Accident At Work With No Safety Goggles

By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 19th January 2024. Welcome to our guide on claiming for eye injuries caused by an accident at work without safety goggles. If you have an accident at work with no safety goggles because your employer didn’t provide them, even though they should have, you could suffer serious injury. In such circumstances, you could file for compensation. Here, we answer questions about wearing safety goggles at work, such as ‘should I wear safety goggles at work?’ ‘Should my employer provide work safety glasses?’ and ‘How much can I claim from my employer for glasses injuries caused by their negligence?’

This guide aims to help you understand what your employer’s responsibilities are in the workplace and how you could be affected if they don’t provide you with appropriate PPE. We’ll discuss the circumstances in which you could claim and how to go about it.

Can I claim for lack of work safety glasses?

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If you are thinking about making an accident at work claim, Accident Claims UK could be of assistance. We provide a no-obligation, initial consultation which is free of charge.

You could benefit from our advisers’ free legal advice on how best to proceed with your claim. If your claim is valid and you’d like to connect with a solicitor, our advisers could do this for you. Our solicitors would offer you their services on a No Win No Fee basis.

To discuss your accident at work with an adviser, please call a member of our team on 0800 073 8801 today. You can also use our contact page or our live chat.

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Health And Safety Eyewear At Work

There are laws that protect employees and others in the workplace. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have a general responsibility to safeguard the health and wellbeing of their employees and others at work.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 is also important legislation for employers and employees alike. The law requires employers to:

  • Provide adequate PPE with the exception of when any risk is effectively controlled in other ways.
  • Maintain it and store it properly.
  • Ensure it’s fit for purpose and is assessed before use.
  • Train employees or provide instructions on how to use it safely.

If you sustain an eye injury because you were not given safety goggles, you could have grounds to sue so long as the PPE was required for your role. This also applies if your employer failed to explain how the protective eyewear should be used or if they supplied you with inadequate eye protection.

If you would like more advice on the laws regarding safety goggles, please contact a member of our team on the number at the top of the page.

Does My Employer Have To Provide Me With Safety Glasses?

It is your employer’s responsibility to ensure safety goggles are provided and that they are correctly maintained. However, the one exception to this is when the risk of an employee being injured is effectively controlled by other means. So, if the risk cannot be adequately controlled, an employer should provide the necessary personal protective equipment.

On top of providing adequate PPE, your employer should also ensure you are correctly trained or have suitable instructions on how to use it. The cost of providing personal protective equipment also falls to employers if it’s essential for their workers’ safety. They should not ask employees to buy PPE themselves.

Would you like to discuss an injury you endured through an accident at work because you had no safety goggles? Then please get in touch today and benefit from their expertise and free legal advice.

Injuries Caused By Not Wearing PPE And Safety Goggles

Wearing safety goggles and other necessary PPE in the workplace could be essential when you are exposed to certain hazards that can’t be removed or reduced. The hazards that may require you to wear goggles include:

  • Chemical or metal splash
  • Dust
  • Projectiles
  • Gas and vapour
  • Radiation

If an employer fails to provide the correct PPE, you could suffer the following injuries in the workplace:

  • Puncture wounds
  • Corneal lacerations
  • Corneal abrasions
  • Severe pain
  • Photophobia
  • Burns

If your employer fails to provide you with the correct PPE to carry out a hazardous job, they could be deemed negligent.

If you were injured in an accident at work because you had no safety goggles, but your employer should’ve provided them, you could sue for compensation. Your employer could be negligent in their duty of care towards you. To find out how best to proceed, speak to an Accident Claims UK adviser today.

Eye Injury In The Workplace Compensation Calculator

If you have suffered injuries in an accident at work with no safety goggles, and you make a successful personal injury claim, your compensation settlement could consist of general and special damages.

General damages is compensation for the injuries you’ve suffered, as well as the pain they have caused you. Those calculating general damages payouts for eye injury claims could look at the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for reference. This publication provides guideline compensation payouts for a range of injuries at different levels of severity. 

The table below contains figures from the 16th edition of the JCG, which was published in 2022. However, the first line in the table is not from the JCG. You should only use this table as guidance.

