In this guide, we will explore when you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim after sustaining a hand injury at work.
Hand injury at work claims guide
There are several steps you could take after sustaining harm in the workplace. We will explore these in more detail throughout our guide by looking at the accident at work claims process.
Furthermore, we will discuss the compensation that could be awarded for your injury and the considerations that can be given when valuing how much you are owed.
You may find it beneficial to seek legal representation. If you are concerned about the cost of accessing a solicitor’s services, you may find it helpful to hire a No Win No Fee solicitor. We will discuss the benefits of doing so in more detail throughout our guide.
For more information on seeking accident at work compensation, you can continue reading our helpful guide. However, if you prefer, you can speak with an advisor. They can offer free legal advice and discuss your potential claim in more detail.
To get in touch, you can:
- Call 0800 073 8805
- Start your claim online
- Speak with an advisor via the live chat feature.
Choose A Section
- A Guide To Claiming For A Hand Injury At Work
- Top Tips When Claiming For A Workplace Accident
- When Could You Claim For A Hand Injury At Work?
- What Compensation Could You Receive From A Hand Injury Claim?
- Use Our No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors Today
- Learn More Making A Claim For A Hand Injury At Work
A Guide To Claiming For A Hand Injury At Work
A hand injury can vary in severity and type. For example, they can be severe such as injuries involving amputation or they can be minor such as injuries involving cuts and bruising.
If you are eligible to seek compensation and you make a successful claim, the settlement you’re awarded will aim to reflect the pain and suffering you experienced as a result of your injury.
Additionally, other factors are considered when valuing your compensation, such as:
- Whether you experienced a psychological injury
- The length of recovery
- The extent of the treatment required
- Future prognosis
- Whether you were impacted financially
However, it’s important to note that it’s not always possible to claim for a hand injury at work. There are certain criteria your claim must meet in order to do so. We have provided further detail on this later on in our guide. Continue reading or call our team for more information.
Top Tips When Claiming For A Workplace Accident
After sustaining a hand injury at work, there are different steps you could take, such as:
- Seek medical attention: In doing so, you can ensure you receive the correct treatment for your injury. Also, you can use your medical records as evidence to support your claim. You may also be invited to attend an independent medical assessment as part of the claims process. This can provide a more in depth report on the nature of your injury and the impact it has had.
- Gather evidence: This can include pictures of your injury, pictures of the accident scene, video footage of the accident, contact details for any witnesses and a copy of the incident report in the accident at work book.
- Seek legal advice: You can speak with an advisor from our team for free legal advice. After assessing your case, if they find you have a valid claim that has a chance of success, they can assign one of our injury at work solicitors to represent your case on a No Win No Fee basis. A solicitor can help you through the different stages of the claims process, including ensuring you have enough evidence to support your case.
To learn more about the steps you could take to build a strong case, get in touch using the number at the top of the page.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Hand Injury At Work Claim?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, there is currently a 3-year time limit for starting a personal injury claim. This time frame begins from either the date of the accident or the date that you became aware of negligence.
However, there are exceptions that may apply in specific circumstances. For example, if the person is a child, they will have three years from the date they turn 18 if no claim has been made on their behalf before this date. Before they turn 18, a suitable adult can apply to act as a litigation friend and bring forward the claim on their behalf.
Similar exceptions can be made for those who lack the mental capacity to claim. To learn more about how long you have to claim for an accident at work, get in touch using the number above.
When Could You Claim For A Hand Injury At Work?
In order to claim for a hand injury at work, you must demonstrate that your employer owed you a duty of care at the time and place of the accident, breached their duty of care and caused you to experience harm as a result. This is negligence. If you can demonstrate this has occurred, you could seek hand injury at work compensation.
