Claiming Compensation For Hand Injuries At Work

Hand injuries at work can have a very negative impact on your quality of life. Your hands are a very functionally important part of the upper body. If you sustain an injury to your hand, it might stop you from being able to care for yourself or do the things that you usually do. 

Hand injuries at work

Hand injuries at work guide

This guide will explain how you could claim for work-related hand injuries and provide examples of the compensation you could receive. We will also explain the benefits of using No Win No Fee agreements to fund the work of solicitors.

To learn more about claiming for hand injuries in the workplace, contact our advisors for legal advice that is completely free. They can answer any questions you have and are available 24/7, meaning you can contact them anytime that suits you. Furthermore, they put you through to our panel of solicitors who are specialised in these types of injuries. 

However, please remember that you are not under any obligation to claim should you contact us. Contact us 24/7 using the below details. 

  • Call us with the above phone number
  • Claim online using our website 
  • Write to us using the chat bubble

Read on to understand how you could claim for a workplace accident. 

Select A Section:

  1. What Is A Hand Injury At Work?
  2. Proving A Claim For Hand Injuries At Work
  3. Examples Of Hand Injuries At Work
  4. What Evidence Do I Need For A Personal Injury Claim?
  5. Compensation Payouts For Hand Injuries At Work
  6. Could I Use A No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitor?

What Is A Hand Injury At Work?

You could suffer permanent issues from hand injuries at work that can impact how you’re able to live. You may have questions such as, “I hurt my hand at work, am I able to claim?” This guide will explain some of the different types of hand injuries in the workplace you could sustain in the workplace and explain how to potentially receive compensation. 

Furthermore, this guide will provide you with examples of broken hand at work compensation amounts to show you what you might be able to receive from a successful claim. The amount of compensation you could receive depends on many different factors, which we will explore within this article. 

To learn more about hand injuries at the workplace, contact our team of advisors who could help you receive compensation. They’re available 24/7 and can be contacted completely for free. Get in touch with us using the above details. 

Proving A Claim For Hand Injuries At Work

To claim successfully for any hand injuries at work, you need to prove that the injury was caused by third-party negligence. Employers have a duty of care to all employees to ensure that the workplace, equipment and facilities provided are safe in order to reduce the risk of injury. If you injure yourself due to your employer breaching their duty of care, you could receive compensation. 

You need to prove the below three criteria apply to your circumstances in order to receive compensation. 

  1. Firstly, the third party had a duty of care. 
  2. Secondly, their actions resulted in them breaching this duty. 
  3. Finally, these actions caused your injury.

If you can prove all three of these, you could receive compensation because you’ve sufficiently shown that your injury was caused by third-party negligence.

In Great Britain, the employer’s duty of care is detailed in The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. These obligations are legally binding, so you may be able to receive compensation if your injury was caused by them breaching this duty. 

Is there a time limit to claim? 

There is usually a time limit you have to claim. In most instances, you have to start a claim within three years of the accident or three years from the date you realised that your injury was caused by negligence. In England and Wales, the personal injury claim time limit is outlined in The Limitation Act 1980. 

However, there are exceptions to this. If you’re claiming for an incident you suffered as a child, you have three years from the date of your eighteenth birthday to claim. You will need to use a litigation friend if you want to begin your claim while under 18. This is an adult who represents you in the claims process. 

If you lack the mental capacity to claim, the time limit for starting a claim is suspended unless you recover. If you don’t recover, then it’s suspended indefinitely and a litigation friend can act on your behalf to make this claim. 

Examples Of Hand Injuries At Work

You may want more information about the types of incidents that could be caused by employer negligence. Depending on the industry you work in, hand injuries on the job may be more common than other injuries. For example, if you’re a carpenter who works with sharp objects and heavy machinery with your hands, you might be more at risk of sustaining this kind of injury than an injury to your leg or neck. 

You may be able to make a successful compensation claim for an injury sustained in the following accidents: 

  • Falling from a ladder where the ladder had not been checked in the appropriate time frame or had been given to you in the knowledge that it was faulty. 
  • Your hand is crushed after dropping an object. If you were told to carry an object that is too heavy by your employers and you injured yourself due to it, you might be able to claim. This would be considered a manual handling accident. 
  • A machine malfunction. This could include, for instance, a forklift crushing your hand due to it malfunctioning and slamming into you.

Where Might I Suffer A Hand Injury At Work?

You could suffer hand and finger injuries in the workplace from such environments as: 

  • Factories and warehouses
  • Farming and agricultural settings
  • Building and construction sites
  • Offices. You could, for example, slip, trip or fall on a wet floor where no warning signs are present and break your fall with your hand. If this is the case, you may be able to claim. 

For more information on claiming for hand injuries at work sustained as a result of employer negligence, speak with a member of our team today.

What Evidence Do I Need For A Personal Injury Claim?

Evidence is crucial when claiming for hand injuries at work. As the one claiming, the onus is on you to prove that negligence caused your injury. Therefore, it’s important that you provide evidence in support of your claim. 

Evidence that could help you prove your claim includes:

  • CCTV footage
  • Photographs of your injury and the scene of the accident
  • Statements from witnesses. You can take their details at the time so that a statement can be taken at a later date. 
  • Medical scans and reports

Furthermore, there will be an independent medical assessment of your injury as part of the claims process. A medical professional will examine your injuries to determine their severity and confirm that your injuries are consistent with the accident in question. 

To learn more about this medical assessment, please contact us completely for free at a time that works for you. Our advisors can let you know quickly and easily if you can claim. 

