What Is The Correct Accident At Work Protocol?

In this guide, we will look at the accident at work protocol. If you’ve suffered an injury at work, you might be able to claim compensation. However, you would need to show that your injuries were caused by your employer’s negligence.

Accident At work protocol guide — Accident at work protocol guide

All employers owe their employees a duty of care. If this duty is breached, and you’re injured as a result, you could be entitled to sue your employer.

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What Is The Accident At Work Protocol?
How Do Injuries Happen In The Workplace?
What Should I Do As Per The Accident At Work Protocol?
Determining Compensation For Work Injuries
Is No Win No Fee The Best Option?
Guidance On The Accident At Work Protocol

What Is The Accident At Work Protocol?

If an accident occurs in the workplace, then there are certain accident at work protocols that should be followed. We will look at the steps that should be taken after a workplace accident later on in this guide.

Furthermore, you might be wondering how accidents at work can happen as a result of negligence. This guide will provide you with some examples, as well as provide a definition of duty of care.

You might be wondering how much workers’ compensation you could be entitled to. This guide will address how compensation is valued and the evidence you can provide to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.

It’s important to consider that there is a time limit for personal injury claims; this is set out by the Limitation Act 1980. The general time limit is 3 years from the date of the injury. However, there are exceptions to this rule. To find out which time limit applies to you, contact us to find out more.

How Often Do Accidents Happen At Work?

The Health and Safety Executive is a government body that regulates workplace health, safety and welfare. It produces health and safety at work statistics for Great Britain.

In that year, the most common accidents causing non-fatal injuries reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), were slips, trips and falls on the same level; this made up 33% of reported workplace accidents. Overall, there were 51,211 non-fatal injuries reported under RIDDOR.

How Do Injuries Happen In The Workplace?

There are a number of ways an injury can happen within a workplace. However, as we have already mentioned, you would need to show that negligence on the part of your employer led to the accident that left you injured.

The Health and Safety at Work. etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) is one of the most prominent pieces of government legislation that involves health and safety in the workplace. It states that it is an employer’s responsibility to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that workers are safe.

For example, there could be a slip or a fall that’s happened because a wet floor was not signposted in a reasonable timeframe. A fall could lead to serious work injuries, such as a broken hand or a head injury.

What Should I Do As Per The Accident At Work Protocol?

This is a step by step guide on what you should do per the accident at work protocol and to clarify the procedure that should be followed after an accident at work.

Seek medical attention. Not only will this ensure that you get the treatment you need, but it will generate a report that can support your claim.
Record the accident. All accidents should be recorded in the workplace accident book (this is a requirement for all workplaces that employ 10 or more people). If you cannot fill out an accident at work form yourself, then a colleague can do this for you.
Gather evidence. If you believe that employer negligence has been a cause of your accident then, it is a good idea to begin gathering all the evidence that you can. For instance, this can include photos of the place of the accident, a written record such as the accident book and you could also request any CCTV footage or the contact details of any witnesses.
Obtain legal advice. This isn’t a requirement but could be useful in helping the claims process run more smoothly.

If you need free legal advice, why not contact our advisors? They’re available 24/7. Alternatively, click the banner below to get in touch with our team.

Determining Compensation For Work Injuries

The table below shows guideline compensation brackets from the Judicial College guidelines. This is a publication that contains guideline brackets for a range of different injuries and could be used by solicitors when valuing accident at work claims.

These brackets relate to general damages. General damages are the head of your claim that is awarded for pain, loss of amenity or suffering caused by your injuries.

You may be invited to a medical assessment as part of your claim. An independent doctor will examine you and then they will write a report summarising their findings.

Workplace Injuries	How Much?	Description
Neck Injuries: Moderate	£12,900 to £23,460	For this bracket, cases include limitation of movement, stiffness or discomfort, permanent or recurring pain and results in the possible need for surgery
Back Injuries: Severe	£36,390 to £65,440	Cases in the bracket need to have fractures or soft tissue injuries resulting in chronic conditions that have chronic pain, depression, impaired agility and the risk of arthritis.
Chest Injuries	£11,820 to £16,860	Injuries that fall in this bracket have a ‘simple injury’ that is causing some permanent damage to the tissue that has no long term effect on lung function.
Arm Injuries	£36,770 to £56,180	This bracket is awarded to those injuries consisting of serious fractures of one or both forearms that impact daily function.
Leg Injuries: Moderate	£26,050 to £36,790	This bracket is for cases that involve multiple fractures or severe crushing injuries to a single limb. It can be influenced by the extent of treatment, muscle wasting, impact on employment and limited joints movements
Knee Injuries: Moderate	Up to £12,900	Injuries including twisting and bruising injuries. There is a continuing discomfort, aching or the occasional pain.
Shoulder Injuries: Moderate	£7,410 to £11,980	Injuries involving a frozen shoulder within limited movement and discomfort
Wrist Injuries	£22,990 to £36,770	In this bracket, cases that have an injury that has resulted in a permanent disability, however there is some useful movement remaining.
Ankle Injuries: Severe	£29,380 to £46,980	Injuries involving pins or plates being placed in the ankle. Examples include the risk of osteoarthritis, impact on employment, impact on sleep and the need to wear special footwear.
Foot Injuries: Severe	£39,390 to £65,710	An injury in this bracket involves fractures to both heels or feet that have a substantial restriction on mobility or considerable pain. Examples include heel fusion, ulceration, osteoporosis or any other disability preventing the ability to wear shoes

Special damages are awarded to cover any extra financial losses and expenses incurred as a result of the accident.

This could include:

Loss of earnings
Additional medication or prescription
Childcare
Modifications to your home or vehicle

You would need to provide evidence in support of these expenses so that they can be included in your claim. This could include receipts, invoices and payslips.

If you’d like our advisors to value your claim for free, or would simply like more guidance on the accident at work protocol, follow the banner at the bottom of the page. If your case is valid, they could connect you with a solicitor from our panel.

Is No Win No Fee The Best Option?

Having determined the accident at work protocol, you may be wondering how to fund legal representation in an accident at work claim. A No Win No Fee agreement is an agreement between you and your lawyer. It sets out the conditions that need to be met before you have to pay your solicitor.

Hiring a solicitor in the traditional manner can be expensive. Furthermore, you might be left with large legal fees with no guarantee of compensation.

With No Win No Fee agreements, there is nothing to pay accident at work lawyers upfront or as the claim progresses.

If you are successful with your compensation claim, you will have to pay a success fee. The percentage of your compensation that they deduct as a success fee is capped by law.

However, if you are unsuccessful with your compensation claim then there is nothing to pay.

Our advisors can put you in touch with our panel of personal injury solicitors. This service is available 24/7 so feel free to contact us about your questions.

Start Your Work Accident Claim With Us

If you have any questions about the accident at work protocol, our advisors can help. They can also determine whether you have a valid claim. If you have a strong case, you could be connected with a solicitor from our panel.

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Guidance On The Accident At Work Protocol

For further guidance on the accident at work protocol, here are some articles that may be of interest to you.

The NHS website has lots of useful information on how to know if you have suffered a broken bone.

It also has advice on finding services near you.

The HSE has guidance on how accident claims work, providing any additional information as well as examples of reportable incidents

You can also check out other guides on our website for more advice:

For more guidance on the accident at work protocol, speak with one of our advisors.