This is a guide to the steps you could take should you have valid grounds to bring forward a personal injury claim for a production line operative injury at work. Accidents in the workplace involving machinery can cause injuries that range in severity from minor to serious and life-changing. In this guide, you can learn whether you meet the eligibility criteria to make a compensation claim for the injuries you sustained in an accident at work.
How To Claim For A Production Line Operative Injury At Work
As we move through the different sections of this guide, we will explain the definition of employer negligence, which would form the basis of your accident at work claim.
Also, we will explain how you could sustain an injury working as a production line operative.
In addition to this, we will discuss some of the services a solicitor could provide and how you could access these through a No Win No Fee agreement.
Would you like personalised legal advice regarding your potential accident at work claim? Talk to a member of our team today, they are not only available 7 days a week but also 24 hours a day, so you can get in touch at a time that best suits you. What’s more, speaking to our advisors is both free and confidential.
You can:
- Fill out our ‘contact us’ form
- Call our helpline on 0800 073 8801
- Use the live chat feature that you can see on this page.
Select A Section
- How To Claim For A Production Line Operative Injury At Work
- What Could Cause A Production Line Operative Injury At Work?
- How To Prove Your Claim For An Accident On A Production Line
- Estimated Payout For A Production Line Operative Injury At Work
- Why Choose Us For Your No Win No Fee Claim?
- Find Out More About Injury At Work Claims
How To Claim For A Production Line Operative Injury At Work
It is important to first understand employer duty of care, which is set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). This states that all employers must ensure the safety of their employees by carrying out reasonably practicable steps. These steps can include providing proper and relevant training and ensuring risk assessments are performed.
You could be eligible to bring forward a personal injury claim for an accident at work under the following circumstances:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care where and when the accident took place.
- They breached this duty of care.
- Due to these events, you sustained injuries, physical, psychological or both.
This is negligence. If this has occurred, you may be eligible to claim personal injury compensation for an accident at work. However, you must also determine whether your claim is within the correct time limits.
Production Line Operative Injury At Work Claim Time Limits
The general time limit that would apply to a production line operative injury at work claim is laid out in the Limitation Act 1980. It states that you would generally have three years to begin legal proceedings from the date that your workplace accident occurred.
If certain conditions meant you could not bring forward your claim within this time, you may still be eligible to pursue compensation, as some exceptions do exist. Please speak to a member of our advisory team to learn more about these exceptions should they apply to your potential claim.
What Could Cause A Production Line Operative Injury At Work?
A production line operative injury at work could occur for various reasons. For example:
- There were no safety guards. If there are no guards on the machinery, your clothing could get stuck, causing your body to be pulled towards the mechanisms.
- No training is provided. If you have not had adequate training to safely work on the production line, this could lead to an injury.
- Poor maintenance. If the machinery is not correctly maintained, it could malfunction. This could result in a moving part crushing one of your limbs.
Has your employer breached the duty of care they owed to you and caused you an injury while working on a production line? If so, contact our team of advisors to query whether you may be eligible to put forward a legitimate claim.
Production Line Health And Safety
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provide figures relating to injuries in the workplace that employers report under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). These reports can provide helpful statistics. As per the statistics, in the manufacturing industry in 2021/22, there were:
- 56,040 non-fatal injuries to employees.
- 6,834 of these injuries were caused by contact with moving machinery, and
- 12,082 resulted from handling, lifting or carrying.
How To Prove Your Claim For An Accident On A Production Line
Following an injury at work, it is important to immediately seek the appropriate medical attention. Depending on the severity of your injuries, this could be from on-site first aid, or you may require an ambulance. The medical reports detailing the treatment you received can be used to support your claim. As well as copies of your medical records, you could also gather the following evidence to help prove that medical negligence occurred:
- Video footage of the accident, for example, from a CCTV camera
- Photographs of the scene, any hazards and any visible injuries
- The report of the incident in the accident at work book
- Contact details for any witnesses to the accident
You could also seek legal advice regarding the necessary steps you must take to build your claim. Our team are available 24/7 to discuss your claim. What’s more, if you decide to work with one of our solicitors, they can help you to gather evidence to build a strong case.
