Last updated 7th November 2024. If you have been injured while working in an office, you may be wondering whether you are eligible to make an office accident claim and how much compensation you could receive.
We start this guide by discussing how compensation is calculated for an accident at work claim, and the different heads of loss that could form your final settlement. From this, we will then discuss the duty of care you are owed while at work and when you may be eligible to claim compensation if you were involved in an accident at work.
Additionally, we will provide examples of different types of accidents that could occur within an office. We also share examples of evidence that could help support you when making an office accident compensation claim.
Our guide closes by looking at how one of the personal injury solicitors on our panel could help you with making your claim on a No Win No Fee basis.
If you have any questions regarding the personal injury claims process, you can contact one of our advisors. They can also discuss your potential claim with you and provide you with free advice. To speak with a member of our advisory team, you can:
- Call 0800 408 7826
- Contact us online to arrange a callback.
- Or start the conversation by asking a question in the live chat pop-up.
Choose A Section
- Compensation Calculator For An Office Accident Claim
- Can I Make An Office Accident Claim?
- What Are Different Types Of Office Accident Claims?
- How Do You Make Office Accident Injury Claims?
- Why Make A No Win No Fee Office Accident Claim?
- Learn More About Accident At Work Claims
Compensation Calculator For An Office Accident Claim
If you want to know what our compensation calculator considers when estimating the value of your claim, we can tell you the details about how office accident compensation is calculated.
If you have a successful office accident claim, your compensation could consist of two heads of loss, known as special and general damages.
General damages are awarded in all successful office accident claims. This head of loss compensates you for the emotional and physical effects of the accident. Some factors that are considered include:
- Loss of amenity.
- Pain severity.
- The length of recovery.
Those calculating your general damages could refer to reports from an independent medical assessment that you may be asked to attend during the compensation claims process. The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) could also be referred to.
The JCG lists guideline compensation brackets for various types of injuries at different severities.
Compensation Table
Below, we have created a table using some of the guidelines from the JCG (aside from the first entry). These are just some examples of the types of injuries that could be suffered following an office accident.
However, please remember that the amount of office accident compensation you could potentially receive will depend on the specific factors of your case. So, please only use this table as a guide.
| Injury | Severity | Guideline Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries and Special Damages | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ | Here the person will have suffered multiple severe injuries and compensation will also be awarded for special damages covering care costs, lost earnings and medical bills. |
| Head | (a) Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 | A limited ability to follow basic commands but no meaningful responses to environment and full-time professional care required. |
| (d) Less Severe | £18,700 to £52,550 | A good recovery seen, with a resumption of normal daily life but with some persisting issues with mood, memory and concentration. | |
| Neck | (a) Severe (ii) | £80,240 to £159,770 | Serious fractures and cervical disc damage that cause substantial loss of movement in the neck and function loss in one or more limbs. |
| Knee | (a) Severe (ii) | £63,610 to £85,100 | Fractures that extend into the knee joint causing constant pain, limiting movement and rendering the person prone to osteoarthritis. |
| Ankle | (b) Severe | £38,210 to £61,090 | Injuries that require extensive treatment involving plaster and/or surgical pins and leaves residual disabilities like severe limitations on walking, scarring and instability, |
| Back | (b) Moderate (i) | £33,880 to £47,320 | Cases like compression and crush fractures to the lumbar vertebrae causing constant pain and discomfort and a heightened likelihood that spinal fusion surgery will be required. |
| Elbow | (b) Less Severe Injuries | £19,100 to £39,070 | Injuries that impair function but do not demand surgery or leave lasting disability. |
| Wrist | (c) Less Severe | £15,370 to £29,900 | Some permanent disability will remain such as a degree of persisting stiffness and pain. |
| Shoulder | (b) Serious | £15,580 to £23,430 | Dislocations and damage to the lower part of the brachial plexus causing aching, weakened grip and restricted movement of the shoulder. |
Special Damages For A Personal Injury Claim
Special damages are not awarded in all successful office accident claims. This head of loss compensates you for the current and predicted financial losses caused by your injury. Some examples could include:
- Loss of earnings.
- Prescription fees.
- Travel costs to essential medical appointments.
In order to claim special damages, you will need to provide evidence in the form of receipts, payslips, bank statements, and/or invoices.
To learn more about how a successful office accident claim is calculated, please contact us today.
