If you have suffered an injury in a construction accident, this could have caused you immense pain and suffering as well as financial losses and may be wanting to know if you could claim compensation and how much you could receive. If you are interested in making a construction site accident claim but you don’t know where to start, we are here to help. In this guide, we’ll explore everything you might need to know about the accident at work claims process, starting with compensation.
We’ll discuss what your compensation could be made up of, and how it’s calculated. Following this, we’ll talk about the eligibility criteria for making a personal injury claim.
Our guide also discusses how construction site accidents happen and delves into some interesting statistics on the number of construction injuries reported in Great Britain every year. After this, we touch on some of the steps you can take to start the claims process. This includes gathering evidence, which is a crucial step that can have a big impact on your final compensation amount.
Finally, we talk about solicitors. While you aren’t legally obligated to work with an accident at work solicitor, we discuss the many benefits to teaming up with a legal professional. We also explain the ins and outs of No Win No Fee agreements, and how a solicitor from our panel could help you.
Contact Us
Hopefully, our guide will answer any questions you might have regarding construction injury claims. But, if it doesn’t, our team of friendly advisors are here to help. Get in touch today to learn more or get started by:
- Calling us on 0800 408 7826
- Using the live chat feature.
- Contacting us online.
Browse Our Guide
- Compensation Calculator For A Construction Site Accident Claim
- Can I Make A Construction Site Accident Claim?
- How Can Accidents Happen On Construction Sites?
- What Could I Do If I’ve Been Injured In A Construction Site Accident?
- Why Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Make A Construction Injury Claim?
- More Resources About Claiming Compensation For An Accident At Work
Compensation Calculator For A Construction Site Accident Claim
Exact estimates can be hard to reach when it comes to personal injury compensation. This is because the amount that you could receive depends on a wide range of factors, including:
- How much evidence you have.
- Who was liable for your injuries.
- The severity of your injuries.
- How long it will take you to recover.
- The financial losses your injuries caused.
Because of this, a compensation calculator can be helpful. Using an accident claims calculator won’t give you an exact estimate, but can help give you a broad idea of where your potential compensation could fall if you make a successful claim.
Generally, personal injury compensation can be split into two different heads. The first head we’ll talk about is general damages. Under this heading, you can claim for the pain and suffering you experience as a result of your injuries.
When this kind of compensation is calculated, the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can be used to help. This is because the JCG provides a selection of compensation guidelines for a number of different injuries and illnesses. We’ve included some examples of injuries that you could suffer on a construction site below, along with their corresponding JCG compensation brackets.
Please keep in mind that the first entry hasn’t been taken from the JCG, and these entries are not fixed or guaranteed amounts.
Guideline Compensation Table
| Injury | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries + Special Damages | Up to £1,000,000+ | Multiple severe injuries alongside lost earnings and other financial losses. |
| Very Severe Brain Damage (a) | £344,150 to £493,000 | There is little to no response to their surroundings, a need for full-time nursing care, and double incotinence. |
| Moderately Severe Brain Damage (b) | £267,340 to £344,150 | A very serious disability resulting in a deep dependence on others. |
| Severe Leg Injuries (i) The Most Serious Injuries Short of Amputation | £117,460 to £165,860 | Leg injuries that are so severe they warrant awards similar to amputation. |
| Severe Arm Injuries | £117,36 to £159,770 | Severe arm injuries that fall short of amputation. |
| Amputation of One Foot | £102,470 to £133,810 | Due to the loss of ankle joint, this is treated similarly to below the knee amputation. |
| Chest Injuries (b) | £80,240 to £122,850 | Traumatic injuries to the chest that reduce life expectancy. |
| Chest Injuries (g) | Up to £4,820 | Fractured ribs and soft tissue injuries that heal within a number of weeks. |
| Severe Back Injuries (iii) | £47,320 to £85,100 | Backache caused by disturbed muscles and ligaments, soft tissue injuries, and other frequently encountered injuries. |
| Total Loss of One Eye | £66,920 to £80,210 | Award depends on cosmetic and psychological effects. |
Can I Claim For Loss Of Earnings In A Building Site Accident Claim?
Yes, you can claim for loss of earnings when you make a building site accident claim. For those who work in construction, an injury can mean weeks, months, or even years out of work, and this can have a severe financial impact.
But you can also claim for other financial losses that were caused by your injuries. All of these losses can be covered under special damages, which is the second head of compensation that you can pursue. Unlike general damages, not every successful claimant will receive this kind of compensation.
Special damages can help you cover the cost of:
- Prescriptions.
- Childcare.
- Private medical treatment.
- Mobility aids, like crutches and wheelchairs.
- Professional care staff.
- Travel.
- Home adjustments.
