How Do I Claim If Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work?

This guide outlines if you could seek personal injury compensation when hit by heavy boxes at work. We start by explaining the legislation that places a duty of care on your employer for your safety while working and noting when an accident at the workplace could lead to a claim.

Continuing on through the guide, you can see examples of accidents involving heavy boxes and proof that could support a claim against your employer. Additionally, we cover how compensation can be calculated to cover financial damage as well as physical or mental harm.

Lastly, we cover the benefits of working with one of our expert solicitors under a No Win No Fee agreement.

hit by heavy boxes at work

Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work Claims Guide

If you have any questions about how workplace accident claims work, you can ask our advisors any time. Their advice is free, and you could find out if you have a case that one of our solicitors could work on with you. Reach out to us today by:

Select A Section

  1. How Do I Claim If Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work?
  2. What Could Cause You To Be Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work?
  3. How Do You Show Your Employer Was Liable?
  4. Estimated Payouts If Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work
  5. Can You Claim For An Accident At Work With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
  6. Learn More About Workplace Accident Claims

How Do I Claim If Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work?

When at work, your employer has a duty to ensure any reasonable and practicable steps are taken to prevent you from coming to harm. This requirement is set out by Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Reasonable steps could include, for example: completing regular risk assessments; giving training on manual handling or the use of certain equipment; making sure there is no faulty machinery; or removing hazards from the work area.

This means that if you are hit by heavy boxes at work and injured because your employer did not take reasonable action or allowed unsafe working practices to occur, you may be able to claim personal injury compensation.

A personal injury claim against your employer could be eligible if you meet these criteria:

  • The employer owed a duty of care.
  • There was a breach of this duty.
  • An accident resulting from the breach led to you experiencing physical and/or mental harm.

Limitation Periods

A personal injury claim also needs to start within the time limit set out by The Limitation Act 1980. Generally, you must begin within three years of the accident’s occurrence.

If your accident happened more than three years ago, but there are reasons you haven’t been able to start a claim, give us a call. An advisor can talk you through the exceptions that could affect the time limit. Also, if you are unsure whether your workplace is liable, they can assess your case for free.

What Could Cause You To Be Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work?

The following examples of workers hit by heavy boxes at work are designed to highlight how an employer breaching their duty of care could lead to avoidable pain.

  • Boxes are stored on shelving, but the employer has failed to have the faulty shelves fixed. A shelf breaks and boxes fall onto a worker. They suffer a head injury. 
  • An employee receives no manual handling training. When loading a vehicle in a warehouse, the employee lifts a box that is very heavy and drops it on their foot, causing a severe crush injury. 
  • A delivery driver suffers a serious back injury when boxes fall onto him from the back of the delivery van due to the wracking inside the vehicle being worn and tired and in a state of disrepair.

How Do You Show Your Employer Was Liable?

Your employer may not accept liability for you being hit by heavy boxes at work, so you will need to collect evidence to aid your case. This could include:

  • Contact information for witnesses to the incident.
  • Video proof like CCTV footage.
  • Photographs of the scene and your visible injuries.
  • Medical evidence. This could include X-rays or other records of your treatment.
  • A copy of the workplace accident log book.

One of our expert solicitors could help you collect proof if you have a valid accident at work claim. Please speak to an advisor today.

Estimated Payouts If Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work

If your personal injury claim for injuries caused by being hit by heavy boxes at work is successful, you will receive a compenstaion settlement. This settlement can consist of up to two heads of claim. Firstly, general damages address the physical and mental harm caused.

Solicitors figuring out the general damages portion of a workplace accident claim may use the medical evidence provided. They could also look to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), a set of guideline bracket values for various injuries.

Compensation Table

The table you can see below is derived from JCG brackets. However, many elements in a case contribute to the final outcome, so this table can only work as a rough guide.

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INJURY DESCRIPTION COMPENSATION NOTES
Brain Moderately Severe £219,070 to £282,010 The injured person is very seriously disabled. They depend on others substantially. Disabilities may be physical or cognitive.
Moderate (i) £150,110 to £219,070 Cases featuring a moderate to severe intellectual deficit. The injured person has no employment prospects.
Foot Amputation Of One Foot £83,960 to £109,650 The award reflects the loss of the ankle joint.
Very Severe £83,960 to £109,650 Injuries causing severe and permanent pain, or really serious permanent disability. An example is an injury where a substantial portion of the heel is lost.
Back Severe (ii) £74,160 to £88,430 Features of these injuries include nerve root damage coupled with a loss of sensation, impaired bowel and bladder function, and reduced mobility.
Leg Severe (ii) £54,830 to £87,890 Injuries that lead to permanent mobility problems. The affected person may need crutches or mobility aids for the rest of their life. The bracket could also include multiple fractures that take years to heal and need extensive treatment.
Arm Injuries Resulting in Permanent and Substantial Disablement £39,170 to £59,860 Serious fractures affecting one or both forearms. There is significant and permanent residual disability that could be cosmetic or functional.
Shoulder Serious £12,770 to £19,200 Shoulder dislocation and damage to the lower brachial plexus, with symptoms including shoulder and neck pain, and aching in the elbow.

Special Damages

Additionally, a payout could include special damages. This second possible head of claim compensates you for the monetary effects of injuries. If you can present documents such as bank statements or payslips as evidence, you might get recompense for:

  • Medical costs.
  • Care fees.
  • Travel expenses.
  • A loss of earnings from being unable to work.

These are not the only things that can be included. If you would like to find out more about compensation for an accident at work or what can feature in your claim, please call us on the above phone number.

Can You Claim For An Accident At Work With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?

One of our dedicated solicitors could be instructed to help you with your accident at work claim. They could make sure the paperwork is submitted on time, and the case progresses smoothly while you recover. A solicitor might offer you a No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement.

This arrangement would mean no advance payment to your solicitor for their services. They also would not request a fee while they work on the case. If the case fails, they will not ask you to pay for their efforts.

Winning the case means the solicitor takes a small percentage of the compensation you’re awarded. The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 caps the proportion they can take. 

Speak To An Expert

You can talk to an advisor at a time that suits you and without any demand to start a personal injury claim. An advisor can discuss your accident at work and, additionally, find out whether you have the right grounds to seek compensation. If you do, you can be put in touch with one of our solicitors for further guidance.

Speak to us now through any of these avenues:

Learn More About Workplace Accident Claims

We have numerous workplace accident claim guides, such as:

These external resources can also help:

Thank you for reading our guide to accident at work claims if hit by heavy boxes at work. Please call if there is anything we can help with.