Your employer owes you a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. As part of their duty, they must take steps that are considered reasonable to prevent you from experiencing harm in the workplace. The steps they are expected to take will vary depending on the workplace. However, generally, they can include:
- Providing adequate training
- Providing personal protective equipment where necessary
- Carrying out regular risk assessments and addressing any hazards they find in a timely manner
- Maintaining equipment to ensure it is suitable for it’s intended purpose
If they fail to do so, it could lead to an employee sustaining harm in an accident at work. For example:
- An employee may have slipped on a wet floor at work after a spill wasn’t cleaned up or adequately signposted. As a result, they sustain a sprained hand injury and fractures to their fingers.
- An employee may trip or fall while working at a height due to an employer failing to ensure the equipment was safe to use. As a result, they sustain a fractured hand after falling from a faulty ladder.
For more information on when you could be eligible to seek compensation, get in touch using the number above.
What Compensation Could You Receive From A Hand Injury Claim?
There are different heads of claim that could make up your settlement. These are general damages and special damages. Each seeks to compensate for the different ways in which your injury has affected you.
General damages aim to compensate for the physical and emotional pain and suffering you have experienced due to your injury. This head of claim can be valued by solicitors with help from the Judicial College Guidelines.
The JCG contains a list of injuries with a corresponding compensation bracket. We have used these to create the table below. However, you should only use them as a guide. The figures are not necessarily reflective of what you will receive.
| Injury | Notes | Guideline Compensation Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Hand | (a) Both hands are seriously or effectively lost. | £140,660 to £201,490 |
| Hand | (c) One hand is totally or effectively lost. | £96,160 to £109,650 |
| Hand | (b) Both hands sustain serious damage. | £55,820 to £84,570 |
| Hand | (e) Hand injuries that are serious in nature such as those that reduce the hand to around half it's capacity. | £29,000 to £61,910 |
| Hand | (f) The fingers are severely fractured. | Up to £36,740 |
| Hand | (g) A less serious hand injury such as a crush injury that's severe in nature and causes function to be significantly impaired. | £14,450 to £29,000 |
| Hand | (k) The ring or middle fingers are seriously injured. For example, a fracture that causes stiffness, deformity and loss of grip that's permanent. | £10,320 to £16,340 |
| Hand | (j) The index finger is fractured. | £9,110 to £12,240 |
| Hand | (h) A moderate hand injury such as crush injuries, soft tissue injuries, deep lacerations and penetrating wounds. | £5,720 to £13,280 |
| Hand | (m) The little finger is amputated. | £8,640 to £12,240 |
If you cannot see your injury listed in the table, you can use our injury at work claim calculator to get an estimate of how much your claim could be worth. Alternatively, call our team to discuss the potential value of your hand injury at work claim.
Special Damages In Hand Injury Claims
Special damages seek to compensate for the financial losses, both past and future, that have incurred due to your injury. Examples of the losses you could claim back under this head of claim can include:
- Loss of earnings
- Medical costs
- Travel expenses
- The cost of adaptations to your vehicle or home
When claiming these losses back, it’s important that you provide evidence, such as receipts or payslips.
Use Our No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors Today
Our solicitors can offer a No Win No Fee service called a Conditional Fee Agreement. As per this type of agreement you won’t typically be required to pay your solicitor for the services they have provided upfront, while the claim is ongoing or in the event that your claim does not succeed.
Your solicitor will take a success fee upon the completion of a successful claim. As per the law, this fee is a capped percentage which is taken from your compensation.
If you would like to find out more about whether one of our solicitors could represent your hand injury at work claim on this basis, get in touch using the details provided below.
We Offer Free Legal Advice – See If You Can Sue Your Employer For Negligence
We hope this guide on the process for making a hand injury at work claim has helped. However, if you have any other questions, you can get in touch with our helpful advisors. To reach them, you can:
- Call 0800 073 8805
- Start your claim online
- Speak with an advisor via the live chat feature.
Learn More Making A Claim For A Hand Injury At Work
For more of our guides:
- Injury at work while self-employed
- What is the most common injury at work?
- Why is it important to report an accident at work?
For additional resources:
- GOV – Employment rights
- Health And Safety Executive – Workplace accident statistics
- NHS – First aid
Writer Jeff Winch
Editor Meg Matthews