Last Updated 11th November 2024. In this guide, we will explain how you may be able to claim compensation if you are a cleaner who was injured at work. Workplace injuries can vary in severity but could have a serious effect on your life if they are more severe. Your employer has a responsibility to ensure that you are safe in the workplace. In instances where they fail to uphold this responsibility, causing you harm as a result, you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim for injuries sustained at work.
We will explore this responsibility in more detail throughout our guide, as well as look at the steps your employer should take to prevent cleaning accidents from happening.
Following this, we will discuss the accident at work compensation you could receive following a successful claim, and how solicitors reach settlement amounts. We will also look at the benefits of working with a solicitor from our panel and how they can help you through the process of seeking personal injury compensation.
If you would like to learn more about the claims process, or you have any other questions, we recommend that you contact our team. Our advisors can offer you a free evaluation of your claim, and can also give you free legal advice. To get in touch:
- Call on 0800 073 8804
- Start your claim online
- Use the live chat feature
Jump To A Section
- Can I Claim As A Cleaner Who Was Injured At Work?
- Types Of Cleaning Accidents
- Providing Evidence To Support Your Claim
- What Could A Cleaner Injured At Work Claim?
- How To Make A No Win No Fee Claim As A Cleaner Injured At Work
- Learn More About Accident At Work Claims
Can I Claim As A Cleaner Who Was Injured At Work?
As an employee, your employer owes you a duty of care. This is set out by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Under this legislation, your employer must take all reasonably practicable steps to keep you safe when you are working and prevent you from sustaining harm in the workplace. This applies if you are an ‘in-house’ cleaner, as well as if you work for an agency or contractor.
However, if your employer fails to uphold this duty, and this results in you suffering an injury in the workplace, this is known as negligence. In order to make an accident at work claim, you need to prove that negligence occurred.
Workplace Accident Claim Time Limits
Another important factor of eligibility is starting your claim within the relevant time limits. According to the Limitation Act 1980, you will generally have three years to begin a claim for a workplace injury. This begins on the date you are injured, or the date you make a connection between your injuries and negligence.
Our advisors can give you more information on your eligibility to claim, and can talk you through the exceptions to the accident at work claim time limit. Get in touch today to learn more.
Types Of Cleaning Accidents
Working as a cleaner can come with risks. For example, handling dangerous chemicals, carrying or moving heavy objects, and the risk of slips and falls can all result in workplace injuries.
Handling Hazardous Chemicals
Cleaners are often required to handle hazardous chemicals as a part of their job by working with industrial-strength cleaning supplies. Hazardous chemicals can cause chemical burns and scarring, and inhalation of toxic fumes can lead to lung damage and eye injuries.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) sets out an employer’s responsibility to control substances that are hazardous to health in the workplace.
There are several ways they can prevent or reduce the exposure to these substances, such as identifying the hazards and assessing the harm they pose and steps that they can take to prevent the harm they could cause to health. A failure to do so could lead to a cleaner being injured at work.
Manual Handling Accidents
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 dictate that your employer must carry out risk assessments for manual handling tasks when appropriate in order to fulfil their duty of care.
A failure to do so can result in manual handling accidents leading to back injuries, knee injuries, and musculoskeletal disorders.
Cuts And Lacerations
Cuts and lacerations can occur as a result of slips and trips in the workplace, as well as faulty machinery or equipment. For example, if your employer asks you to use a faulty floor care machine or trolley, this could lead to an accident that results in cuts and lacerations.
If you are a cleaner who has been injured at work, get in touch with our team today. Our advisors can answer any questions you may have about the claims process, and can offer free legal advice.
Providing Evidence To Support Your Claim
One way that you can strengthen your claim if you are a cleaner who was injured at work is by collecting evidence. Evidence can help prove the extent of your injuries, as well as who is liable for your accident at work. Some examples of evidence that you could collect include:
- Witness contact details: This allows any witnesses to the accident to be contacted at a later date so their statements can be taken.
