This guide will explore the most common injury at work that is reported by employers. If you’ve sustained an injury at work as a result of your employer breaching their duty of care, then you may be able to make a claim. We will discuss this further throughout our guide.
What is the most common injury at work?
Additionally, this guide will explore the process of making an accident at work claim, including the evidence you can gather and the benefits of seeking legal advice.
Furthermore, our guide will discuss the compensation you could be owed following a successful claim.
If you’re interested in making an injury at work claim, then you may benefit from the services of our accident at work solicitors. We will discuss the services they can offer in more detail throughout this guide.
To learn more, please continue reading. Alternatively, get in touch with an advisor by:
- Filling out our ‘start your claim’ online form
- Calling us on 0800 073 8805
- Chat with one of our advisors by using our live chat feature below.
Choose A Section
- A Guide To The Most Common Injury At Work
- What Is The Most Common Injury At Work?
- When Are You Eligible To Make An Accident At Work Claim?
- How To Make A Work Injury Claim – Potential Evidence That Could Be Used
- Potential Compensation From A Work Injury Claim
- Why Seek Accident At Work Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Learn More About How To Claim For An Accident At Work
A Guide To The Most Common Injury At Work
You may wonder ‘what is the most common injury at work?’. There are various types of injuries that could be sustained in the workplace. Injuries can range from minor to life-changing. For example:
- Fractures and broken bones
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Lacerations
- Burns
Additionally, different parts of the body could be injured, such as a:
If you sustain an injury at work, it may have the potential to impact your life in different ways. Provided that you have a valid claim, you may be able to receive compensation for the way in which your injury has impacted your life. Consideration can be given to the physical, psychological, and financial impact of your injuries.
To learn how you can make a successful work injury claim and the potential payout that you could receive, get in touch with our advisors.
What Is The Most Common Injury At Work?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) collect reports made by employers under The Reporting Of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. The reports are collated into helpful workplace statistics. As such, the statistics can give information on the most common injury at work.
As per employer reports made under RIDDOR, the most common non-fatal injuries by nature of injury in 2021/22 included:
- Fractures with 18,289 reported
- Sprains and strains with 16,936 reported
- Contusions with 6,365 reported
- Lacerations and open wounds with 5,691 reported
When Are You Eligible To Make An Accident At Work Claim?
An employer has a duty of care to their employees. This means they have to take reasonable steps to ensure the environment, equipment, and any facilities employees use for their job are kept safe. This duty is established in The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The specific ways in which an employer is expected to uphold their duty of care will vary depending on the workplace. However, generally, the responsibilities they have can include:
- Providing adequate and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Maintaining the safety of equipment
- Carrying out regular risk assessments and implementing measures to either remove or reduce the risk of harm.
A failure to uphold their duty of care could result in the following accidents:
- Insufficient PPE is supplied by an employer leading an employee to sustain harm while carrying out their work-related duties.
- An employee is crushed by a piece of faulty machinery after an employer failed to regularly maintain the equipment.
However, not all accidents at work can form the basis of a valid claim. In order to seek compensation, you must prove that negligence occurred. This involves your employer failing to uphold their duty of care, resulting in you experiencing physical or psychological harm.
To learn more about the process of making an accident at work claim, get in touch using the number above.
How To Make A Work Injury Claim – Potential Evidence That Could Be Used
After sustaining an injury at work, you should seek medical attention. This is important to understand the exact nature of the injury and the recovery that you will have to undertake. You can ask for copies of any medical records to help support your claim.
A few other potential types of evidence you could collect can include:
- Evidence of the incident: CCTV footage, witness contact information, and photographs of the accident.
- Evidence of your injuries: A diary of your injuries and your recovery, photographs of your injuries, and a copy of the incident report in the accident at work book.
You may also find it beneficial to seek legal advice. Our experienced solicitors would be happy to take on your claim, provided it’s valid and has a chance of succeeding. They can help you collect any evidence that may help to strengthen your claim and can help you put forward a full case.
