By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 8th February 2024. Welcome to our guide to minor injury at work compensation and work accident compensation claims. If you suffer a minor injury at work, you may not think anything of it.
After all, accidents could happen anywhere and an injury in the workplace may feel like an unfortunate thing. However, if you are caused pain, and the accident that led to the minor injury at work was not your fault, then you could consider seeking the assistance of a personal injury solicitor to help you make a personal injury claim for your workplace injury.
Below, in the sections of this guide, we take a look at a whole host of minor injuries that could arise from an accident at work.
We’ll also take you through the claims process for personal injury claims, give you an example of a compensation calculator and explain how our panel of solicitors could help you.
Should you be left with questions, or be ready to begin a claim, then you could call us on 0800 073 8801 to discuss your case as we’re always happy to help. We may have answered many of your questions about workplace accidents below though, so do read on to find out.
Select A Section
- What Is A Minor Injury At Work?
- When Could You Claim For A Minor Injury At Work?
- What Evidence Do I Need To Claim Minor Injury At Work Compensation?
- Injury At Work Compensation Payouts
- Claim Minor Injury At Work Compensation With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Additional Resources
What Is A Minor Injury At Work?
A workplace injury sustained as a result of an employer breaching the duty of care they owe you could range in severity. Some could be minor, requiring non-invasive treatment and a shorter recovery period.
Examples of injuries you could sustain can include:
- Sprains
- Strains
- Cuts and gashes
- Bumps to the head
- Accidents causing bruising and muscle tenderness
If you sustain an injury in the workplace and are eligible to seek compensation, the severity of your injury is one factor that will be considered when valuing how much you’re owed. Other factors can include, the treatment required, future prognosis and the psychological impact.
For information on the steps you can take as part of the work accident compensation claims process to claim for a minor injury at work, please get in touch with our team.
When Could You Claim For A Minor Injury At Work?
Not every person who suffers an illness or injury in the workplace could be eligible to make a compensation claim. In order to do so, you need to prove that you experienced harm as a result of your employer breaching the duty of care they owed you. This is known as negligence for which you could be eligible to seek personal injury compensation.
Your employer has a duty of care towards you under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This means they need to take all steps considered reasonable and practicable to prevent you from experiencing harm in the workplace. If they fail to do so, it could lead to you suffering harm, for which you could be eligible to claim compensation.
Examples of how an accident at work could occur include:
- Inadequate training – For example, if an employer fails to provide manual handling training to employees who must undertake this type of work, they could suffer a sprained back as a result.
- Faulty workplace machinery – Workplace machinery needs to be maintained within a certain time frame. If necessary maintenance checks and repairs are not completed, this could result in a machine malfunctioning. This could lead to an injury at the workplace and could be classed as negligence.
- Poor housekeeping- For example, an employer might fail to address trip hazards such as trailing leads in the workplace, causing an employee to sustain an injury.
To find out whether you could be eligible to claim for an injury at work, you could call the helpline. An advisor could provide you with free legal advice.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For A Minor Injury At Work?
When claiming compensation for an injury at work, the Limitation Act 1980 tells us that there is generally a 3-year time limit from the date of the accident in which you must begin your claim. However, there can sometimes be exceptions made. In certain scenarios, you could still make a work place injury claim after the 3-year time limit has expired.
For example, your symptoms may not be detectable immediately after the accident. In this instance, you could use the date you became aware of your injuries as the start of your time limit. This is known as the date of knowledge.
If the injured party is under 18, their time limit is suspended until the day of their 18th birthday. During this period, they cannot make a claim on their own behalf. If a claim is to be made, a litigation friend must be appointed.
If the injury was sustained by someone with a reduced mental capacity, they also have a suspended time limit. They can only claim for themselves from the date they are deemed to have recovered. If this never happens, then a litigation friend can claim for them at any time.
For more information on how to make a claim for an injury at work, get in touch with our advisors today.
What Evidence Do I Need To Claim Minor Injury At Work Compensation?
To make a personal injury claim for minor injuries, you need to be able to prove that your employer breached their duty of care, and this caused you to suffer harm. Because of this, gathering evidence is one of the most important steps in the personal injury claims process.
Some examples of evidence that you could use to claim for minor injuries include:
- Medical records: Your medical records can be used as medical evidence to confirm the nature and severity of your injuries.
- Photographs: Pictures of your injuries or the accident site could be used as photographic evidence to help prove your claim.
