Have you suffered a chop saw injury in the workplace? Were you asked to work with a faulty chop or miter saw in a way that caused you injuries? If so, this guide will explain all the steps involved in making chop saw injury at work claims.
Circular saws can carry a risk of amputation injury, so employers must comply with health and safety standards to protect staff. If their failure to do so results in employee injuries, you could be eligible to seek compensation. So we will define a personal injury claim and determine who might be eligible to start one. We also discuss the prevention of accidents involving chop saws and how employer negligence can be a risk factor. Our case study provides a useful example to help.
We explain the compensation an injured employee could receive and what types of damage it might cover, such as physical injury, emotional harm and financial loss. The guide closes with a detailed explanation of how one of our No Win No Fee solicitors could help.
We offer a free assessment of your personal injury claim for accident at work compensation from your employer. Simply:
- Ring the team on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us and submit a claim online.
- Use the dialogue box below for immediate help after accidents at work.
Select A Section Of Our Guide
- What Are Chop Saw Injury At Work Claims?
- How Could A Chop Saw Injury At Work Be Prevented?
- How Can Employer Negligence Cause A Chop Saw Injury At Work?
- How Much Compensation For Chop Saw Injury At Work Claims?
- Claim For Hand Injuries At Work On A No Win No Fee Basis
- Learn More About Claiming For Accidents At Work
What Are Chop Saw Injury At Work Claims?
All employers owe their staff a duty of care at work. This is set under a law is called the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HASAWA) and states that employers must take practicable and reasonable steps to ensure the safety of employees as they do their jobs.
Also, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 outline additional responsibilities to protect employees’ well-being while using tools.
Specifically, duty of care might mean ensuring that circular saws and similar work equipment are regularly maintained. Also that staff are properly trained to use them and that necessary personal protective equipment is supplied, such as face shields. With this in mind, employer negligence can be defined as follows:
- A duty of care is applied at the time.
- It was not met properly.
- You suffered injury as a result.
If your employer failed to carry out their legal obligation to protect your safety in some way and you were injured whilst operating a chop saw, you could have a personal injury compensation claim. Call the team if you have any questions so far about chop saw injury at work claims or to find out if you are eligible to make one.
What Injuries Could Be Caused By A Chop Saw?
Certain workplaces need their employees to use circular or chop saws as part of their daily tasks. Similar to a mitre saw, these types of heavy-duty power tools can be fixed to a countertop and used to cut precise lines through wood, steel and plastic. Typically, the spinning blade is 14 inches in diameter and a pivoted lever lowers the blade onto the fixed base holding the material that needs to be cut.
An injury is typically a flesh wound to the hands caused after contact with the blade. Injuries can vary depending on speed and contact, and may result in the following:
- Amputations of the finger(s) or hand.
- Serious soft tissue damage to the fingers and palm.
- Cuts on the face from flying debris.
You may have suffered some other form of injury using a chop saw, so please connect with the team for personalised advice.
How Could A Chop Saw Injury At Work Be Prevented?
Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be supplied when using tools such as chop saws or anything with a circular blade. Additionally, regular risk assessments should be conducted, and if any are identified, the saw should be taken out of use until they can be rectified.
Furthermore, your employer should also have preventative steps and policies against injury in place, such as:
- Wear a face shield and safety glasses.
- Avoid the wearing of loose clothing, jewellery, or dangling objects.
- Tie up any long hair.
- Don’t exceed the maximum cut capacity of the saw.
- Avoid trying to cut materials ‘free hand’ without the item firmly resting against the barrier on the base of the saw.
- Avoid reaching behind or around the saw blade. The hand should be kept on the trigger switch and the blade guard should be lowered fully to completely enclose the blade.
- The chop saw should be kept clean and well-lubricated. This helps the tool run smoothly and aids easier cleaning of dust and debris.
- The blade guard should be inspected before using a chop saw to ensure it is safely fixed in and free of faults.
- Never feed the saw at a rate faster than it can accept.
- When using, always wait for the blade to stop spinning and keep your hands clear.
As a technical piece of machinery, proper training and supervision are also essential ways that an employer can help to prevent injury. If you feel they failed to protect you at work and allowed injuries to occur, speak to us about chop saw injury at work claims.
How Can Employer Negligence Cause A Chop Saw Injury At Work?
Next, we look at some ways that employer negligence could occur and give rise to potential chop saw injury at work claims:
- The employer failed to test and maintain the circular saws on their premises and a saw malfunctioned, amputating a worker’s fingers.
- Inadequate training was given to a new employee and they lost the tip of their finger trying to operate the chop saw.