For more information, please get in touch using the details above.
Potential Compensation From A Work Injury Claim
Whilst you may still be wondering ‘what is the most common injury at work that people claim compensation for?’, it may be more helpful to understand how compensation is calculated.
General damages is one of the heads that can make up your settlement following a successful claim. It compensates for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. Below is a table that we’ve made based on figures provided by the Judicial College Guidelines. Solicitors can use these guidelines to help them value your injuries.
It’s important to note that these figures are only guidelines and are in no way guaranteed. This is due to the many different variables involved when working out the general damages portion of your claim.
| Injury | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arm Amputations | £240,790 to £300,000 | (a) Both arms are completely lost. The person is reduced to a state of helplessness of a considerable nature. |
| Other Arm Injuries | £19,200 - £39,170 | (c) Less Severe: There has been or will be a substantial recovery. |
| Back injuries | £91,090 - £160,980 | (a) Severe (i): This bracket includes the most severe injury which involves spinal cord or nerve root damage. |
| Back injuries | £74,160 - £88,430 | (a) Severe (ii): Cases in this bracket have special features such as damaged nerve roots alongside other symptoms such as impaired mobility, sexual difficulties and a loss of sensation. |
| Leg Injuries | £96,250 - £135,920 | (b) Severe (i): Injuries fall short of amputation but are extremely serious. |
| Leg Injuries | £17,960 - £27,760 | (c) Less Serious (i): There has been an incomplete recovery from fractures or soft tissue injuries that are serious. |
| Wrist Injuries | £47,620 - £59,860 | (a) Injuries resulting in a complete loss of function in the wrist. |
| Neck injuries | £24,990 - £38,490 | (b) Moderate (i): This bracket includes injuries such as fractures and dislocations causing severe and immediate symptoms. A spinal fusion may also be required. |
| Neck Injuries | £13,740 - £24,990 | (b) Moderate (ii): This bracket includes injuries that have accelerated or exacerbated a pre-existing condition. |
| Shoulder injuries | £7,890 - £12,510 | (b) Serious: This bracket includes cases of a rotator cuff injury causing ongoing symptoms even after surgery. |
You could also receive special damages as part of your settlement. These aim to compensate you for any financial losses you may have experienced due to your injuries. This might include:
- Loss of earnings
- Cost of care
- The cost of adjustments to your home whilst recovering.
You should keep evidence of these losses when claiming them back. This evidence can include bank statements, invoices, or receipts.
To learn more about the compensation you could receive, get in touch on the number above.
Why Seek Accident At Work Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
When making a claim for an injury sustained at work, hiring workplace injury solicitors to represent your claim on a No Win No Fee basis may be beneficial for you. They could offer their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement which is a type of No Win No Fee service.
This means that there are usually no upfront or ongoing fees to pay for your solicitor’s services. Additionally, you typically won’t have to pay for the work they have done if your claim ends unsuccessfully.
If your claim is successful, you will have to pay your solicitor a success fee. This is taken out of your compensation before it reaches you. However, it is subject to a legal cap.
Contact Us For Free Legal Advice To See If You Can Claim For Employer Negligence
If you have any questions or want to begin your claim, then you can get a free consultation with our advisors. If you have a valid claim, then they’ll put you in touch with one of our work accident solicitors. You can get in contact by:
- Filling out our ‘start your claim’ online form
- Calling us on 0800 073 8805
- Chat with one of our advisors by using our live chat feature below.
Learn More About How To Claim For An Accident At Work
Below, we have provided some more of our guides relating to accidents at work:
- I slipped on ice at work, can I claim?
- Why is it important to report an accident at work?
- Claiming for an injury at work whilst self-employed
Alternatively, below are some external links you can follow to find out more:
Thank you for reading this guide about what the most common injury at work is. If you have any other questions, please get in touch using the details provided above.
Writer Louis Pine
Editor Meg Matthews