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Cut Injury Compensation Claims (laceration, chopping and slicing accidents)

By Ian Morris | Updated December 12th, 2022

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If you have suffered a laceration or amputation as a result of a chopping or slicing injury you could succeed with a claim for compensation if it can be shown that the cause of your injury was down to the negligence of others. This could include an employer, defective equipment or a product fault in the home.

Who can claim injury compensation for a cut?

Any person who suffers a chopping or slicing injury as the result of the negligence of another person, an employer or organisation has the right to make a claim.

The most common cause of such injuries is an accident at work, but they can also happen in road traffic accidents or in the home as a result of a defective product.

The majority of claims are made by people working within catering as the result of a lack of training in the use of certain equipment. Similarly, by those within the manufacturing sector working with dangerous or defective equipment and a lack of training.

Other claims involve broken tiles within swimming pools and changing rooms, with porcelain edges causing very serious deep lacerations.

If you suffer a chopping or slicing injury and are not sure if you have a valid claim for compensation, contact us today for advice regarding your rights.

How to report your injury to the right people

In any claim for compensation, having the right evidence available to support your claim is vital to success. As part of this, it is important to make sure that the details of the injury are recorded with the right people.

If you suffer a chopping or slicing injury at work, you should make sure that your employer has completed an accident book entry detailing the injury and the cause – such as a faulty machine. If your employer won’t let you use the accident book, refer to our article about this for advice as to what you should do to protect your rights.

If your chopping and slicing injury happened as a result of a product fault at home, you should report the fault and injury to the product manufacturer and shop that you purchased it from. You should take photographs of the injury as well as the product.

Who are you claiming against?

The majority of chopping and slicing injury claims are made against employers and their insurers on the basis of a lack of training and provision of substandard or dangerous machinery.

In cases of an accident at work, the claim will be made against the employer. The employer will not be directly affected as the claim will be handled by the insurers providing the employer has liability insurance cover.

In cases where a product fault is at the centre of a claim, the claim will go against the manufacturer and vendor of the product.

At Direct2Compensation, our specialist solicitors will quickly identify the correct party to whom your claim should be addressed and will commence the process for you. You will never have to liaise directly with the defendant regarding any claim, as all correspondence will be addressed to and dealt with by us.

Compensation amounts for cut injuries

The value of any claim for compensation is reached on the basis of supporting medical evidence and the level of recovery made. In cases of chopping and slicing injury claims, the settlement value will be reached on the basis of the damage done and the level of scarring or deformity left by the injury.

Settlement values will range widely depending on the injury, with smaller settlements of up to a few thousand pounds obtained for minor lacerations requiring minimal stitching or medical glue, and far larger settlements up to and above £100,000 obtained in cases of amputation, nerve and muscle damage, large scarring and ongoing pain or restricted movement.

We will ensure that your claim settlement is maximised and will advise you later on in the claims process as to what level of compensation you should expect to receive.

How Direct2Compensation can help

At Direct2Compensation we know your rights and have a transparent and simple to understand personal injury claims process that will give you peace of mind. We work with expert solicitors who will ensure that your claim is handled professionally and pursued as quickly as possible.

Our No Win No Fee service is fully compliant and been approved for use by our industry regulator, but you don’t need to take our word for it – simply have a look at some of our testimonials to get an idea of what our clients think of us.

To find out more about your compensation rights or to start your claim today, call us on 01225 430285 or if you prefer, . In just a few minutes on the telephone with you, we’ll obtain the initial information needed for our solicitors to commence a claim.

We realise that you may be contacting us at a time where you are in pain, feeling vulnerable and possibly coping with a loss of income. We can’t guarantee success in any claim but we can guarantee that we will be caring, supportive and that we’ll speak clearly to you in terms you can understand. We also guarantee that you will pay no costs whatsoever to any party should your claim fail.

34 questions have been answered on this subject - ask us your question

Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus cut injury claim examples...

