Injured At Work? Understand Your Rights And When You Can Claim Compensation

By Ian Morris | Updated November 7th, 2024

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If you’ve been injured at work, you have important legal rights that protect your health, safety, and financial well-being. These include the right to seek medical attention, report your injury, take time off to recover, and make a compensation claim if your employer’s negligence contributed to the accident. Understanding your rights can help you navigate the aftermath of a workplace injury and ensure that you receive the support and compensation you’re entitled to.

Key Takeaways:

Your Rights: You have the right to medical treatment, time off to recover, and compensation if your employer’s negligence caused your injury.
Employer Responsibilities: Employers are legally required to provide a safe working environment and report serious accidents.
Compensation: You may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
No Win No Fee: You can pursue a compensation claim without upfront legal costs through a No Win No Fee agreement.

Whether it’s a fall at work, an accident involving machinery, or developing carpal tunnel syndrome, the impact of a workplace injury on your life can be significant. Many workers feel torn between their loyalty to their employer and their need to look after themselves. However, it’s important to understand that UK law protects employees who are injured at work. This guide will help you understand what steps to take after an injury and how to protect your rights.

I Was Injured at Work—What Are My Rights?

In the UK, all employees—whether full-time, part-time, temporary, or self-employed—are protected by law when it comes to workplace safety. If you’re injured at work or develop a work-related illness, you have several key rights:

Your Rights Include:

Medical Attention: You have the right to seek immediate medical treatment for any injuries sustained at work.
Accident Reporting: You can report the incident in your workplace’s accident book. This creates an official record of the event.
Time Off for Recovery: If necessary, you can take time off work to recover from your injuries without fear of losing your job.
Sick Pay: You may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) or contractual sick pay while recovering from your injury.
Lighter Duties: If you’re unable to perform your usual job due to your injury, your employer must consider offering lighter duties during recovery.
Compensation Claim: If your injury was caused by employer negligence (such as failure to provide proper training or safety equipment), you have the right to make a no win no fee personal injury claim.

These rights are designed to protect workers and ensure that employers take responsibility for maintaining safe working conditions.

When Can You Make a Work Injury Claim?

Just because you’ve been injured at work doesn’t automatically mean you can claim compensation. To make a successful claim, certain criteria must be met:

Conditions for Making a Claim:

Employer Negligence: Your employer must be at fault for failing in their duty of care (e.g., not providing proper safety equipment or training).
Severity of Injury: Your injury must be significant enough to warrant compensation. Typically, this means suffering for four weeks or more or requiring ongoing medical treatment.
Time Limit: The accident must have occurred within the last three years (with some exceptions for industrial diseases or delayed injuries).

What Injuries Can You Claim For?

Various types of injuries sustained at work can be claim for, including:

Physical injuries like broken bones, burns, or lacerations.
Back injuries after excessive manual handling.
Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) from poor ergonomics.
Psychological injuries such as stress or trauma caused by unsafe working conditions.

You may also be able to claim for the worsening of a pre-existing condition or if you were partly responsible for the accident (this is known as contributory negligence). You can also still make a claim if your employer has gone out of business.

What Should I Do After an Injury at Work?

If you’ve been injured at work, there are several steps you should take immediately:

1. Get Medical Treatment

Your health is the top priority. Seek medical attention as soon as possible—even if your injuries seem minor initially. Medical records will also serve as crucial evidence in any compensation claim.

2. Report the Incident

Make sure the accident is recorded in your employer’s accident book. If your employer refuses or don’t have one available, report it in writing via email so there’s an official record. We can help you to do so if you haven’t done this already.

Depending on the type of accident, the employer is legally bound to report it via RIDDOR to the Incident Contact Centre of the HSE. As your employer is responsible for reporting to the HSE, you should always check whether this has been done.

3. Gather Evidence

Collect evidence such as:

Photographs of the scene where the accident occurred.
Witness statements from colleagues who saw what happened.
Copies of medical reports detailing your injuries.

4. Confirm Sick Pay

Not all employees will receive full pay if they can’t work due to injury, and commonly your employer will put you on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). Ensure that you’re receiving this or any contractual sick pay you’re entitled to while recovering. Remember, if you’ve been injured in a workplace accident that wasn’t your fault, you can claim compensation to supplement your sick pay and cover your losses.

5. Attend Medical Appointments

If you’re still receiving outpatient treatments like physiotherapy or consultant check-ups after returning to work, make sure you’re allowed time off for these appointments.

6. Seek Legal Advice

Contact our personal injury solicitors who specialises in workplace accidents. They will assess whether you have grounds for a compensation claim and guide you through the process.

Claiming No Win No Fee Compensation

If you’ve been injured due to employer negligence, it’s within your legal rights to make a personal injury claim. A successful claim ensures that you’re not left financially burdened by an accident that wasn’t your fault. Compensation can cover:

Medical expenses (including ongoing treatments).
Lost wages due to time off work.
Pain and suffering caused by physical or psychological injuries.

Most personal injury claims are handled on a No Win No Fee basis:

No Upfront Costs: You won’t need to pay any legal fees unless your case is successful.
Success Fee: If successful, legal fees will be deducted from the compensation awarded—this fee is agreed upon before starting the case.

This arrangement makes it financially risk-free for workers seeking justice after being injured on the job.

Employer Pressure – Threats Are Against the Law

A common concern among injured workers is how making a claim will affect their relationship with their employer, and their job security. Some employers may try to pressure staff into not making claims by threatening job loss or other consequences.

