This is a guide on when you could make an accident at work claim after being injured while working on a production line. In all workplaces, such as factories, employers owe a duty of care to their employees. If they breach their duty of care, it could lead to a factory accident in which an employee sustains injuries. This is employer negligence, on the basis of which a personal injury claim could be made.
Could I Claim If Injured While Working On A Production Line?
Throughout this article, we will discuss employer duty of care further and explain the legislation in place to outline an employer’s responsibilities.
Also, we will explain how a production line injury could occur and the evidence you could provide to prove it resulted due to your employer breaching their duty of care.
What’s more, we will explore the compensation you could be owed and how this can address the pain and suffering you have experienced due to your injuries as well as the financial impact.
If at any time you would like to ask a question regarding the process of making an accident at work claim for an injury you have sustained while working on a production line, you can speak to our team of advisors. They are available to give you legal advice for free and will not hold you to any obligations to further your claim with us. Please get in touch at any time suitable for you.
You can:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us via our callback form
- Speak to an advisor using our live chat window
Select A Section
- Could I Claim If Injured While Working On A Production Line?
- What Could Cause You To Be Injured While Working On A Production Line?
- What Evidence Do You Need To Support Your Accident At Work Claim?
- Compensation Payouts For Production Line Worker Injury Claims
- Make An Injury At Work Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Learn More About Workplace Production Line Accident Claims
Could I Claim If Injured While Working On A Production Line?
A production line can involve both machinery and workers performing jobs to produce a product as it moves through a system. If you are injured while performing tasks of this nature, there are certain eligibility requirements you must meet to have valid grounds to make a personal injury claim. These are as follows:
- Firstly, at the location and time of the accident, your employer owed you a duty of care.
- Secondly, your employer breached their duty of care.
- Finally, the outcome of this breach involved you sustaining injuries. These may be physical, psychological or both.
Employer duty of care is outlined by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), which states that employers must undertake all reasonably practicable steps to keep their employees safe whilst at work. In regards to working on a production line, these measures can include providing proper training for your job role, ensuring maintenance and repairs in the workplace are completed within the correct time frames and carrying out risk assessments. An employer could breach their duty of care by not carrying out these steps.
However, it is important to note that not every workplace accident will fit the eligibility criteria to make a personal injury claim. For example, if your employer did carry out all reasonably practicable steps to ensure your safety, but you sustained injuries because you did not adhere to the training you had been given, you would be unable to claim. It is also important to consider whether your potential claim is within the correct time limits.
What Time Limits Apply To Production Line Accident Claims?
The Limitation Act 1980 lays out the time limits applicable to production line accident at work claims. Generally, you will have three years to begin your claim from the date of the accident.
There can be exceptions made to these time limits; if you would like to learn more about these in connection with your claim, please ask a member of our team.
What Could Cause You To Be Injured While Working On A Production Line?
Below we will provide examples of scenarios that could result in you getting injured while working on a production line:
- A lack of, or improper, maintenance of production line machinery – This may lead to faulty and defective machinery that could malfunction and cause injuries.
- Improper training – This could lead to you not following the correct procedures and injuring yourself as a result.
- A lack of proper guards – If no guards are in place, your clothing could get trapped in the machinery. This could cause the machine to suck you towards it, resulting in severe injuries, such as an amputation.
- A cluttered and unsafe work environment – Obstructions or spillages in the walkways could cause you to slip, trip and fall. This could lead to you hitting your head on the production line machinery.
If the breach of a duty of care on the part of your employer has led to you sustaining injuries whilst working on a production line, please don’t hesitate to speak to our team of advisors.
What Evidence Do You Need To Support Your Accident At Work Claim?
If you intend to pursue personal injury compensation after an accident at work, you must support your claim with evidence of employer negligence. This evidence could include the following:
- The contact details of any witnesses
- Photographs of the scene of the accident and any visible injuries
- CCTV footage of the accident taking place
- A diary you have kept of your symptoms and treatment
- A copy of your medical records regarding your injuries
- A report of the incident from the accident at work book
You may also find it beneficial to seek legal representation. Should you choose to work with a solicitor, they can help you to obtain and present your evidence. Our advisors are on hand to answer any questions you may have about bringing forward your potential accident at work claim.