I am employed by Compass working at ASDA in the café, on Wednesday of this week whilst refilling a display unit at work as usual I was working alone so had no one to report to, I caught my forearm on the unprotected corner of a glass unit next to where I was working it caused a cut forcing the skin back although this wasn’t a large wound it was painful and looked nasty but it is now scabbing over so I am confident it will be ok.
However I am aware that it could have been far more serious as I’ve proved the corner is easy to catch your arm/hand on and has no protective covering.
I am also aware that my company allows colleagues like myself work around all of the hot, sharp, electric equipment etc on our own for between 2-3 hours expecting us to work alone cooking/serving food and refilling the sales units, I have expressed my displeasure at this situation but am told it is the situation we have to work with as budgets don’t allow more hours and we are told that there are staff in the store we can call over if we require but I can’t leave the café and I am remote from the rest of the store and not all areas of the café are covered by CCTV cameras so we’re stuck.
I would be interested in your comments although it’s not a major injury it is still painful and I don’t know if it will leave a scar plus a claim might shake up the company to look at the solo working situation as well.
Regards Graham Ford

It would seem that you have fortunately escaped a serious injury and that the injury may not be sufficiently serious to enable a claim – however, if that injury leaves scarring or a mark for 4-6 weeks, you may well be able to pursue this matter with us. It is important that you ensure that a written report of the injury and cause is made with the employer – as such, if an accident book entry wasn’t made at the time, you should send an email to your employer to report the incident.

In terms of the apparently slack approach to safety risks within the workplace, it is important that you address your concerns to the employer in writing. This will hopefully see the employer take the appropriate steps to minimise the risk of an accident at work happening, but if not and you were to go on to sustain injury, you would be able to demonstrate that you had done all that you could to flag up the risks and that the employer had breached their duty by failing to take appropriate action regarding your concerns.

I cut my finger at work using a knife as I work in an abattoir. It is an inch long cut and very deep, just at the knuckle. The knife went through the slash proof gloves (suppose to be anyway). Am I entitled to make a claim?

I was just doing my job as normal but the knife hit the cattle’s teeth and then hit my finger and slashed through the glove.

Although your employer has provided PPE, there are questions as to whether the gloves in question are fit for purpose. You have clearly sustained a nasty and deep laceration and this should not have happened. Our Solicitors can certainly consider whether you can pursue a claim and we suggest that we present this matter to them for consideration.

I work in a bar and whilst on a late shift, I was cleaning glasses. One happened to explode in my hand, it wasn’t a case of heat as it hadn’t been in the washer yet and it wasn’t a case of me knocking it on something it just spontaneously smashed. My question is, could I claim for this? I was still in training and hadn’t actually been trained to deal with the washroom, there was no supervisor overlooking me & I was left to do this on my own. Two other glasses smashed that night though none caused injuries as severe as mine. As it exploded in my hand, I was left with a deep laceration which has done serious damage to my nerves. I spent 8 hours in A&E and had surgery the very next day. I returned to work a week ago.

Our Solicitors have previously handled identical cases with people working within the hospitality and entertainment sector suffering injuries of this nature whilst handling glasswear. Whilst there is no guarantee that we would succeed with your case, it would appear that you are in a strong position given the lack of training or supervision and as such, we’d very much like to pursue your claim too.

A work colleague cut her finger badly on the bottom of a stainless steel shelf! Sliced the area just near her knuckle off completely! Burst a blood vessel so lost lots of blood, went to A&E was in there for 4 hours because it wouldn’t stop bleeding. Dressed and allowed home but need dressing every few days. Would she be entitled to compensation?

There is every chance that a successful claim for compensation can be made after the laceration injury at work that you describe. Employers and organisations are obliged to ensure that the risk of injury within the workplace or public areas is minimised and this would include ensuring that exposed edges that may cause laceration are removed with a protective covering or adequate signage. It would seem that this has not happened in this case and that is likely to see our specialist Solicitors able to succeed with a claim and obtain compensation for the pain, discomfort and impact on day-to-day independence caused by the injury and also recover lost income or incurred costs if there are any caused by the injury.

Your colleague is entitled to pursue a claim against the employers obligatory insurance cover and they should be aware that there is no risk of it affecting her right to continue to work for the employer and that her colleagues and the people she works with on a day to day basis will not know of the claim or be negatively impacted by it should she pursue this further.

We look forward to hearing from your colleague when she is ready to take this further.

I work for a housing association as a gardener, as I was mowing the grass I fell down a manhole – the cover gave way and I dropped in the hole cuts and scratches down my leg.

Make sure that you have reported the accident to your employer in writing. Ideally, they should have an accident book system and you should list the date, time, location, cause and details of the injuries sustained.

To get further help, please use the ‘start your claim‘ for compensation form on our website and we will have this matter looked in to for you.

Can an employer who has an accident listed in his accident book, tell a solicitor that they have no liability for your accident? I cannot believe this is tolerated? Was made to jump in a dumpster to flatten down rubbish and had shards of glass in it but I didn’t know. Ended up at Whitby then Scarborough hospital with my injury.
So can they just say they are not liable, what can I do please?

Any denial of liability will need to be substantiated with evidence. As such, in this case, the employer will need to demonstrate that they had provided the appropriate training, adequate PPE and method statements. Have you discussed their denial with your Solicitor and advised the Solicitor of the instructions you were given by your employer at the time that they asked you to do the work in question?

Cut my finger at work due to work providing the wrong tool for the job, only a short cut of around 2cm. fairly wide though not requiring stitches ( was steri stripped and wrapped) it has left a visible scar and numbness around the area 6 months down the line and also stopped me from enjoying my hobbies and performing basic actions with my dominate hand for 2-3weeks. Is this something I could claim compensation for with it been due to negligence from my employer.

As the injury to your finger at work can be attributed to the employer failing to provide the correct tools or equipment, you have the right to make a claim for compensation against your employers insurance. We can help you to make your No Win No Fee claim.

Hi, yesterday I had an incident at work where I had to go to A&E and have my ankle glued due to when I was pulling the milk trolley it caught on my ankle and made a deep cut. I was wondering if there is anything that I can claim for that due to me not being able to walk properly now for the next week and I don’t get sick pay yet as I’ve been at the job for 2 weeks?

As the milk trolley has caused such a nasty injury, there is certainly a possibility that a claim could succeed. Of course, we need to know more before we can be certain but we would like to speak with you and investigate this matter further.

Hi, last week I ordered new door handles from a company and had them fitted..
Today I have opened the cupboard and the handle completely snapped off and severely sliced my finger, that deep you could nearly see the bone. I had to go to the hospital, have 4 stitches to close the wound, I had to have a tetanus, and have now had to start a course of antibiotics and pain relief. I have to go back in 10 days to have stitches removed… surely this item must of been faulty or made to a low standard for the handle to completely snap and cause me the damage it has? Do you think I could have a claim based on this?

Please call our team on 01225430285 as there is every chance that you could pursue a claim against the company that supplied and fitted the handles. Ideally, take some photographs of the broken handle to provide some evidence.

Our Solicitors can pursue a claim against the company responsible on a No Win No Fee basis and seek damages for the injury to your finger, the impact it will have on your life for the next few weeks and possible scarring.

My husband is a waiter and he was injured at work while washing the cafetierre. This happened because the water pressure is too high and it smashed the base. As the glass shattered, it severely lacerated his thumb and cut a big piece of skin. He lost quite a lot of blood and needed to have 8 stitches in hospital. Is there any chance he could claim compensation for this, or is it something for his employer and their business insurance?

There is a chance that he could pursue a claim for personal injury compensation. We would recommend that rather than attempt to liaise with the employers insurers, that he takes the opportunity to instruct a specialist Solicitor to act for him on a No Win No Fee basis.

Hello i have had a accident in work and sliced through a tendon in my hand with a stanley knife. We are not supposed to be using them at work. I have had stitches and my hand is now bandaged up. What can I do?

Whether or not you can make a claim for the laceration to your hand at work will depend on a couple of issues. Firstly, you state that you are not supposed to be using stanley knives. This could be a key issue – who has told you not to use them and who has asked you to use such a knife? If the employer has made an announcement regarding the prohibition of the use of stanley knives and you have chosen to use one without being instructed to do so by a supervisor, then you are unlikely to be able to hold the employer liable for the injury.

However, if your employer has told you not to use them and then a supervisor or manager has simply expected you to continue using such knives, you may well be able to hold the employer liable and pursue a claim.

There are other issues that will impact on whether or not you can make a claim, such as whether or not your employer has provided you with adequate training, provided you with the correct safety gloves/equipment etc.

Please call our team to discuss your accident at work in more detail so that we can ascertain whether or not you can make a claim. You can call us on 01225430285.

Hello i work at the cheese cake factory as a dishwasher i was taking out trash when i was cut by a misplaced broken glass the injury caused me to get stitches near my main artery. Seeking advice.

This sounds like a case of negligence and as such, it would be wise to pursue a claim. Please call us on 01225430285 so that we can find out more and explain the No Win No Fee claims process to you.

Last week i had an injury with an angle grinder. I used the angel grinder to cut plastic pipes in trench and suddenly it stuck and reverse back to cut my leg. I just want to enquire about the claim. If I want to claim how much I can get?

It is not possible to advise you of a possible settlement amount as we simply do not know the severity of the injury and the longer term implications of this injury to you.

Hi basically I was walking home and used a public cut-through. Like a big ally kind of thing. It’s quite dark etc. When I fell over a black metal fence that’s laying on the floor covered in leaves and overgrowth causing me to badly cut my thumb and graze my hands and knees. It’s been a few 12 or so days and my thumb still throbs so went doctors but cuts mainly healed so they just suggested a&e. Thumb possibly injured further, but no time tonight as children. Do I have a claim?

Do you have any photographs of the alleyway and fence obscured by leaves etc (taken in daylight) that you could send to us so that we can advise you as to whether or not you have a valid claim for tripping accident compensation? Please email any relevant photographs to us along with your contact telephone number to: justice@direct2compensation.co.uk so that we can view them and then call you to discuss this matter in more detail.

We look forward to hearing from you.

I cut my hand whilst doing disposal at work by putting my hand into plastic bag of broken glass, not given safety gloves but saw broken glass in the bag beforehand.

Whilst you have contributed to your own injury – you state that you had seen glass before you sustained the injury, you could still pursue a claim against your employer as they should have a system in place to cover such incidents – such as safety gloves or pierce proof refuse sacks.

If you would like to make a claim in this instance, please use our ‘start a claim’ page to make further contact and we’ll call you to offer the help you need.

I was at work. And a work colleague cut my arm with a non retractable Stanley knife. He was supposed to be using a safety knife. I had to go to a&e and have 10 stitches in my forearm. Can I claim compensation from my colleague personally without involving my company?

Claiming directly against your colleague is likely to be almost impossible to do. It is unlikely that they have the financial wherewithall to face a claim and proving that they were personally negligent in this matter may be difficult too.

We have pursued claims for workers injured in the same way when an employer has failed to ensure that the correct safety knives are used and you could consider doing the same.

I was cut badly on my wrist at work (this lead to me needing plastic surgery), the cut was through a tendon, artery and a nerve. There was glass in a general waste box, which should not have been in there. When I pushed down on the waste, the gloves I was given (which I wasn’t wearing) were general warehouse gloves and not cut proof gloves and I suffered the laceration. The employer does have a glass policy in place that states that all glass is placed in a black plastic bucket and wrapped and put out separately. However, this wasn’t followed.

The cause the nasty laceration to your wrist and the need for surgery would lead me to give an initial view that you have a valid claim for accident at work compensation.

Regardless of the employers policies and methods for disposing of glass waste, it is foreseeable that there is a risk of laceration for those in the work you were doing and as such, it would seem a reasonable argument here would be the lack of a provision of cut proof gloves.

Given the severity of your laceration and the requirement for surgery, you could be entitled to a substantial compensation settlement, especially if the damage to your nerve has left you with reduced sensation.