Since special damages are not always awarded, you should provide sufficient evidence of the financial losses you are claiming for. This could include invoices, payslips and bank statements, for example.
Contact our advisors today to learn more about claiming compensation for a building site accident. Or, read on to find out if you could make a construction site accident claim.
Can I Make A Construction Site Accident Claim?
To make a construction site accident claim, you need to prove that negligence occurred. In personal injury law, negligence means that:
- Someone owed you a duty of care.
- They breached this duty.
- You were injured as a result.
For example, your employer owes you a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). This means that they need to take all reasonably practicable steps to keep you safe while working. However, you are also owed a duty of care by anyone else who is in control of the job site, like the foreman, site owner, or site manager.
This means you may not always be claiming against your employer. If you can prove that negligence occurred, then you will claim against whoever failed to fulfil their duty of care at that time.
Can I Claim If I’m Self-Employed Or A Contractor?
Yes, if you can prove that negligence occurred, you can still claim if you are self-employed or a contractor. Under Section Three of the HASAWA, all employers, even if they aren’t your employer, owe a duty of care to those who enter the premises. This includes building sites and construction sites.
To learn more about when you could make a construction site accident claim, get in touch with our team of friendly advisors today. They can offer more information, and a free case evaluation.
How Can Accidents Happen On Construction Sites?
There are many ways that negligence can occur on a construction site, including:
- Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE): Employers are responsible for providing free and adequate PPE if their employees need it to safely do their jobs. If your employer knowingly gave you faulty steel-toed boots, and this resulted in a broken foot and multiple broken toes, you could potentially make a claim.
- Scaffolding accidents: Poorly-constructed scaffolding can collapse, causing a number of serious injuries, including brain damage, neck fractures, and severe back injuries. If this scaffolding was not risk assessed or the people who built it had not received sufficient training, you may be able to make a claim for your injuries.
- Slips, trips, and falls: If you are working scaffolding that has wires dangerously trailed across a walkway, you could trip and fall over the edge, causing severe injuries. If the construction site had not been risk assessed, and these hazards dealt with, you could potentially make an accident at work claim.
Construction site injuries can come in many different forms, so you might not see your injuries reflected in the list above, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t claim. Get in touch with our team to learn more.
How Often Do Construction Site Accidents Happen?
Great Britain’s health and safety watchdog, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), regularly publishes statistics regarding accidents in the workplace. According to these statistics, the construction industry held the second-most amount of self-reported workplace injuries within a 12 month period.
Around 2,640 self-reported injuries were recorded annually between 2020-2023, according to self-made employee reports to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and reported by the HSE.
HSE statistics are also pulled from reports made by employers under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). Under this legislation, the most serious injuries and illnesses must be reported to the HSE.
Contact our advisors today to discuss your specific situation and see whether you could make a construction accident claim.
What Could I Do If I’ve Been Injured In A Construction Site Accident?
There are a number of steps that you can take to start a construction injury compensation claim. One of the most important steps is collecting evidence. When you claim compensation for any kind of injury, it’s always your responsibility to prove that negligence occurred.
We always recommend working with a specialist building suite injury claim solicitor because they can help you gather evidence such as:
- Photographs of your injuries and the accident site.
- CCTV or video footage of the accident.
- Medical records and documentation.
- Witness statements.
- Accident book logs.
To find out how a building site injury claim solicitor from our panel could help you support your case, contact us today.
Why Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Make A Construction Injury Claim?
So, why use our panel of personal injury solicitors to make a construction site accident claim? There are many benefits to working with a construction accident lawyer, as they can help you by:
- Collecting evidence and prove your claim.
- Talking you through the building site injury claims process.
- Negotiating the settlement that you deserve.
- Preparing your claim to go to court, if needed.
- Decoding complex legal jargon and other technical language.
Plus, our panel of solicitors work on a No Win No Fee basis. This means, with the help of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), they can help you make a construction accident compensation claim without having to pay for their services:
- Upfront.
- As the claim is ongoing.
- If your claim fails.
If it succeeds, then your solicitor will take a success fee. They take this from your compensation as a percentage that is limited by law, ensuring that you get the most of your award.
Contact Us
To find out if a solicitor from our panel could help you make a construction site accident claim, contact us today by:
- Calling us on 0800 408 7826
- Using the live chat feature.
- Contacting us online.
More Resources About Claiming Compensation For An Accident At Work
For more helpful accident at work guides:
- Learn how to make a farm accident compensation claim with our guide.
- Information on making an electric shock compensation claim.
- Find out if you could make a manual handling injury claim.
Or, to get more information:
- The HSE has general health and safety guidance for workplaces.
- Learn about broken ribs from the NHS.
- Get more information on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
Thank you for reading our guide on how to make a construction site accident claim. Contact our advisors today to discuss your case and learn how we could help you.