- An employee was trained incorrectly and lacerated their fingers and hands trying to cut materials in the chop saw ‘free hand’.
- Inadequate lighting resulted in an employee misjudging how low the spinning blade was and cut off their finger.
- Lack of protective goggles exposed a worker to flying sparks and caused them eye injury.
- Employees were not trained to keep their fingers a minimum of four inches from the rotating saw blade.
- Also, the danger of old screws, nails, imperfections or knots in the wood was not described properly. This resulted in sparks causing a facial injury when the blade hit old screws.
An employer’s failure to meet safety standards can cause injury in other ways. If you’d like to discuss yours, please connect with the team.
How Much Compensation For Chop Saw Injury At Work Claims?
If successful, the compensation awarded can consist of two heads of loss – general and special damages. General damages compensate the injured employee for the physical harm and any psychological consequences. Under this head of loss, the damage to the person’s life quality (such as a permanent disability) can also be considered.
To work out a suitable amount for general damages, those who calculate damages might look at medical evidence and publications that issue compensation guidelines like the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Below is a table made up of entries for hand injuries from the JCG. As all claims are assessed on their own merits, our table is only intended as a guide. Also please note that the first line amount does not come from this publication.
Compensation Guidelines
| Injury Area | Severity | Award Guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple types of severe injury and special damages payment for lost earnings, care costs and medical expenses. | Severe | Up to £350,000 plus. |
| Hand Injuries | (a) Total or effective loss of both hands. | £171,680 up to £245,900 |
| (c) Total/effective loss of one hand. | £117,360 up to £133,810 | |
| (d) Amputation affecting index, middle and/or ring fingers. | £75,550 up to £110,750 | |
| (b) Serious damage affecting both hands. | £68,070 up to £103,200 | |
| (e) Serious | £35,390 up to £75,550 | |
| (r) Loss of thumb. | £43,350 up to £66,920 | |
| (p) Amputation of ring and little fingers. | In region of £26,620 | |
| (i) Total/Partial loss of index fnger. | £14,850 up to £22,870 | |
| (m) Amputation of little finger. | £10,550 up to £14,940 | |
| (h) Moderate | £6,910 up to £16,200 |
Can Loss Of Earnings Make Up Part Of My Accident At Work Compensation?
Financial losses can also be reimbursed under special damages. You are required to submit documented proof of financial expenses or losses caused by the injury to claim for this. Therefore, it is important to retain anything you feel demonstrates how the injury impacted you, such as:
- Payslips that show a reduction or loss in your earnings after the injury.
- Medical costs for private doctors or specialists.
- Receipts that show you needed to travel to vital appointments.
- Over-the-counter painkillers or prescription costs.
- Estimates or invoices for any adaptations required in your home or car to deal with your new disability after serious hand injuries.
Please speak to one of our advisors if you’d like more guidance on general and special damages or any aspect of chop saw injury at work claims.
Claim For Hand Injuries At Work On A No Win No Fee Basis
In the aftermath of a serious hand injury with a circular saw, it’s understandable that you want to concentrate on your recovery. With this in mind, one of our personal injury solicitors could take care of your compensation claim for you.
Our solicitors have extensive expertise in helping clients get exactly what they are owed from negligent employers and can handle each stage of the claims process with you. This includes collecting statements and chasing up supporting evidence. As well as fulfilling the essential Pre-Action Protocol steps that usually apply in personal injury claims.
With their help, you could submit a much stronger and more professional claim for compensation. They offer a specific type of No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), through which you can expect the following advantages:
- No upfront fees for solicitors to start work.
- No solicitor’s fees as the claim goes ahead.
- Nothing to pay for finished services if the claim is unsuccessful.
- Only a small percentage is deducted from the compensation if the claim wins. A legal cap applies to this ‘success fee’ so the person claiming receives almost all of their compensation.
If you’re interested in seeing whether you could start an accident at work claim in this way, or to discuss anything related to chop saw injury at work claims, reach out to our advisors. You can:
- Ring the team on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us and submit a claim online.
- Use the dialogue box below for immediate help after accidents at work.
Learn More About Claiming For Accidents At Work
In addition to this guide on chop saw injury at work claims, here is more help:
- This guide looks at partial finger amputation claims.
- Here we explore compensation for a broken thumb.
- More information on a crushed hand claim for damages.
External resources:
- This resource looks at a typical risk assessment for circular saw use.
- Read when to call 999 from the NHS.
- Also, you can read about first aid after an accident occurred.
In conclusion, we value your interest in our guide about chop saw injury at work claims. For any further free guidance and information, connect with our advisory team.
