This article examines whether you could be eligible to claim for vibration white finger that was sustained at work. Employers owe their employees a duty of care. If they breach this duty of care and cause you to sustain harm as a result, you could make an work injury claim. We will provide further guidance on the responsibilities your employer owes as per their duty of care throughout this guide.
Can I claim for vibration white finger?
If you’ve been injured while at work, you may have questions, such as ‘how long after an injury can you claim compensation?’ and ‘how to claim work injury compensation?’.
Before you can begin a workplace accident claim, you need to prove employer negligence caused your injuries. We examine what negligence is and the steps you can take to prove that it occurred throughout this guide. Additionally, we look at the personal injury claims time limit to help you understand how long you have to start a claim.
We also explain what vibration white finger is and the different ways it could be caused, as well as exploring what your employer could do to help prevent vibrating equipment injuries.
You might also be interested in learning about how personal injury compensation is awarded. If so, this guide could help as we examine the two heads that could form a work injury compensation claim settlement.
For more information, you can get in touch with our advisors. You can:
- Fill out our ‘start your claim’ form.
- Use the live chat function below.
- Call the number at the top of the page.
Choose A Section
- What is Vibration White Finger?
- Can I Claim For Vibration White Finger?
- How Much Could I Receive When I Claim For Vibration White Finger?
- Potential Evidence When Making a Vibration White Finger Claim
- Is There a Time Limit When Making a Claim For Vibration White Finger?
- Why Use Our Panel of No Win No Fee Solicitors?
- Read More About How To Make a Work Injury Claim
What is Vibration White Finger?
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), hand-arm vibration can lead to the development of vibration white finger. This is a term used when Raynaud’s has been caused by vibrating tools used for a long period of time.
Raynaud’s is a condition impacting your circulation. It causes colour changes, pain, numbness, tingling and movement difficulties in the impacted fingers.
There are instances where you could claim for vibration white finger. We have explored this in the section below. Continue reading for more information. Alternatively, call our team on the number above to discuss whether you’re eligible to claim.
Can I Claim For Vibration White Finger?
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) sets out the duty of care all employers owe to their employees. This means they must take reasonable steps to reduce work-related risks to their workforce.
In the case of vibration caused injuries, employers have additional obligations under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. This means that your employer must take steps to protect workers from risks posed by vibrating tools.
Firstly, your employer should identify whether vibrating equipment presents a risk to an employees health. Secondly, they should take steps to reduce the risk of harm being caused. These could include:
- Supplying the correct tool for the job.
- Carrying out appropriate equipment checks and maintenance.
- Supplying low-vibration tools whenever possible, as well as allowing employees to reduce the time they’re spending with a particular tool.
- Making sure that appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is supplied, in this case, this could be anti-vibration gloves.
To make a successful work injury claim, you will need to prove that your employer failed to uphold their duty of care and caused you harm as a result. This is known as negligence.
Get in touch with our work accident claims team to discuss your potential claim for vibration white finger.
How Many Non-Fatal Work Injuries Occur in the Workplace?
The HSE collects reports made by employers under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). As per these reports, we can see there were a total of 18,988 non-fatal upper limb injuries. These included:
- 5,181 injuries to one or more finger/thumb(s)
- 3,200 hand injuries
- 3,782 wrist injuries.
How Much Could I Receive When I Claim For Vibration White Finger?
You may wonder how much your hand-arm vibration claim is worth. We can’t provide an exact amount because different factors will be considered when valuing your personal injury claim.
Generally, though, two heads could make up your settlement. The first head, called general damages, seeks to compensate for the pain and suffering caused by your injury.
Legal professionals, such as workplace injury solicitors, use a document titled the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help assign value to the general damages head of claim. It provides a list of injuries alongside guideline compensation brackets.