Can I Make An Office Accident Claim?
All office workers are owed a duty of care while they are at work. This is because all employers owe their employees a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). It states that employers must take reasonable steps to prevent their employees from harm as they do their jobs.
This includes steps such as:
- Carrying out regular workplace risk assessments.
- Ensuring all workplace equipment is regularly maintained and suitable for their purpose.
- Keeping the work environment clear of any clutter and signposting any hazards that cannot be removed.
To be able to make an office accident claim, you will need to ensure your case meets the following criteria:
- Your employer owed a duty of care to you.
- They breached this duty in some way.
- You can prove you suffered an injury from this.
If you believe you suffered your injury due to your employer breaching health and safety regulations, you can contact our advisors to see whether you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim.
What Are Different Types Of Office Accident Claims?
Should an employer fail to adhere to the care duty, it could lead to an office accident that leaves you harmed. Some examples of how office accidents could occur include:
- Your employer knew that a plug socket was faulty yet failed to fix this issue or warn employees not to use this plug socket. Due to this, you suffer an electric shock injury.
- Computer cables were not stowed away properly, causing an employee to trip over them and suffer an ankle fracture and broken wrist.
- Your employer provided you with a known faulty office chair to use. Upon sitting on the chair, it breaks, and you suffer a back injury and hip injury upon falling to the floor.
These are only a few examples. To discuss the exact circumstances of your case, and see whether you may be eligible to make an office accident claim, you can contact our team of advisors.
How Do You Make Office Accident Injury Claims?
Having sufficient evidence to support your case is an important part of the office accident claims process. The evidence you gather needs to demonstrate how the accident happened, what injuries you suffered and how your employer was liable for them.
Some examples of evidence you could collect to support your office accident claim include:
- Any video footage that captured your accident, such as CCTV footage.
- Copies of your medical records that list the injuries you have suffered and the treatment you have needed for them.
- A copy of your incident report from the accident book. This may contain useful information about your accident, such as when the accident took place and how it happened.
- The contact details of any eyewitnesses to your accident, so that a statement can be collected from them later into the claiming process.
- Photographs of the accident scene and any injuries you have suffered that are visible.
If you choose to work with a solicitor for your office injury claim, they could help you with gathering supporting evidence as part of their services.
What Is The Time Limit For Office Injury Accident Claims?
Under the terms of the Limitation Act 1980, there is usually a three-year time limit for starting a personal injury compensation claim. This usually runs from the date of the accident.
Certain exceptions apply to this time limit for those lacking the mental capacity to handle their own claim and for those injured as a minor.
To learn more about what these exceptions are, you can contact our advisors. They can also inform you whether you are still within the time limit to begin your office accident claim.
Why Make A No Win No Fee Office Accident Claim?
If you contact us today, we can assess the eligibility of your office accident claim. If we deem it to be valid, we could connect you with a solicitor from our panel. The solicitors on our panel could help guide you through the personal injury claims process and negotiate a settlement on your behalf.
Additionally, the solicitors on our panel generally offer their services under a type of a No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This type of agreement comes with various benefits, such as:
- No upfront solicitors fees apply for their services.
- You will not need to pay any ongoing fees for solicitors’ services as the claim moves forward.
- Nothing to pay for your solicitor’s work should the claim fail.
- If the claim wins, your solicitor will take a small percentage of your compensation. This is referred to as a success fee. Additionally, how much can be taken as this percentage is capped by the law.
To see whether one of the No Win No Fee solicitors on our panel could help you with claiming compensation, you can contact one of the advisors on our team. They can also offer you free advice and help answer your questions about starting a workplace injury claim. You can connect with them today by:
- Calling 0800 408 7826
- Contacting us online to arrange a callback.
- Asking a question by using the live chat pop-up.
Learn More About Accident At Work Claims
We also have other guides about accident at work claims that you might find useful:
- Here are some accident at work FAQs that you may find helpful.
- This guide focuses on manual handling injury claims in the workplace.
- A guide on how much compensation you could potentially receive for a burned hand injury following an accident at work.
Additional external resources:
- Here is information about slip and trips in the workplace from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
- Also, read about paying for your own care from the NHS.
- In addition to this, information on compensation after an accident from Gov.UK.
Thank you for reading this guide about when you could make an office accident claim. If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact one of our advisors.