Personal Injury: Accidents at work and the importance of making a claim

Every year, individuals suffer accidents and ill health at work. The latest data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that annually on average, 606,000 workers are injured in workplace accidents, and there are a further 677,000 cases of work-related ill health. The HSE’s latest data also reports work-related ill health at its highest ever.

Ways in which an accident at work can effect the victim

An accident at work can have a huge impact on a person, including but not limited to: –

• Physical injuries – Individuals can suffer a wide range of injuries at work that may impose the need for extensive time off work, medical treatment, and rehabilitation.
• Psychological impact – The mental impact of suffering an accident at work or ill health cannot be understated. Workers may experience increased anxiety, stress and likelihood of depression. It can also be a huge worry for the individual if their injuries mean they cannot return to their pre-accident work duties.
• Loss of earnings – The injured person may need to take a long-time off work, or in some cases, reduce or finish work altogether. This has can have huge financial impacts, both in loss of earnings and loss of future earnings capacity.
• Loss of trust – Experiencing an accident at work or work-included ill health can cause a person to mistrust their employer – especially if the accident was caused or in part caused by the employer’s failure to abide by appropriate health and safety regulations and measures.

However, despite these very serious impacts, the number of people making claims has been on a steady decline. This is due to a wide number of factors, including the after-effects of the Covid-19 lockdown. Individuals may also fear their job status will be impacted as a result of making a claim, and financial stability can be a big worry.

Making a claim

However, the importance of making a claim cannot be understated. It can help you achieve financial compensation, physical and psychological rehabilitation, and get your life back on track. Our personal injury lawyers are instructed on a “no win, no fee” basis, meaning that you will not have to front the cost of legal fees for your claim.

There are also time limits to making a claim, due to the Limitation Act 1980. An individual who is 18 years old or older must either have their claim settled, or have it issued to court within three years from the date the accident. After this time, if neither of the above have occurred the claim will become statute barred and you will lose the right to claim. It is therefore very important to seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Want to find out more?

Starting a claim can seem like can a very intimidating process, however we have a team of vastly experienced and acclaimed personal injury solicitors ready and willing to help.
If you wish to find out more, please either leave an enquiry on our website, telephone us on 01761 414646, or attend our Free Legal Advice Surgery (running every Thursday from 5.00 – 6.00 pm). One of our experts will be in touch shortly to help.