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I Hurt Myself At Work, What Should I Do? | Step-By-Step Guide

By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 3rd October 2024. If you have been in a workplace accident and are wondering “What should I do if I hurt myself at work?”, then this guide will provide you with all the information you need.

First, we offer you guidance on what you should do after becoming hurt at work, including what evidence is best to collect to prove that your employer is liable for your accident. We also explain the importance of reporting accidents in the workplace.

We then discuss how accident at work compensation is calculated, and what the benefits are of a No Win No Fee agreement.

So, if you are wondering what you should do as an employee if you have had a work-related incident, continue reading. Otherwise, you can contact us to find out whether you’re eligible to make a claim today. It is free to contact us and our lines are open 24/7:

Worker sitting on floor next to a ladder and holding injured leg after an accident

Select A Section:

  1. What Is The Procedure I Should Follow After Hurting Myself At Work?
  2. Reporting That You Injured Yourself At Work
  3. Collecting Evidence Of Your Accident And Injuries
  4. I Hurt Myself At Work, What Compensation Could I Claim? 
  5. I Hurt Myself At Work – Can I Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
  6. Recommended Reference Materials

What Is The Procedure I Should Follow After Hurting Myself At Work?

You may be asking yourself as an employee, what should you do if you have a work related incident? If you are hurt at work by an accident, then we recommend taking the following steps:

  • Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
  • Make sure the accident is reported to your manager or whoever else at work it may be appropriate to contact.
  • Report the incident in the work accident book or, if necessary, get a work colleague to do this for you.
  • If you intend to start a compensation claim for the accident, then you should start gathering evidence once you have sufficiently recovered from your injuries. As part of this process, this could include the contact details of any witnesses who saw the work accident. You could also take photos of the accident scene and any visual injuries you have because of the incident. A copy of the report in the work accident book could also serve as evidence.
  • You could contact an accident at work solicitor about your potential case and discuss evidence and other parts of the claiming process with them.

You can contact our advisors for free today if you would like to ask them questions such as “I hurt myself at work, can I claim compensation?”

Reporting That You Injured Yourself At Work

If you’re wondering “I hurt myself at work what should I do?”, this section will highlight the importance of reporting accidents in the workplace.

Reporting an injury at work, should be part of any business or organisation’s accident at work procedure. According to RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 2013), any accident at work defined as a “reportable accident” should be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.

If your accident is not a reportable accident, you still need to report your accident to your place of work. This will count as evidence to support your claim. It is also important that your place of work knows what happened, so they can make any adjustments that need to be made to your working environment or how employees carry out their activities that will better protect you and your colleagues from accidents in the future.

Completing An Accident Report Book

You should make a formal report in the accident log book as soon as you possibly can. Make sure the details of your accident, as well as the date, time and place are accurately recorded, before you sign.

Collecting Evidence Of Your Accident And Injuries

Evidence will form a key part of your claim. In addition to showing how badly you were hurt at work, which will be important when a solicitor or other party involved in the claims process is calculating potential compensation figures, this evidence will prove the liability of your employer.

Potential evidence examples include:

  • Medical evidence
  • CCTV footage
  • Photographs
  • Accident book
  • Workplace documents
  • Witness contact information (so a statement can be taken later on).

Working with one of our highly experienced accident at work solicitors for your claim will benefit you greatly. A trained legal professional could provide support when gathering evidence, ensuring the proof you collect is robust as well as making sure all court instructions and deadlines are complied with.

To find out if you’re eligible to begin a personal injury claim and ask our advisors what to do after “I hurt myself at work,” get in touch today using the contact information given above.

I Hurt Myself At Work, What Compensation Could I Claim?

If your personal injury claim for being hurt at work is successful, there are up to two heads of loss that could potentially make up your compensation settlement.

The first, general damages, will definitely be awarded if you’re successful. This head of loss compensates you for the physical and psychological effects of your workplace accident. Under this head of loss, these factors are just some that are looked at:

  • Loss of amenity.
  • The length of the recovery period.
  • Pain severity.

You might be asked to attend an independent medical assessment to evaluate the extent of your workplace injury. The reports from this can be compared to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help those responsible for doing so, calculate the value of your general damages.

The JCG contains guideline compensation brackets for all sorts of physical and psychological injuries.

In the table below, we have taken some injuries from the JCG that could potentially be suffered following an accident at work. We have also included their accompanying guideline compensation brackets (except the top figure, which is not the JCG’s).

Please bear in mind that we cannot guarantee how much compensation you could receive for your specific claim, as all cases are unique.

Type of injurySeverityCompensation guideline amount
Multiple serious injuries with special damagesSeriousUp to £250,000+
Neck injurySevere (i)In the region of £181,020
Neck injuryModerate (i)£30,500 to £46,970
Back injurySevere (ii)£90,510 to £107,910
Back injuryModerate (i)£33,880 to £47,320
Wrist injury(b) Significant permanent disability£29,900 to £47,810
Wrist injury(c) Some permanent disability£15,370 to £29,900
Knee injuryModerate (i)£18,110 to £31,960
Knee injuryModerate (ii)Up to £16,770
Hand injuryModerate£6,910 to £16,200

Special Damages

Secondly, special damages might also be awarded if you’re successful. This head of loss compensates you for the financial losses of your workplace injury. This can include:

  • Loss of earnings for having time off work during your recovery period, plus future loss of earnings if you’re unable to return to work at all.
  • Medical bills, such as mobility aid.
  • Travel expenses to and from the hospital.

Since special damages are not guaranteed to be awarded, even if your personal injury claim is successful, you should provide evidence of your monetary losses. This can include bank statements, receipts, invoices, and payslips.

For more information on how compensation is calculated in workplace accident claims, please have a chat with our team today.

I Hurt Myself At Work – Can I Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?

You may be wondering how to claim for an injury at work. A solicitor could help you navigate the legal process. Your claim could be supported by a No Win No Fee solicitor. They may provide their legal services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement.

If you would like to claim because you suffered an injury at work and decide to use the services

An accident at work solicitor and a client shake hands

of a No Win No Fee solicitor, you usually won’t be charged upfront for your solicitor’s support. They typically won’t ask you to pay ongoing fees either. Should your solicitor successfully recover back injury at work compensation, they will take a legally capped success fee from your award. However, if they fail to secure a payout, they usually will not ask you to pay their solicitors fee.

If you have any questions about what steps you could take to start the legal process, call our advisors. The advice they give is free. Additionally, they can assess the chances of your claim succeeding. If it seems like you could successfully recover compensation, they could put you in touch with our solicitors. If you hurt yourself due to employer negligence, get in touch today.

To speak to an advisor:

Recommended Reference Materials

Reporting Accidents And Incidents At Work

RIDDOR – Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013

I’ve Had A Slip Or Trip Accident At Work – What Happens Now?

Below, you can find a list of guides which may tell you more about accident at work claims:

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    • Patrick Mallon legal expert author

      Patrick is a Grade A solicitor having qualified in 2005. He's an an expert in accident at work and public liability claims and is currently our head of the EL/PL department. Get in touch today for free to see how we can help you.

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