What is the Accident at Work Claims Time Limit?

The accident at work claims time limit is typically three years. In this guide, you can learn about what exceptions apply. We will also take you through potential workplace situations that could result in an injury, explain the duty of care owed to all employees, and explain how you can claim compensation under a No Win No Fee agreement.

To get in touch today:

Click the banner at the top of the page.
Contact us using this form.
Use the live chat feature.

Our advisors are available 24/7 for free legal advice relating to employer negligence. Eligible claims within the time limit might be passed onto our panel of personal injury lawyers.

Choose A Section

What Is The Accident At Work Claims Time Limit?
Hypothetical Workplace Accident Scenarios
What To Do After An Accident At Work
Examples Of Settlement For Different Workplace Injuries
No Win No Fee Agreements Within The Accident At Work Claims Time Limit
Can I Learn More About The Accident At Work Claims Time Limit?

What Is The Accident At Work Claims Time Limit?

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) sets out the duty of care employers owe their employees. This means employers must take reasonably practicable steps to protect their employees from hazards that they might face while at work.

Generally, the time limit to start a claim is three years. The accident at work claims time limit generally applies unless:

you are under the age of 18; or
lack the mental capacity to claim.

If you’re under the age of 18, a litigation friend could claim on your behalf. However, once you turn 18 and nobody’s claimed on your behalf, you’d have 3 years to start a claim yourself.

Should you lack the mental capacity to claim, a litigation friend could do so on your behalf. But, if you recover mental capacity, you could have 3 years to start a claim from the date of recovery (if no one has already done so on your behalf).

If the accident at work claims time limit runs out, you may not be eligible to claim. Contact our advisors to see if you can start your compensation claim today.

Examining Statistics For Workplace Accidents

Employers must report certain injuries under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). Statistics of these injuries are provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

51,211 non-fatal injuries were reported in 2020/21. Including, but not limited to:

15,159 reportable fractures
14,784 sprains and strains
937 dislocations
983 burns
22 scalpings.

Hypothetical Workplace Accident Scenarios

Workplace health and safety legislation is designed to reduce the risks you may face while at work. Every workplace is required to have a health and safety policy. You might find that these policies vary between different workplaces. Every job is different and therefore presents different hazards. For example, a builder will face different risks than a receptionist at a doctor’s surgery. However, both roles present expected hazards.

A health and safety risk assessment should be conducted with risks identified. If the risk cannot be removed, employers are required to inform their employees. Employers should provide health and safety training tailored to the job and location.

Accident At Work Examples

Some examples of how employer negligence can contribute to injuries at work include:

Slips, trips and falls. Employers should have instructions in place so employees can deal with spilt liquid hazards. Walkways should be free of clutter wherever possible. When this is not possible, there should be measures in place to alert employees to the risk. For example, delivery boxes should be placed out of the walkway as soon as possible. Failing to remove them can present a tripping hazard.
Faulty equipment. Your employer may be found negligent if they do not have the required inspections carried out on equipment. For example, you could be injured if screws loosened in a piece of machinery cause your fingers to be caught in the mechanics.
Inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE). Any PPE that is needed to safely carry out the job should be provided free of charge from your employer. If the employer fails to provide PPE where necessary, or provides substandard PPE, it could lead to injury.
Poor Training. Necessary training should be provided for free. If it is not, you could injure yourself through not knowing how to use a specific piece of equipment or knowing the health and safety hazards presented by your job. This could include not knowing to tie long hair back around certain equipment resulting in a scalping injury.

Speak to our advisors before the accident at work claims time limit runs out by following the information at the top of the screen.

What To Do After An Accident At Work

If you suffer an injury due to employer negligence, you may wish to file a claim. To do this, you must be able to supply proof that your injury came about as a result of employer negligence.

Steps you can take after an injury include:

Seek medical advice. Medical notes could support a claim. Also, you might be invited to an independent medical assessment if using the services of a No Win No Fee solicitor to file for compensation.