- Photographs: Photographs of both your injuries and of the accident site can be used to strengthen your claim.
- CCTV footage: If your accident was caught on CCTV, you could request the footage to help illustrate how you sustained your injuries.
- Medical reports: Should you work with one of our solicitors, they might arrange for you to undergo an independent medical assessment as part of the claims process. This assessment will produce a report that details the extent of your injuries.
You can collect this evidence by yourself, or you can do so with the help of a personal injury solicitor. Get in touch with an advisor from our team to find out how one of our solicitors could help you.
What Could A Cleaner Injured At Work Claim?
There are two heads of claim that could form your work injury settlement. These are general damages and special damages.
General damages compensate for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries, as well as the impact on your quality of life. Often, solicitors will use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them calculate this part of your claim.
This document provides solicitors with guideline compensation brackets for a variety of injuries, both physical and psychological. In the table below, you can find some examples of these brackets.
| Injury | Compensation Bracket |
|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries + Special Damages, Including Lost Earnings | Up to £500,000+ |
| Moderately Severe Brain Injury (b) | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Less Severe Brain Injury (d) | £18,700 to £52,550 |
| Burns Covering At Least 40% Of The Body | Likely to exceed £127,930 |
| Severe Back Injuries (a) (iii) | £47,320 to £85,100 |
| Less Severe Facial Disfigurement (b) | £21,920 to £59,090 |
| Moderate Ankle Injuries (c) | £16,770 to £32,450 |
| Dermatitis (a) | £16,770 to £23,430 |
| Serious Shoulder Injuries (b) | £15,580 to £23,430 |
| Other Arm Injuries (d) | £8,060 to £23,430 |
How Special Damages Could Also Compensate You
Special damages is the head of your claim that addresses any financial losses caused by your injuries. For example, these could include:
- Home adjustments
- Care costs
- Medical bills, such as the cost of prescriptions
- Loss of earnings
It is important to provide evidence of these costs if you wish to claim them back. As such, keeping any invoices, bills, receipts, or travel tickets can be helpful.
An advisor from our team can give you a free consultation and more guidance on compensation when you get in touch.
How To Make A No Win No Fee Claim As A Cleaner Injured At Work
If you are a cleaner who was injured at work, you might be wondering whether or not you should pursue legal representation. While you aren’t obligated to work with a legal expert on your claim, it can make the claims process feel less complex and easier to manage.
This is because solicitors need to go through years of training and education to get their positions, and they can use all of their experience and knowledge to talk you through the cleaner injury claim process.
For example, a solicitor could help you:
- Understand legal terminology
- Support your claim with evidence
- Communicate with the Court and the defendant
- Understand each step of the claims process
- Negotiate a settlement that covers your losses
Our solicitors can help you with all of this and more, without taking their usual hourly fee. In fact, when you work with a member of our team on a No Win No Fee basis, they won’t take any fees for their work upfront or as the claim continues.
This is because our solicitors work with their clients under something called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under a CFA, you won’t need to pay for your solicitor’s services if the claim fails. If it succeeds, then your solicitor is due a success fee. However, this fee is taken from your compensation as a small, legally capped percentage.
Contact Us
If you’d like to find out how one of our solicitors could help you make a cleaner injured at work claim, you can get in touch with our team of advisors today. They can answer any questions you might have and can potentially connect you with one of our expert accident at work solicitors. Get started today by:
- Calling on 0800 073 8804
- Starting your claim online
- Using the live chat feature
Learn More About Accident At Work Claims
For more information on the accident at work claims process:
- How To Make A Window Cleaner Personal Injury Claim
- Faulty Machinery At Work Injury – Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation?
- How Much Compensation For An Electric Shock At Work?
Or, for further resources:
- NHS – How can I tell if I have broken a bone?
- Health and Safety Executive – Non-fatal injury statistics
- GOV – Information on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Get in touch with our team for more information on claiming if you are a cleaner and were injured at work.
Written by Hampton
Editor by Mitchell