Estimated Payout For A Production Line Operative Injury At Work
Up to two different types of damages can be awarded for a successful workplace injury claim: general and special damages.
General damages aim to compensate for the physical suffering or/and any mental harm sustained due to your injuries. We will provide a table below as a guide to this head of claim. To assist in the process of valuing a general damages settlement, solicitors can use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). We have referred to this document, which lists guideline compensation awards, to create the table below.
Guideline Compensation Table
| Injury Type | Severity | Description | Compensation Bracket Guidelines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain Damage | Very Severe (a) | If there is any evidence that the person responds meaningfully to their environment it will be minimal. There will be double incontinence, little language function, if any, and a need for them to receive full time nursing care. | £282,010 to £403,990 |
| Brain Damage | Moderate (c)(iii) | There is an effect on the person’s concentration and memory. There is a small risk of epilepsy and their ability to work is reduced. Limited dependence on others, if any. | £43,060 to £90,720 |
| Arm Amputation | Loss of One Arm (b) (iii) | Amputation below the elbow. | £96,160 to £109,650 |
| Back Injury | Severe (a)(ii) | Injuries within this bracket will involve special features, such as damage to nerve roots with connected loss of sensation, sexual difficulties and impaired mobility. | £74,160 to £88,430 |
| Hand Injury | Serious Damage to Both Hands (b) | Injuries resulting in significant loss of hand function and permanent cosmetic disability. | £55,820 to £84,570 |
| Hand Injury | Severe Fractures to the Fingers (f) | This may necessitate partial amputations and cause grip impairment, deformity, disturbed sensation and reduced mechanical function. | Up to £36,740 |
| Hand Injury | Moderate (h) | Crush injuries, penetrating wounds, deep lacerations and soft tissue type injuries. | £5,720 to £13,280 |
| Wrist Injury | Loss of Function (a) | Injuries that cause a total loss of function in the wrist. An arthrodesis may have been performed. | £47,620 to £59,860 |
| Arm Injuries | Less Severe (c) | The individual will have had significant disabilities. However, a substantial amount of recovery will either have previously taken place or is expected to occur. | £19,200 to £39,170 |
| Elbow Injury | Less Severe (b) | Injuries that do not involve major surgery or disabilities of a significant nature, but do cause impairment of function. | £15,650 to £32,010 |
Please remember that this table is a guide. Each personal injury settlement is unique. As such, the amounts may differ to what you are actually awarded.
Special Damages
Special damages is the head of claim that aims to compensate for the financial losses incurred due to your injuries. This could include past and future loss of earnings, travel costs and the cost of housing adaptations.
You must prove these losses in order to claim them back. To do this, you could:
- Retain travel tickets
- Keep any invoices and receipts
- Obtain your payslips and bank records
If you would like to discuss the potential compensation you could receive if you were to make a successful claim, please get in contact with one of our advisors.
Why Choose Us For Your No Win No Fee Claim?
You could opt to work with a No Win No Fee solicitor under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). When you agree to this, it generally means:
- No fees to pay upfront or whilst your claim is underway, for the services provided by your solicitor.
- No fees for the work done on your claim if it fails.
- Your solicitor can take a small percentage of the compensation. This is a success fee, capped by the law.
Contact Us
Our advisors can provide a free assessment of your case. If they find that your potential claim may be eligible, they could put you in contact with one of our solicitors, who can offer to work your claim on this basis. Don’t hesitate to get in touch today for more information.
To reach an advisor, you can:
- Fill out our ‘contact us’ form
- Call our helpline on 0800 073 8801
- Use the live chat feature that you can see on this page.
Find Out More About Injury At Work Claims
Please take a look at more of the accident at work guides on our website:
- A Guide To Broken And Defective Machinery Injury Claims
- What Are My Legal Rights After An Accident At Work?
- My Accident Was Not Reported Or Recorded In The Accident Book, Could I Still Claim Compensation?
- Learn how to sue a company and get more information through our helpful guide.
Also, you can explore the following external resources:
- Reportable incidents – The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
- Statutory sick pay (SSP) – GOV
- First aid – NHS
Thank you for reading this guide to the steps you could take following a production line operative injury at work. If you have any other questions pertaining to your potential claim, please get in touch using the details we have provided above.
Guide by JO
Edited by MMI