By Danielle Jordan. Last Updated 2nd February 2024. If you’ve gone to get your hair cut, it’s not immediately clear what happens if a barber cuts you. What are your legal rights and can you make a personal injury claim?
That’s what this guide aims to answer. Below, we dive into the subject of barber accidents. We explore the claims process and the potential compensation awards that you could receive for your injuries.
Such injuries can include cuts and lacerations, infections contracted through unhygienic tools piercing a customer’s skin, or being cut by a razor at a barber shop during a wet shave.
We also discuss No Win No Fee agreements and how we can help you take legal action against a negligent barber today.
So, if you have been affected by the circumstances discussed in this guide and want to make a personal injury claim, contact Legal Expert on 0800 073 8804.
You can also talk to us about your claim online
Or chat with us now using our live chat box
You can also watch our video which explains our compensation claims guide in detail:
Select A Section
- How To Sue A Barber
- Compensation Payouts In Barbershop Injury Claims
- What Else Can You Claim For If A Barber Cuts You?
- Make A No Win No Fee Claim Against A Barber For Cutting You
- Learn More About What Happens If A Barber Cuts You
How To Sue A Barber
If you want to know how to sue a barber, firstly you’ll need to understand a barber’s duty of care to you whilst on their premises. This is outlined in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 and states that the owners or occupiers of a space such as a barber shop should take steps to ensure that visitors are reasonably safe from harm whilst visiting the premises.
Hairdressers must also comply with legislation such as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment 1992, under which equipment or hair products they use should be clean and safe to use. They should be able to use any products or equipment without putting you in risk of harm.
If a barber breaches their duty of care to you and you are injured, for example, a barber cut you due to faulty equipment, you may have grounds for a valid claim. However, you’ll need to prove that the barber has acted negligently and that you suffered a laceration or scarring as a result.
Evidence you could gather to support your personal injury claim includes:
- CCTV footage – a barber shop may have CCTV footage, which will show how the accident occurred and who was liable.
- Witness statements – if anyone witnesses your accident, you should ask for their contact details so they can be contacted for a statement.
- Medical records – if you visited your GP or hospital regarding any injuries, request your medical records as they can offer insight into the extent of your injuries and any treatment or care you have needed as a result.
- Medical report – an independent medical expert can assess you to determine the impact of your injuries, including both physical or psychological injuries.
Our expert personal injury solicitors have years of experience in dealing with hairdresser compensation claims. If you would like to work with our legal team, they’ll be able to assist you with collecting evidence to support your claim.
Barber And Hairdresser Injuries – How Long Do I Have To Claim?
If you are eligible to make a personal injury claim for your barber or hairdresser injuries, you must be aware of the time limit for starting a claim. The Limitation Act 1980 states that you will generally have three years to start your claim from the date you suffered your injuries.
However, for certain personal injury claims, there are exceptions to this limitation period. These include:
- Those under the age of 18. In these cases, the time limit is paused until the injured party’s 18th birthday. Prior to this, a court-appointed litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf. If a claim has not been made by their 18th birthday, they will have three years from that date to start one.
- Those who lack the mental capacity to make a claim for themself. For these individuals, the limitation period is indefinitely suspended. During this time, a litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf. However, if the injured party regains this capacity and a claim was not made for them, they will have three years from the date of recovery to start the process.
If you have any additional questions regarding hairdresser claims, or to find out if you are within the time limit to start your claim, contact our advisors today.
Compensation Payouts In Barbershop Injury Claims
A variety of accidents can happen due to negligence in a barber’s shop or salon. For example, you could have suffered an infection from a haircut if the scissors cut your skin, or an injury from a straight razor accident due to the negligence of a barber or hairdresser. In these cases, you may wish to make a claim for compensation.
There is no definitive average or set payout you could receive should your claim succeed; this is because compensation is calculated by considering all the unique factors and circumstances surrounding each claim, like the severity of your injury, and the effects it will have on your daily life.