Edit
Type of injury Severity of Injury Amount Awarded in General Damages (based on Judicial College Guidelines)
Severe eye injuries with financial losses included. Severe combinations of injuries which result in pain, suffering and financial loss, such as loss of income. Up to £1,000,000+
Injuries Affecting Sight Total loss of sight in both eyes and deafness.
This is classed as one of the most devastating injuries. 		In the region of £403,990
Injuries Affecting Sight Total blindness. In the region of £268,720
Injuries Affecting Sight The loss of sight in one eye and serious risk of sight loss or deterioration in the other eye. £95,990 to £179,770
Injuries Affecting Sight Total loss of sight in one eye with some risk of sympathetic opthalmia, or scarring. £49,270 to £54,830
Injuries Affecting Sight Minor injuries to the eyes, such as those from being struck in the eye or splashed by liquids, for example. £3,950 to £8,730
Injuries Affecting Sight Temporary injuries to the eyes which lead to full recovery within a few weeks. £2,200 to £3,950
Facial damage Very severe scarring. This bracket is appropriate for those with severe scarring with associated psychological impact. £29,780 to £97,330
Facial damage Less severe scarring. Still with substantial disfigurement and a psychological reaction. £17,960 to £48,420
Facial damage Significant facial scarring.The worst effects will have been lessened by plastic surgery. £9,110 to £30,090
Facial damage Trivial (minor) facial scarring. Unlikely to cause any significant impact. £1,710 to £3,530

In addition, special damages could compensate you for any financial cost and losses that your injuries caused.

These may include:

  • Loss of pay – Loss of earnings could be suffered by those who have an eye injury at work and cannot work until they recover, for example.
  • Medical expenses – These could be sustained by those who need to pay for prescription medicines or other medical treatments that are not available for free.
  • Travel expenses – The cost of getting to medical appointments and meetings with a solicitor could also fall under special damages.
  • Care costs – Your injuries mean that you’ve had to pay for care at home because you could not look after yourself. The costs of this could be covered.

When making a claim for special damages, you will need to provide evidence of your losses. This could include bank statements, payslips and invoices.

To learn more about how much compensation you could claim for an eye injury at work, please contact an advisor.

No Win No Fee Accident At Work With No Safety Goggles

If you decide to pursue an accident at work claim, you may worry about the cost of seeking legal representation. At Accident Claims UK, we strongly believe that everyone has the right to seek compensation through the services of a solicitor.

Our advisers can put you in touch with our solicitors. Providing they can establish you have a formidable case against a negligent party, you could be offered a No Win No Fee agreement—also called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). You can review and discuss the agreement before signing it.

A Conditional Fee Agreement is a legal contract between you and the solicitor who takes on your case. The agreement sets out the terms and conditions of the contract as well as the agreed percentage you only pay if you win your case. Other key points set out in the CFA include:

  • No solicitor fees would be due if you lose your accident at work claim
  • The success fee (solicitor’s fee) is capped by law
  • There are no upfront solicitor fee payments
  • You won’t have solicitor fees to pay while the case is ongoing

Having a solicitor handle your claim could make the whole process that much easier. If you suffered injuries through an accident at work because you had no safety goggles, and your employer should’ve provided them, our solicitors could help.

For more legal advice and to find out if you have a valid accident at work claim, please get in touch with an Accident Claims UK adviser today.

Start A Workplace Eye Injury Claim

If you were injured in an accident at work because you had no safety goggles, but your employer should’ve provided them, speak to an adviser. You can:

Alternatively, you can:

Our claims lines are open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Your case will be reviewed in an initial consultation which is free of charge. You would be under no obligation to pursue your claim if you choose not to do so. For free legal advice, please do not hesitate in speaking to one of our expert advisers today.

Essential References

This Government website offers information on PPE regulations: PPE regulations in the workplace

The NHS provides information on treating eye injuries: Eye injury treatments

NHS advice on looking after your eyesight: Looking after your eyes

Our guide to accident claims provides more advice on claiming compensation: Guide on how to file an accident at work claim

The guide below provides more information on scarring; How to make scarring claims

If you suffered facial scarring, we have another guide that could be useful: Facial Scarring compensation

You can learn more below:

Thank you for reading our guide on what you could do if you were injured in an accident at work because you had no safety goggles.

Guide by HW

Edited by RV