Estimated Payouts For Production Line Worker Injury Claims
General damages and special damages are the two heads of personal injury claims. They can compensate a successful claimant for different negative impacts resulting from their injuries.
Firstly, you could receive an award under general damages compensating you for the physical pain and suffering that was caused by your injuries and any mental harm you sustained. As a guide to general damages, we have used the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to create the table below. This is a document that solicitors and other legal professionals can also use to help them in the process of valuing your injuries.
Compensation Table Guidelines
Injury | Severity | Details | Brackets of Compensation Guidelines |
---|---|---|---|
Brain Damage | (a) Very Severe | The person will need nursing care full-time. They will show little, if any, evidence of responding meaningfully to their environment. | £282,010 to £403,990 |
Hand Injury | (a) The Total or the Effective Loss of Both Hands | The person will have a serious injury involving extensive damage to both of their hands. This renders the hands little better than useless. | £140,660 to £201,490 |
Hand Injury | (b) Serious Damage to Both Hands | Injuries within this bracket will lead to cosmetic disability of a permanent nature and significant function loss. | £55,820 to £84,570 |
Hand Injury | (c) The Total or the Effective Loss of One Hand | A crushed hand that then needed to be surgically amputated or the traumatic amputation of all fingers and most of the palm. | £96,160 to £109,650 |
Hand Injury | (f) Severe Fractures to the Fingers | These injuries could lead to partial amputations and cause deformity. | Up to £36,740 |
Hand Injury | (g) Less Serious | A severe crush injury leading to impaired function that is significant without future surgery or despite already having undergone operative treatment. | £14,450 to £29,000 |
Hand Injury | (p) Finger Amputations | The ring and little fingers will have been amputated. | In the region of £21,810 |
Arm Amputation | (b)(i) One Arm | The arm is amputated at the shoulder. | Not less than £137,160 |
Arm Injury | (b) Permanent and Substantial Disablement | One or both forearms have been seriously fractured and there will be a significant and permanent residual disability. | £39,170 to £59,860 |
Elbow Injury | (a) Severely Disabling | The injury will be severely disabling. | £39,170 to £54,830 |
Please note that this table is a guide. The settlement you are awarded will differ due to the unique circumstances of each claim.
Examples Of What Special Damages Compensate You For
Furthermore, you could also receive a payment under special damages for past and future monetary losses incurred due to your injuries. These monetary losses could include the following:
- Travel costs
- Loss of earnings
- Home adaptations
- Care costs
To pursue special damages, you should provide evidence of these losses. Therefore, you could keep travel tickets and invoices and gather your payslips and bank records as proof.
If you want to discuss an estimate of the compensation you could be eligible to receive for your potential claim, please speak to our advisors.
Make An Injury At Work Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
Allow one of our advisors to assess the details of your accident at work claim. If they discover that your claim could succeed, they may put you in correspondence with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors, whose services could be accessed under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
This means not paying for your solicitor’s services upfront or whilst your claim is ongoing. What’s more, if your claim does not succeed, you generally won’t pay for these services at any time.
You may wonder, ‘What if my claim is successful?’. In this case, your No Win No Fee solicitor can take a small success fee from the compensation. This is a percentage that the law caps.
Contact Us
If you have been injured in the workplace and are uncertain whether you have valid grounds to make an accident at work claim, speak to a member of our team for advice.
You can:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us via our callback form
- Speak to an advisor using our live chat window
Learn More About Workplace Production Line Accident Claims
Please explore more of the workplace injury guides from our website:
- Health And Safety Breach Claims Against Employers
- Dangerous Machinery At Work
- The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008
Furthermore, for information and support, take a look at these external sources:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – The Manufacturing Sector
- NHS – Urgent and emergency care services
- GOV – Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Thank you for reading our guide on making an accident at work claim after you were injured while working on a production line.
Guide by JO
Edited by MMI