However, you can still get a broad view of what you might be able to receive in the case of a successful claim. You can do this by checking the 16th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), a publication that often helps legal professionals calculate compensation amounts by providing guideline brackets for general damages. The table below illustrates some of these figures. We’ve also included a figure at the top of the table to show you how much compensation you could receive for multiple very severe injuries and special damages.
| Nature Of Injury | Comments On This Injury | Settlement |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries and Special Damages | Payouts may include compensation for more than one injury of a very severe nature plus expenses, such as cosmetic surgery. | Up to £150,000+ |
| Facial Disfigurement - Very Severe Scarring | Affecting a claimant between teenage years and early thirties. Cosmetic disfigurement and severe psychological reaction. | £29,780 to £97,330 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Less Severe Scarring | The level of disfigurement is still substantial and there is still a serious psychological reaction. | £17,960 to £48,420 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Significant Scarring | Plastic surgery can reduce some of the effects, though there will be some cosmetic disability and psychological reaction. | £9,110 to £30,090 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Less Significant Scarring | There may be several small scars or a single scar which could be camouflaged. | £3,950 to £13,740 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Trivial Scarring | Any effects will only be minor. | £1,710 to £3,530 |
| Complete Loss of Sight in One Eye | Complete loss of sight in one eye. There may also be some associated scarring. | £54,830 to £65,710 |
| Minor Eye Injuries | The injury may cause some temporary pain and interfere with vision. | £3,950 to £8,730 |
| Damage To The Hair (A) | Damage caused by defective waving, tinting or similar treatments. The scalp may be affected by burning or eczema or hair may become brittle or fall out. | £7,340 to £11,020 |
| Damage To The Hair (B) | Less serious damage to the hair or the scalp than above, though the symptoms or effects may present in a similar way. | £3,950 to £7,340 |
Alternatively, you can get in touch with our team of expert advisors. They can offer free legal advice surrounding your infection from barber clippers claim, as well as a free estimate of what your claim might be worth.
What Else Can You Claim For If A Barber Cuts You?
As well as general damages, there are other sums that you could be eligible to receive in compensation. For example, if someone sues a barber, they may be doing so because they sustained an injury as a result of negligence. The injury they sustained may have caused them to take time off work while recovering. To illustrate, the claimant may have experienced a severe cut on the neck due to a straight razor accident or something similar.
As a result of the cut, the person may have been unable to return to work as a model due to the nature of their job. If this is the case, then they could receive a payment that covers their loss of earnings over this period. This is just one example of what’s known as special damages. In other words, special damages can reimburse you for losses or expenses that have been caused by your injuries.
Other examples can include:
- Medical bills – This could include prescription costs for medication.
- Travel costs – For example, if you need to travel by taxi or public transport because your ability to drive has been affected by your injury.
- Loss of earnings – if you’ve had to take unpaid time off work because of your injury, you can claim back your lost earnings
If a barber has cut you with clippers and you have more questions about whether you’re eligible to seek compensation get in touch with our advisors today.
Make A No Win No Fee Claim Against A Barber For Cutting You
If you are eligible to make a barber injury claim because a barber cut you, you may like to have legal representation during the claims process. One of our personal injury solicitors could help you claim compensation for your injury. Our personal injury solicitors will generally provide their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee agreement.
When you instruct a No Win No Fee solicitor to work on your claim, you won’t be asked to pay any upfront or ongoing fees for their services. There also won’t be anything to pay towards their work on your claim against a barber shop if you aren’t awarded compensation after an unsuccessful case.
However, following a successful claim for a scalp injury under a CFA, your solicitor will take a success fee from your award. This fee is a percentage that is capped by law.
If you would like to discuss what happens if a barber cuts you and your eligibility to claim compensation, please get in touch with one of our team members. If you have good grounds to claim against a barber shop, you could be connected to one of our solicitors.
To discuss hairdressing compensation claims:
- Fill in our claim online form and an advisor will get back to you.
- Call 0800 073 8804
- Ask about compensation for barber shop injuries in our live chat window.
Learn More About What Happens If A Barber Cuts You
In addition to the information that we have already provided in this article, you may also find these related guides from across our site to be useful if you have been injured whilst at a barber, hairdresser or other beauty salon.
- Hairdresser Injury Compensation Claims – In this personal injury claims calculator, you can learn more about how you could be injured at a hairdresser and when you could claim compensation.
- Hairdresser Burn Scalp Injuries – If you have suffered a bleach burn at a hairdresser due to their negligence, find out what you could claim in this personal injury claims calculator.
- HSE Hairdressing Guidelines – Health and safety guidelines from the HSE for hairdressing.
- Head Injury Claims
- Neck Injury Claims
- Chemical Burn Injury Claims
- Holiday Accident Abroad Claims
- Beauty Treatment Injury Claims
- Find out how to make a claim for a lift accident and get more information on the compensation claims process.
If you need more help and advice if a barber cuts you, please get in touch.
