If you’ve been injured at work because your employer failed to keep you safe, you can make an accidents at work claim for compensation. Every employer in the UK has a legal duty of care to protect the people working for them, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. When that duty is breached — through poor training, faulty equipment, inadequate risk assessments, or an unsafe workplace — and you’re injured as a result, you’re entitled to claim.
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Who Can Make a Work Accident Claim?
You don’t need to be a full-time, permanent employee to claim. Cover extends to:
- Employees — full-time, part-time, or on a zero-hours contract
- Agency and temporary workers — both the recruitment agency and the “host” employer where the accident happened can share liability, depending on who controlled the work and site conditions
- Self-employed contractors — where the accident was caused by the negligence of the site controller or another party, rather than your own working practices
- Apprentices and trainees — owed the same duty of care as any other worker
Every employer is legally required to hold employers’ liability insurance, so a claim is made against that insurance policy — not against your employer personally, and it cannot affect their ability to keep trading.
Common Types of Workplace Accidents We Handle
Workplace accident claims can arise in almost any setting. Adam Bernard Solicitors regularly acts for people injured in:
- Offices — trips over trailing cables, faulty chairs, poor lighting
- Bars, kitchens and restaurants — burns, cuts, slips on wet floors
- Warehouses and logistics sites — forklift incidents, falling stock, manual handling injuries
- Construction sites — falls from height, scaffolding collapse, machinery accidents
- Supermarkets and shops — slips, trips, and manual handling injuries
- Transport, bus and train stations — platform and vehicle-related incidents
- Farms — machinery, livestock, and manual handling accidents
- Amusement parks and leisure venues — equipment failure and inadequate maintenance
Whatever your industry, if your employer’s negligence — or a failure by whoever controlled the site — caused your injury, you’re likely to have a claim.
What Counts as Employer Negligence?
To succeed with a work accident claim, you generally need to show your employer (or the party controlling the site) breached their duty of care. Common examples include:
- Failing to carry out or act on a proper risk assessment
- Providing inadequate training for the task or equipment involved
- Failing to supply or maintain personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Faulty, poorly maintained, or unguarded machinery
- Unsafe systems of work, understaffing, or unrealistic time pressure that compromises safety
- Failing to report and act on hazards that had already been flagged
How Much Compensation Can You Claim?
Compensation for an accidents at work claim typically covers:
- General damages — for pain, suffering, and loss of amenity caused by your injury
- Special damages — loss of earnings (past and future), medical and rehabilitation costs, travel expenses, and the cost of care or assistance you needed while recovering
The value of a claim depends on the severity and long-term impact of your injury, from a straightforward manual handling strain to a serious injury affecting your ability to work again. There’s no fixed tariff for work accident claims (unlike whiplash from road accidents), so each case is valued individually based on medical evidence.
Time Limit for Making a Claim
You generally have three years from the date of the accident to start a work injury claim, or three years from when you first became aware your injury was linked to your work, if that’s later. For accidents involving industrial diseases that develop gradually — such as repetitive strain injury or hearing loss — the clock often starts from diagnosis rather than the original exposure. Reporting the accident promptly and seeking medical attention creates the record your claim will later rely on.
Can You Be Dismissed for Making a Claim?
No — it’s unlawful for your employer to dismiss you, demote you, or treat you unfairly for reporting an accident or pursuing a compensation claim. This is protected under UK employment law as protection against detriment for raising a health and safety concern. If you believe you’ve faced retaliation after an accident at work, this can potentially form the basis of a separate employment claim alongside your personal injury claim — speak to us about both.
Why Work Accident Claims Matter
Workplace injuries remain a significant issue in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive’s most recent figures show around 680,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury at work in Great Britain, and 124 workers were killed in work-related accidents, with the overall cost of workplace injury and ill health now estimated at £22.9 billion a year. Behind every one of those figures is someone whose employer had a legal duty to prevent it.
Our Work Accident Claims Process
- Free consultation — we assess whether you have a valid claim and explain your options, in person, by phone, or via Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp, or Skype
- No win no fee agreement — we take on eligible cases without upfront cost to you
- Evidence gathering — accident book entries, RIDDOR reports, witness statements, CCTV, and medical evidence
- Negotiation — we deal directly with your employer’s liability insurer
- Resolution — most claims settle without going to court; where they don’t, we represent you throughout
Why Choose Adam Bernard Solicitors?
- Our personal injury solicitors have years of experience handling accidents at work claims across a wide range of industries
- A consistent track record of successful outcomes for our clients, backed by client testimonials
- Cases taken on a no win no fee basis wherever possible — you pay nothing unless we win your compensation
- Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No: 598171, 656730)
- Offices in High Holborn, Central London and Upton Park, East London, with 24/7 phone contact and free video consultations
Get in touch with our expert Solicitors today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Under contributory negligence rules, you can still claim even if you were partly responsible, though compensation is usually reduced in proportion to your share of the blame.
No. It's unlawful for an employer to dismiss or treat you unfairly for reporting an accident or making a compensation claim. Claims are also paid through your employer's compulsory liability insurance, not their own finances.
You can still claim. Liability may fall on the recruitment agency, the site controller, or both, depending on who was responsible for your training, supervision, and working conditions on the day.
Generally three years from the date of the accident, or three years from when you became aware your injury was linked to your work.
Employers are legally required to report certain workplace injuries to the Health and Safety Executive under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). An accident book entry should also be made regardless of whether the injury meets the RIDDOR threshold.
We take on eligible accidents at work claims on a no win no fee basis, so there's no upfront cost and you only pay if your claim is successful.
Straightforward claims that settle through insurer negotiation can resolve in a few months. More complex claims, or those involving serious or long-term injury, can take a year or more while the full extent of the injury is established.