- Accident book logs: Any workplace with ten or more employees must have an accident book, and logging your accident here creates a permanent record.
- Witness statements: If you take the contact details of potential witnesses, this means that their statements can be taken later on by a professional.
There are other avenues of evidence that you could explore with the help of a No Win No Fee solicitor. To find out how one of our solicitors could help you prove your claim for personal injury compensation, contact our team today.
Injury At Work Compensation Payouts
Injury at work compensation payouts vary significantly between claims. This is because the specific factors of each individual case will be taken into consideration when compensation is being awarded.
If your claim is successful, you could receive a payout which includes general damages and special damages.
General damages is the head of claim which is designed to compensate you for the pain and suffering your injuries have caused you. The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) is a publication which provides guidance to those calculating such damages. It contains a vast range of injuries at different severities and their associated guideline compensation brackets.
The table below contains figures from the 2022 Judicial College Guidelines. However, this is only meant as a reference, and the first figure is not from the JCG.
| Type of Injury | Guideline Amounts | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries + Special Damages | Up to £450,000+ | Multiple very severe injuries combined with significant financial losses, which can include lost earnings and the cost of nursing care. |
| Moderate brain Injury (c) (i) | £150,110 to £219,070 | Where there is intellectual deficits that are moderate to severe and the person’s ability to work is impacted. Personality changes may apply here too. |
| Moderate knee injury (b) (i) | £14,840 to £26,190 | Torn cartilage and ligaments causing instability. |
| Moderate ankle injury (c) | £13,740 to £26,590 | Fractures and tears causing instability when crossing uneven ground for example. |
| Minor Back Injuries (c) (i) | £7,890 to £12,510 | A back injury that heals within two to five years |
| Minor Leg Injuries | Up to £11,110 | For cuts or sprains that could have required a plaster |
| Minor Neck Injuries | £4,350 to £7,890 | Pain and discomfort from a neck injury that takes 2 years to fully heal |
| Minor Shoulder injuries (i) | £4,350 to £7,890 | That fully heal within two years |
| Minor Hand Injuries | Up to £4,750 | Fractures healing within 6 months |
As we mentioned, you could also receive special damages for a successful minor injury at work claim. Special damages compensate you for financial losses and costs caused by your injuries. They can include:
- Loss of earnings– If you have lost out on income because you’ve been unable to work due to your injury, you could be eligible to claim for this.
- Travel expenses – Such as paying for taxis to medical appointments.
- Medical costs – This could include paying for prescriptions.
- Care costs – If you have been unable to care for yourself because of your injuries, you may have needed paid care. If this is the case, you could include this within your claim.
To get a personalised estimate of your compensation or to find out what evidence you would need to claim special damages, please contact an advisor.
Claim Minor Injury At Work Compensation With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you are eligible to make a compensation claim after suffering an injury in the workplace, one of our experienced lawyers could help you. Furthermore, they may offer to represent you in your minor injury at work claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement and means that you won’t have to pay your lawyer any upfront or ongoing service fees. You also won’t have to pay them for their work if your claim is unsuccessful.
If your lawyer succeeds with your claim, they will deduct a success fee from your compensation. This is taken as a small percentage, though there is a legal cap in place to help ensure that you keep the majority of what you receive.
Get in touch today to talk to one of our advisors. Through a free consultation, an advisor from our team can evaluate your claim, answer any questions you may have about the workplace accident claims process, and potentially pass you over to one of our lawyers. To get started:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
Additional Resources
- An Overview Of Accidents In The Workplace – This leads you to the CAB guide on workplace accidents.
- Compensation At Work – GOV – This takes you to the government’s page with information surrounding compensation for work injuries.
- HSE Guide To Making Reports – Reporting guidelines from the health And Safety Executive (HSE) are found here.
- Your Rights After A Work Accident. – This guide takes you through what you might need to know about what to do after an accident at work. It also tells you what your rights are.
- How To Make An Accident At Work Claim – a complete guide to seeking compensation
- Back Injuries At Work Claims – Here, you can find information on what to do about back injuries. Plus, whether you could claim.
- Ankle Injuries – Here, we discuss ankle injuries and whether you could make a claim for one.
- Fall At Work Compensation Payouts – if you’ve suffered an injury after falling at your workplace, this guide explains your legal rights and how you can claim compensation.
Thank you for reading our guide on minor injury at work compensation. Contact our team today to start your claim for a workplace accident.