Hand Injuries At Work Statistics

Hand injuries at work statistics graph

Work-related injury statistics for Great Britain are provided by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE also provide advice and guidance to employers by detailing the causes of hand injuries at work. Furthermore, they illustrate how risk assessments should be performed and provide a channel through which certain incidents can be reported. 

Some of the statistics the HSE provide involve non-fatal injuries. As the above shows, in 2020/21, 18,988 upper limb injuries were reported in workplaces across Great Britain through the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). Of those injuries, 5,181 involved one or more finger/thumb(s), 3,200 involved a hand and 3,782 involved the wrist. 

Furthermore, 543 involved several locations of the upper limb, which could involve a hand injury. However, we can’t confirm how many of these injuries led to a successful claim, as there is no relevant data as to how many of these injuries were caused by negligence. 

Compensation Payouts For Hand Injuries At Work

You can receive two potential types of damages when making personal injury claims for hand injuries at work. Your pain and suffering caused by the psychological and physical effects of the injury are accommodated for in general damages. 

The Judicial College helps indicate the potential compensation amounts that could be awarded in these circumstances. They analyse payouts for general damages and relate them to the severity and extent of the injury.

They made compensation brackets using this information, which we’ve included below. However, please remember that these brackets only indicate what you could receive as every case is assessed independently. 

Injury TypeSeverityCompensation AmountDescription
HandLoss£132,040 to £189,110This bracket is for total or effective loss of both hands. The damage can be so severe as to render them as little more than useless.
HandSerious£52,310 to £79,360Injuries in this bracket will cause serious damage to both hands, causing significant loss of function and a permanent cosmetic disability.
HandLoss£90,250 to £102,890This bracket is for total or effective loss of one hand. It could be caused by a crush injury leading to amputation or as a result of all of the fingers and most of the palm being traumatically amputated.
HandSerious£27,220 to £58,100Injuries in this bracket include ones that reduce the hand to about fifty percent capacity, including when several fingers have been amputated but rejoined, resulting in the hand being clumsy, clawed and unsightly.
FingerSevereUp to £34,480This bracket is for severe finger fractures that cause partial amputations leading to permanent symptoms such as grip impairment, deformity and disturbed sensation.
HandLess Serious£13,570 to £27,220This bracket is for less serious hand injuries, such as a severe crush injury causing significantly impaired function with or without operative treatment.
HandModerate£5,260 to £12,460Injuries in this bracket include penetrating wounds, crush injuries and deep lacerations.
Index FingerPartial Loss£11,420 to £17,590Injuries at the top of this bracket will be for the total loss of the index finger.
Index FingerFracture£8,550 to £11,480This bracket is for index finger fractures where the fracture is mended quickly but where grip has remained impaired.
Ring or Middle FingerSerious£13,970 to £15,330This bracket is for a serious injury to the ring or middle fingers such as fractures and serious tendon injuries, causing stiffness and loss of grip and dexterity.

Calculating Special Damages For A Hand Injury

Furthermore, you could also receive special damages as part of your compensation claim. This relates to the financial losses suffered as a result of the injury. Therefore, you may be able to claim for:

  • Travel costs to and from hospital 
  • Loss of earnings, including future earning potential 
  • Adjustments to your living space to accommodate any disabilities or permanent injuries 
  • Private healthcare costs

Please remember that you would only receive special damages if you receive compensation for general damages. This is because, by not receiving general damages, the third party has been judged to not be responsible for your injuries. Because of this, they cannot be held responsible for costs that incur as a result of these injuries. 

What If I Include A Care Claim?

As mentioned above, you may be able to claim for private healthcare costs caused by the injury. Severe hand injuries at work, such as those leading to amputation, can require temporary care while adjusting to how the injury has affected your life. 

Whether you need temporary or permanent care in the form of a nurse or private rehabilitation costs, you could receive compensation for it as long as you can prove the injury was caused by employer negligence. To receive any special damages, you would need receipts, invoices and bank statements to prove the value of the losses you’ve experienced. 

Could I Use A No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitor?

When you claim compensation with a solicitor from our panel, you may be offered a No Win No Fee agreement to fund their work. This kind of agreement sets out the conditions that your solicitor needs to meet in order to be paid. 

This kind of agreement means that you won’t be asked to make an upfront cost to your solicitor to secure their services, or any ongoing fees as they process your claim. In the event that you’re not awarded compensation, you will not have to pay anything to your solicitor.

If you’re awarded compensation, then your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation award. This is legally capped, ensuring that you are left with the majority of the compensation.

For more information on No Win No Fee agreements, speak with a member of our team today. You could be connected with a solicitor from our panel to represent you on this basis.

Talk To Us About Claiming Hand Injury Compensation

If you still have questions such as, “I cut my hand at work, can I claim?” please contact our advisors for free at a time that works for you. You can contact them 24/7, and they can inform you if you’re able to claim quickly and honestly. Furthermore, they can connect you with a solicitor from our panel. 

Our panel of personal injury solicitors have years of experience with helping people claim compensation for hand injuries at work. They will only take your case if they feel you have a reasonably good chance of receiving compensation. Therefore, they won’t waste your time. Contact us using the details below. 

  • Call us with the above phone number.  
  • Claim online through our website 
  • Write to us using the chat bubble 

Extra Advice About Hand Injuries At Work

See below for useful links related to suffering from an accident at work. 

The NHS provide medical guidance if you’re suffering from pain in the palm of the hand. 

Furthermore, they can also assist you by helping with any wrist, hand and finger problems you may be experiencing. 

Would you like to know more about manual handling at work? If so, visit the HSE website. 

We also have a bunch of guides on accident at work claims which you can read below:

If you still have queries about claiming for hand injuries at work, please contact our team completely for free at a time that works for you using the above details. 

Guide by DUR

Checked by STO