As such, instead of an injury at work claim calculator, we have included a table using figures from the JCG. Please only use these as a guide though because you’re actual settlement may differ from what’s listed in the table.
| Injury | Guideline Compensation Bracket | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Injuries | £55,820 to £84,570 | (b) Serious damage affecting both hands. |
| Hand Injuries | £29,000 to £61,910 | (e) Serious hand injuries that have led to a reduction in capacity to about 50% in one hand. |
| Complex Regional Pain Syndrome | £52,500 to £84,010 | (a) Severe: Burning pain that makes moving the affected limb intolerable. The ability to work is reduced significantly and other issues may arise. |
| Vibration White Finger | £31,640 to £38,430 | (a) Most serious: Significant interference in daily activities and employment change in younger person due to persistent bilateral symptoms. |
| Vibration White Finger | £16,760 to £31,640 | (b) Serious: Marked interference in daily activities and employment due to attacks throughout the year. |
| Vibration White Finger | £8,640 to £16,760 | (c) Moderate: Attacks occur mostly in cold weather. |
| Vibration White Finger | £2,990 to £8,640 | (d) Minor: Modest impact on daily activities from occasional symptoms in a few fingers. |
| Work-related Upper Limb Disorder | £21,910 to £23,130 | (a) An ongoing and bilateral disability and employment loss. |
| Work-related Upper Limb Disorder | £14,900 to £16,340 | (b) Fluctuating and unilateral symptoms that are ongoing. |
| Work-related Upper Limb Disorder | £8,640 to £10,750 | (c) The person's symptoms resolve within three years. |
In addition, you might be able to claim for special damages. Under this head of claim you could recover financial costs incurred as a result of your injury. However, you will need to prove your expenses, such as with receipts or invoices.
Costs you could recover include:
- Lost wages/loss of future income.
- Travel expenses.
- Specialist equipment costs.
To find out what you could receive in compensation as part of your claim for vibration white finger, call us on the number above.
Potential Evidence When Making a Vibration White Finger Claim
As part of the work injury claim process, you can submit supporting evidence, such as pictures, witness contact details, an incident report and medical records.
Additionally, you could take other steps following an accident, such as:
- Visiting a doctor or other medical professional to ensure you receive the correct treatment for your injuries.
- Keeping a diary of treatment and symptoms.
- Seeking legal advice. A solicitor could help gather the evidence required to support your accident at work claim.
Free legal advice is available from our team. Call to speak with an advisor about your potential claim for vibration white finger.
Is There a Time Limit When Making a Claim For Vibration White Finger?
There is an injury at work claim time limit. The Limitation Act 1980 sets this at three years to begin your personal injury claim. The time limit starts from the date you become aware that employer negligence caused your injuries or from the date of the incident.
This is the typical time limit, however, exceptions apply in some circumstances. If your hand-arm vibration injury occurred before you turned 18, you have three years after your 18th birthday to begin your claim. Alternatively, a litigation friend could be appointed to begin a personal injury claim on your behalf.
Another exception applies if the person lacks the mental capacity to claim themselves. They will have three years after regaining mental capacity to begin a claim unless a litigation friend has claimed on their behalf.
Call for more information on the exceptions to the time limit.
Why Use Our Panel of No Win No Fee Solicitors?
If you would like to hire specialist injury at work solicitor for your claim you could hire one who offers their services under a No Win No Fee method. For example, a solicitor from our panel may offer their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
You won’t be charged for your solicitor’s services if your claim fails under the terms of a CFA. However, a success fee will be taken from your compensation if your claim is successful. The law caps this amount.
Contact Us To See If You Can Claim For Vibration White Finger
Free legal advice is available from our advisors 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. If you wish to proceed and your workplace injury claim is valid, you could be passed onto a work accident solicitor from our panel.
For more information, you can:
- Fill out our ‘start your claim’ form.
- Use the live chat function below.
- Call the number at the top of the page.
Read More About How To Make a Work Injury Claim
Links you may find useful:
- HSE – Hand Arm Vibration Employee Handbook
- HSE – Health and Safety Guide for Workers
- GOV – Compensation After An Accident Or Injury
Additional guides of our own:
We hope this guide on making a claim for vibration white finger has helped. Call us if you have any other questions.
Writer Danielle Belle
Editor Meg Matthews