Gather evidence. A few examples of items that could be used as evidence include; if there are any witnesses you could note their contact details, ask the relevant person for CCTV footage if it applies, also, if possible, you could take photographs.

Fill in the accident log book. Any workplace with ten or more employees is required to have an accident log book by law. Fill this in with your name, the date and time, details of the accident and resultant injury.

Seek legal advice. A No Win No Fee lawyer could make filing for compensation seem less complicated, especially if trying to file before the accident at work claims limit runs out. Our advisors can offer free legal advice surrounding your claim if you call today.

Examples Of Settlements For Different Workplace Injuries

Should you file for compensation, your claim might have two heads: general damages and special damages.

General Damages

General damages are the compensation for your injury and related emotional distress.

To help value your claim, solicitors refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document contains a list of injuries with corresponding compensation brackets. The table below provides potential compensation brackets from this publication.

Injury	Potential Compensation	Notes
Severe post traumatic stress disorder	£56,180 to £94,470	Permanent impact preventing work or functioning at pre-trauma level.
Loss of sight in one eye (f)	£22,230 to £36,960	Serious but incomplete sight loss in one eye without risk to the other. Constant blurred vision and light sensitivity in both eyes.
Partial hearing loss (i)	£27,890 to £42,730	Noise-induced hearing loss and severe tinnitus.
Damage from traumatic injury to the digestive system (iii)	£6,190 to £11,820	Industrial laceration or penetrating wounds.
Kidney damage	£28,880 to £42,110	Loss of one kidney
Bladder (b)	Up to £132,040	Total loss of function and control of bladder.
Hernia (a)	£13,970 to £22,680	Continuing pain after repair with physical limitations.
Severe neck injury (iii)	£42,680 to £52,540	Fracture, dislocation, severe soft tissue damage and/or ruptured tendons resulting in chronic conditions and permanent disability.
Moderate hip and pelvis injuries (i)	£24,950 to £36,770	Significant injury but with low risk of permanent disability.
Fractures to the nose or nasal complex (i)	£9,990 to £21,700	Serious or multiple fractures needing numerous surgeries and/or permanent damage to airways, nerves or tear ducts.

Special Damages

Costs related to your injury at work can be covered under special damages, but you must provide evidence.

Special damages could be awarded for:

Mobility aids. If your injury resulted in walking impairments you could claim the money back on any mobility aids you purchase or rent. For example, you might need to rent a wheelchair.
Travel costs. Travelling to injury-related medical appointments could prove expensive. Keep the receipts for taxis, public transport or mileage.
Loss of earnings. You could claim back for time off work.
Loss of future earnings. If your injury leaves you unable to work you could claim for the potential earnings you might miss out on.
Cosmetic devices. If you require cosmetic surgeries or other cosmetic aids as a result of your injury, you could claim the costs back. For example, if you require a wig after a head injury.

You might be injured at work if your employer fails to take reasonable steps. If employer negligence resulted in an injury you might want to claim compensation. Contact our advisors within the accident at work claims time limit for a more personalised estimation.

No Win No Fee Agreements Within The Accident At Work Claims Time Limit

The three-year time limit to claim compensation typically starts on the day that you realise your workplace accident caused an injury. If you choose to hire a No Win No Fee solicitor, they can talk you through the time limit and what it means for your claim.

You will not have to pay upfront solicitor fees with a No Win No Fee agreement. A success fee to your solicitor, which is legally capped, only applies if your claim is successful. The process of filing a claim might feel easier with a No Win No Fee solicitor.

Ask Us About The Accident At Work Claims Time Limit

When employer negligence results in a workplace injury, you might want to claim compensation. Free legal advice is available from our advisors 24/7. They can advise you on the accident at work claims time limit. Eligible claims may be passed to our panel of personal injury solicitors.

Get in touch today:

Contact us with this online form.
Use the live chat feature.
Click on the banner.

Can I Learn More About The Accident At Work Claims Time Limit?

We’ve provided a few accident at work claims time limit links that you might find useful:

Also, some more guides you might find helpful: