Injured At Work Due To Inadequate Training? You Can Claim Compensation

By Ian Morris | Updated June 22nd, 2023

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If you have been injured as a result of inadequate training, you are entitled to claim compensation. In this article we look at how to know if you have a valid claim, and what’s involved in making one.

Inadequate training accident claims
Why claim compensation for your injuries?
Can you make a claim if you’re injured because of inadequate training?
How Direct2Compensation can help
Comments – your questions answered

Inadequate training accident claims

Employers and event organisers are legally obliged to assess the risks that their workplace or activity present. They must ensure that workers or participants are advised of the risks present and given sufficient and adequate training.

While most often associated with an accident at work, these claims can also arise from leisure activities or other events. Basically, anywhere that a group leader or organisation has failed to adequately train and prepare someone to be able to identify hazards and risks to health, and minimise the risk of being injured.

Inadequate training claims commonly relate to manual handling injuries, such as soft tissue and back injuries, lacerations or crushing injuries from using dangerous machinery or tools. In the more severe claims we see permanent consequences such as restricted mobility, scarring and psychological trauma.

Claims will succeed, and see the claimant obtain a compensation settlement, if it can be proven that an employer or other organisation has been negligent and failed to comply with their statutory duties in providing necessary training to staff.

Why claim compensation for your injuries?

Claiming personal injury compensation can help ease some of the problems you’ll experience and help in a number of ways:

It’s your legal right, and if successful will fairly compensate you for injuries that were not your fault
A successful claim could fund private medical treatment and rehabilitation therapies to speed your recovery
It can help you recover lost income now and in the future if you are prevented from working again
If an inadequate training accident has led to a fatality, loved ones can claim compensation for their loss

As all claims are made on a No Win No Fee basis, you will never be charged if your claim does not succeed. A successful claim will lead to a compensation settlement being made to you, with the value of the claim including any lost income and incurred costs as well as a settlement for the injuries and medical treatment that you have sustained.

Can you make a claim if you’re injured because of inadequate training?

In the majority of cases, inadequate training claims are made as a result of an injury suffered at work. In such cases, a claim will succeed if employer negligence can be proved. This includes instances where the employer has not provide sufficient training to use machinery or tools safely, or enabled staff to identify risks to health, for example. Therefore, they are deemed to have exposed someone to an injury that could have been avoided.

Employers must ensure:

That staff are provided with an adequate induction to the workplace. In safer workplaces such as an office, this should include fire safety training and basic manual handling to avoid back injuries, for example. In more dangerous workplaces, such as a construction site, factory or engineering plant, training and guidance should be far more in-depth and specific to the risks of that particular workplace.
That staff are made aware of any protective personal equipment requirements.
That equipment is of sound working order and fit for purpose, by way of regular servicing and repair of the same.
That tools or machinery are only used by workers who have been trained or qualified to operate them.

Inadequate training claims relate to injuries that should have been avoided. It may seem obvious to many, but if an employee is tasked with a physical job such as lifting repeatedly, it is important that they are trained to lift safely and have manual handling training. If not, soft tissue injuries to the lower back are likely. If an employer fails to train someone to use machinery safely, the extent of an injury can be much more serious.

Any person who suffers an injury because of inadequate training is entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation. This applies to agency and temporary workers as well as full time staff. All have the same rights when it comes to injuries at work.

If you believe that your injuries were caused because of an inadequate training accident, you are likely to be able to hold your employer or activity organisers liable for your injuries and may well succeed with your claim for compensation. If this sounds like your situation, you should contact Direct2Compensation today to start your claim.

How Direct2Compensation can help

As with all claims for injury compensation, it is important to make sure that the details of your accident have been recorded properly within an accident book and that medical attention is sought for any injuries that you have sustained. If you haven’t done this already, we can help you to do so.

At Direct2Compensation we have the know-how to evaluate whether you were injured because of inadequate training and can tell you whether or not your claim is likely to succeed. Over the years we have successfully assisted many claimants and helped them to find the right specialist injury compensation solicitor to manage their claim.

We work with some of the best expert injury compensation solicitors in the UK. With our easy to understand claims process and ability to handle your claim quickly, simply and transparently, there are many reasons that make us the right choice.

If you have suffered an injury at work and want to know if you can make a claim for compensation, contact us today. You can start your claim online or , and one of our expert team will be in touch to offer help. Alternatively, call us on 01225 430285.

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Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus inadequate training accident claim examples...

I worked in a Hotel as a Night Manager. I have been transferred on day shift to Food and Beverage Department, where i have got injured. I mentioned to my Manager i have no any experience with this department but i haven’t received any training at all. When i reported my back pain, nothing was recorded in accident book so i just went to my GP. It was in February and because of this injury i have been qualified as a disabled person, I am under very strong medical treatment and physiotherapy. Waiting for pain clinic appointment. The company (hotel) has its own medical form, what i completed but didn’t happened after, no support no meeting been arranged, no occupational health support.
I can prove with emails, messages statements, am I right to claim?

Please call us on 01225430285 – you certainly have grounds to pursue a claim against your employers insurance for the injury that you have sustained and to recover any lost wages or costs you may have incurred. Your employer has been negligent in not providing you with the appropriate training for the department you were tasked with working in – especially when you had reported to the Management that you had no previous experience in that area of the workplace.

Alternatively, you can email us directly for further help at justice@direct2compensation.co.uk or you can request a call from us via our website.

No training was ever given to anybody in the worksite and nobody was licensed to operate the forklift or overhead crane until after my accident

The scenario you describe indicates clear employer negligence and you should therefore be able to hold your employer liable for the injuries you have sustained.

My foot was injured with a heavy steel billet in the workplace, I have received no formal training for doing this job. I have lost a couple of days pay due to this and my foot is still giving me grief as I need longer to rest but will not get paid for being off.

Also the burns for cutting the billets have ruined my tattoo due to not having the right PPE, and have left me with multiple scars.

The works attitude is if we don’t like it there is the gate go through it and don’t come back.

You would appear to have valid grounds to pursue a claim against your employer due to employer negligence. Failure to provide adequate PPE is a clear breach of employer responsibility and our Solicitors would be able to hold the employer to account for the injuries you have sustained, recover any loss of income and account for the damage to your tattoos.

Please call us on 012254320285 or provide further information via the ‘start your claim’ form on our website. We can then have this matter investigated for you and ensure that an expert specialist personal injury Solicitor acts for you on a No Win No Fee basis in your claim for compensation.

I was injured at work recently (crush injury) I was using a Radial Arm saw I’ve only been employed 3 months and when I started I was given 3 hours training on how to cut lengths from a spec also no other training or risk assessments was provided on the dangers of using one .. so I was cutting a piece timber and the saw kicked back and shot the timber against my thumb trapping it along side another piece of timber resulting in thumb broke in 4 pieces who’s liable

It would seem that there are questions for your employer to answer in this case as to whether they have provided the appropriate training and undertaken all reasonable steps to reduce and minimise the risk of injury in the workplace. The training you did receive doesn’t seem to be sufficient and we can also consider the risk assessments, safety guidance and whether you were given or advised as to the right personal protective equipment by the employer.

Your injury is certainly very serious and is likely to cause ongoing (if not permanent) issues for you that may cause pain, impact your grip strength, effect your hobbies and importantly your working life & income. As such, pursuing a claim would very much be appropriate and we would certainly like to help you to make your claim.

I was using overhead crane that I was not trained to use there was metals on the floor that I was going to lift with the crane.
I fell over these metals when reaching out for the controls and injured my wrist and shoulder. I have been to see another solicitor but they will not help me because my company has denied liability saying i fell over metals that was my own fault and not a result of lack of training. Is tripping over metals i was going to lift my own fault. When using overhead crane that I was not trained to use?

When you say your employer has denied liability, how have they done so? Have they been subjected to a formal claim made by a specialist personal injury Solicitor or have you simply approached them and been rebuffed by them? Although the lack of training for the crane may not be specifically relevant to your accident, the fact that you were asked to use a crane without having had adequate training indicates that the employers approach to workplace safety is questionable. What we really need to consider is the cause of your trip – the metal items and how they were left. If those items created a tripping hazard in a walking area and the area you were tasked with walking in was dangerous and unsafe, it may well be possible to establish employer negligence and pursue a claim against the employer for compensation.

Yes my company was confronted by a solicitor with regard to my accident. There are cctv stills showing me falling over the metals but not how i came to fall over. My solicitor asked for the cctv stills to show exactly how the accident happened but was told that they were not available. The cctv stills show standing in the walkway when i fell over when reaching for the controls of the Overhead crane. the metals that i wanted to lift with the crane were right up to the walkway and there was no room to manoeuvre around the metals thats why i was standing in the the walkway.
The medical report says reason for me falling was congested work area. Witness statement says that he saw me reaching out for the controls of the Overhead crane when I fell over

Is your Solicitor still acting in this matter?

