your case starts and is the agreement under which they will provide their services.
Contact us today to learn more about how to claim for office injuries caused by your employer’s negligence.
- Call us on 0800 408 7825 to discuss your circumstances.
- Fill in our ‘contact us’ form to request a call back from our team.
- Use the live chat to discuss your case.
We are ready to discuss your case.
More Resources About How To Make Personal Injury Claims
Here we have included further resources and references which could help if you have suffered a workplace injury.
- In this guide to chemical burn injuries, we look at when and how you could make a successful claim.
- Here we provide advice on what to do if you have had an accident at work.
- This guide provides more information on your rights after an accident at work.
References
- In this HSE guide you can learn more about what workplace facilities your employer should provide.
- You can read about entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) in this government guide.
- Get information on first aid, such as CPR, in this NHS guide.
FAQs About Office Accidents
Here we answer some frequently asked questions about office accidents.
Will I Get Sacked For Making An Office Injury Claim?
If you are making a claim for an accident at work, you do not need to worry about your job security. Your employer can neither sack nor discriminate against you for making a claim.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Claim?
The Limitation Act 1980 sets out how long you may have to make office accident injury claims. The standard time limit (applicable in most cases) to claim for office accidents will be three years. This period begins from either the date of the accident.
There are circumstances in which the time limit may be paused. In child injury claims (where a victim is under 18), the three year limit does not begin till the child turns 18. There is a similar exception if a person lacks capactiy and the timeframe is paused until capacity is regained. In both situations a Litigation friend could make a claim on the injured persons behalf.
Get further information on making an office accident claim by contacting our team.