I fell off a set of steps on a job last Friday and broke my heel. I had not been given a site induction to this job, it was an accident but I’m just curious to see if I had a case at all?

The fact that you had not been given a site induction may well indicate negligence and this is likely to see you able to succeed with a claim against the company responsible for the construction site in question.

Our Solicitors can seek to pursue a claim for the injury you have sustained and will also recover any lost income or costs you incur if successful with your claim.

Was working in factory on my 3rd day at my new job as a machine operator, my trainer and i were outside when he got a call, he then asked me to go and finish the job where we were working, during so i lost two fingers, can i sue my employer?

If you were undertaking work that you were not appropriately trained or experienced to do or if the machine in question required a fully trained staff member to use, you have a right to make a claim. Given the severity of your injury, it is appropriate that we discuss this matter with you in more detail as there is likely to be grounds to pursue a claim for the loss of two fingers which will have a life-long impact on your dexterity and grip strength.

I am a sewing machinist & i make aeroplane seats. I was doing a new job without proper training. The leather was so thick like cardboard. As i was topstitching it i felt a ping go in my right wrist then there was another bit of top stitching. As i was doing that i felt a ping go at the back of my hand. I had a lot of pain & tingling in my fingers. After a few days it got worse. I then phoned the doctor & he said it was carpal tunnel. He signed me off for 2 weeks & said if it wasn’t any better i would have to go back & see him. He did the test & it was definitely carpal tunnel. I was on a waiting list for the hand clinic but they couldn’t tell me how long it was going to be. The doctor signed me off for a month. Work were hassling me with phone calls & i couldn’t give them any answers. I had a phone call with the occupational nurse & he said i couldn’t go back until i had been to hand clinic & got my diagnosis or until i had treatment. Work then kept asking me to go private, which i couldn’t afford. They were stressing me out so much that i got my doctor to refer me somewhere else. I had my diagnosis of carpal tunnel on the 22nd of july & i had surgery on my first hand on the 12th of august. I have been off since the 12th may & i was supposed to have been seen by a consultant by the 15th june. I am really struggling to pay my bills now. I didn’t want to claim but i can’t afford to pay all my bills.

You have a right to seek compensation and it would seem that you have a valid claim for carpal tunnel syndrome compensation. We have specialist Solicitors who are experts in handling claims for industrial and repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and we can help you on a No Win No Fee basis.

I herniated a disk at work. I’m a forklift driver by trade but on this occasion my license had expired before starting the job. I was told they would give me training but never did, no manual handling training either. Without a license I shouldn’t of even been on site, a solicitor is dealing with the claim but is the failure to train me a separate claim?

The failure to provide forklift training is not a separate issue as it is the key basis upon which your claim will be pursued.

I was injured at work while being trained by an employee that obviously didn’t know what they were doing, they stuck me on a machine to do a detail clean that I shouldn’t have even been working on alone yet and failed to tell me about it. As I’m cleaning it I hit this activator that you cannot see cuz you have to reach your hand in there and it locked my head in. Luckily tHE third shift men come in and found me as I was about dead, the kid I was working with was in a total difference part of this job listening to earbuds so he could not hear me screaming for help before it had me too tight. I’m starting to have issues with my jaw bone in pain and this happened a little over a year ago.

You certainly have a valid claim for compensation in the scenario you describe. Make sure that your jaw problems are discussed with your GP and that you are referred for further treatment.

Caught my foot in a pallet whilst unloading a delivery. I used to work for the Co Op, but we have been taken over by another company who have provided no training at all regarding working from pallets. There is no accident book at work, but they have my accident details saved on the works security camera.

You appear to have a valid claim and one that should be pursued. Although you may be anxious about making a claim against your employer, don’t worry! You are legally allowed to pursue a legitimate claim and any claim will be made against the mandatory insurance cover that your employer has to have in place, so it won’t impact your right to continue working or impact on your colleagues.

Can I still make a claim for a tripping injury if I’ve previously signed a tool box talk on slips, trips and falls in icy weather?

The fact that you have been given some guidance on the risks of injury by slipping, tripping or falling on ice may mean that your employer has been seen to have taken every reasonable precaution to minimise the risk of injury. As such, you would not be able to make a claim.

However, the talk in and of itself does not necessarily mean that you cannot make a claim. We need to know more about your fall, how it happened, where, when and what you were doing at the time in order to further advise you.

I work for a joinery company. I’ve been given access to use chop saws, nail guns etc. I’ve had an accident and eventually had to have half my index finger amputated. I’ve had no training on any of these and I’m not a joiner so I don’t have any qualifications. Do you think I have a case for a compensation claim?

The scenario you describe indicates clear employer negligence. Not only is there inadequate training provision, it would seem that the employer is not interested in employee qualification to operate potentially dangerous machinery. I would also anticipate a lackadaisical approach to personal protective equipment in the workplace.

You most certainly can pursue a claim and we would be more than happy to help you.

Hi, I worked for an employer for 32 years and in all that time had no manual handling training at all. My duties included warehouse work with some quite heavy lifting. I am now suffering back pain which my Doctor has told me is a prolapsed disk. I ceased working for that company about six months ago and have been retraining for a different career. Included in my new training is manual handling which has made me realize that my old employer should have given us that.
Would I have had a claim whilst working for them and if so would that claim still be valid?

So long as you make a claim within 3 years of the onset of any symptoms (symptoms serious enough to mean that you should have realised that the injuries were work related), you are able to act and we can help you to make a claim.

I used a roll lifter which I had not been trained on and no risk assessment. I had a spinal fusion 3 years ago which they are aware of. No witnesses but I told the first aider and manager I hurt myself, but nothing was put in the accident book. I did ask another colleague how to use it and he said he hadn’t been trained so he didn’t know.

The fact that your employer failed to ensure that you had been properly trained in the use of the roll lifter and you sustained injury whilst using it is likely to be seen as employer negligence. If this can be established, our specialist Solicitors should be able to recover compensation from your employers insurance cover for the injuries you have sustained and any losses you have incurred as a result of your workplace injury.

I work in a care home and was attacked twice within 4 days with the same patient during personal care, other members of staff were present and I’ve been off work a month due the the injuries stub-stained and i haven’t had an restraint training.

The lack of training issue is likely to be seen as employer negligence and this is something that should see our Solicitors able to recover compensation for your injuries and any lost income or costs related to your absence from work and the injuries sustained.

I have had a accident at work. Reaching over and tripping and falling when using overhead crane. No training was given to me by my employer to use the crain. I had a certificate which is about 6 years from previous employment could I have a claim for compensation thanks

Please contact us so that we can start your claim for compensation. The employer has an obligation to provide training and cannot necessarily rely on the fact that you may have had training in a previous role with a different employer.

I work in the care system. And support boys with autism and learning difficulties. I’ve been there 7 months now and haven’t received restraint training yet. And today I got injured, not severely but I was millimetres away from an eye injury. All of this could have been avoided as I’m not allowed to restrain the children.

I started working in a McDonalds. I was being shown how to use the fryer for about a hour on my first day then left to do it on my own. I was then was back in on the Saturday and was put on to the fryer again and was on it for about an hour when I got a really bad burn to my arm. I was giving no first aid and told to put cold water on it and had to stay to finish my 8 hour shift. I did sign an accident report form.

As an accident report was completed, there is evidence to confirm that you were injured at work. We would be happy to further investigate a potential claim for you against your employer as a result of your burn injury at work. There is a potential for success due to a lack of suitable training and guidance.

If your employer fails to provide you with the necessary training to enable you to work safely, they are at risk of being liable should you then suffer an injury at work that the training may have prevented. You should again request the restraint training from the employer and do so in writing.

As you appear to have escaped serious injury, you may not be able to claim for this recent injury. However, it is vitally important that you record the injury you have sustained in the employers accident book. Such a record in an employers accident book may be very useful at a later date should the injuries prove to be more serious than you had believed and would provide evidence to support any claim should one be made in the future.

I had an accident in work on a ride on cleaner i ended up having my foot stuck between the cleaner and the wall.
I was partly to blaim, but i found out after that the person who actually gave the training over a year ago wasn’t qualified to do so.What do i do?

If you’ve been injured in an accident at work that can be fully or even partially attributed to inadequate or improper training, the employer has been negligent and you have a right to make a claim for personal injury compensation.

My contract at work has terminated on the 19/5/2020i have been on sick leave since January. I injured my shoulder at the end of August and still awaiting treatment I was not told where the accident book was kept until a meeting 4 weeks later. I didn’t put it in the accident book then as the pain was bearable we had no training on the machine which knocked me over at all, and at that meeting we were told we would get training 15 min a week still never had any up to me sick in January.

Regardless of the accident book issue, our initial view is that you have a valid claim for personal injury compensation. Please call us on 01225430285 so that our team can help you to recover compensation for the injury to your shoulder and also any loss of income, overtime payments or bonuses. The lack of training on the correct use of the machine is likely to be seen as employer negligence and that should enable our specialist Solicitors to win your claim for you.