Know Your Rights:

It is illegal for an employer to fire you simply because you’ve made—or are considering making—a personal injury claim.
If you’re dismissed after making a claim, this could constitute unfair dismissal.
Similarly, if you’re forced out due to pressure from management not to pursue a claim (constructive dismissal), legal action may follow.

If you’re facing threats from your employer regarding a potential claim, seek legal advice immediately.

By understanding these rights and following the appropriate steps after an accident at work, you’ll be better equipped to protect yourself both medically and financially, while ensuring that negligent employers are held accountable for failing in their duty of care.

Clearly, the decision as to whether or not to pursue a claim rests with the injured employee. If the injuries are minor and there are minimal financial losses, it may not be worth claiming. However, where the injuries are more serious and an inability to work follows, exercising your legal right to make a claim for compensation is the only option for most people.

It’s usually really quick for us to find out if you have a valid claim, call us on 01225 430285, or .

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Comments & Questions

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

My father got injured on duty 2 years back. He was off for quite a while and only earned 75% of his salary. He is currently back to work but the employer has informed him now that he will be given another position at the company and they will decrease his pay.
Is it allowed to decrease his salary if it was an IOD?

In the UK, employment law allows an employer to alter the employment role of an injured person if they are no longer physically able or fit to perform the work that they had previously completed. This is the case, even if the person is injured in an accident or incident whilst at work. Whilst it is not an ideal situation for the injured person, it is better than the alternative which can be a complete termination of employment if the employer cannot offer an alternative role or the injured person is unfit for work in any form.

It is for this reason that someone injured in an accident at work should seriously consider making a claim for compensation. If the accident was caused by someone else or an employer’s negligence, then the injured person can seek a compensation settlement that would include a settlement value to cover the pain, discomfort and distress caused by the injury but also a special damages claim that would cover all lost income during an absence from work, and also any future loss of income – as per the situation in which your Father finds himself.

In his case, if he were to make a successful claim , he would be able to recover the 25% of lost income for the period of his absence but also the future loss of income that his new role will cause given that it is lower paid than his pre-accident role – i.e, he can claim the difference.

Hi, I had an accident at work. As I was walking down the stairs I slipped and twisted my ankle as the stairs were wet but there were not wet floor signs to warn me. The accident happened on January 13th 2018. I’ve been off work since then. I have to live off only SSP and I’m struggling. I still have pain and discomfort but I need to go back to work ASAP because I’m struggling to only live off SSP. I’ve already made a claim for compensation and it’s still in process. I wanted to ask if you could possibly tell me if me going back to work while my claim is still being processed if it will affect my claim in anyway? I was only thinking about doing some easier jobs where I don’t have to walk as much. Thank you

Returning to work will not impact on your claim at all. It is is important that you do not return to work if your Doctor does not believe that you are fit to do so, but in most cases if you can agree some light duties with your employer that enables you to work and therefore earn your income it will not damage your claim.

In 2017 i had an accident at work. On a very windy day fixing roof trusses that we had fitted the day before and they were wobbling and swaying in the windy conditions. Unfortunately on the following day, the trusses all collapsed, leaving me trapped between them with two broken bones in my back. My employer has said that there is no claim to be made. I have never to this day received any correspondence from my employers insurance or seen any accident report or even contact from the HSE. Is this correct information my employer is giving me?

You describe a serious accident with serious injuries, the details of which warranted reporting to the HSE and RIDDOR. If your employer hasn’t reported this, they could be in trouble. You should certainly contact the HSE immediately regarding this.

On the second issue of any claim for accident at work compensation, it is not your employers position to decide whether or not you have a valid claim for accident at work compensation. Indeed, why would you trust them to make an impartial decision? We very much doubt that they have even advised their insurers of the incident.

We would like to take this matter further for you and get our specialist accident at work Solicitors to look at your claim for you. They can decide whether or not you should pursue a claim on a No Win No Fee basis and bring the matter to the attention of the employers insurance. If successful with a claim for compensation, you will be able to recover any lost income as well as seek damages – the sum of which could be considerable – for the injury you sustained to the discs in your spine.

I am awaiting a doctors appointment to possibly confirm raynaurd syndrome. I work in a warehouse handling very cold cast iron pipes, joints etc.
We have gloves but they barely keep out cold from the elements never mind frozen pipes.
I mentioned my possible condition to my employer and now I feel they are looking for ways to get rid of me. They have collected all my hazard slips up and any pick mistakes I have made for the past 12 months +
If I get a diagnosis do you think I can make a claim? Also what if they sack me before any claim?

The condition you are awaiting diagnosis for is a serious problem and is something that you can seek to claim compensation for.

We would need to find out more from you about your work and how long you have performed the role that you are doing and then present the information to our specialist Solicitors so that they could advise you as to whether or not you can make a claim for compensation.

Regarding your employment rights, the employer cannot dismiss you without you having either committed an act of gross misconduct or as a result of repeated disciplinary breaches.

Does my employer need to prove liability for an accident at work and do they need to prove it was my fault – which it was not?

For you to succeed with a claim for accident at work compensation, we will need to be able to establish employer negligence as the cause of your injuries. In just a couple of minutes on the phone with us, we’ll be able to find out exactly what caused your accident and ask the right questions about training and health and safety in your workplace in order that we’ll be able to advise you as to whether or not we think you can pursue a claim against your employer.

It is for the employer to defend any claim made against them and by making a claim – which is your legal right – you cannot lose your job or have your working rights reduced. Remember, we work on a fully No Win No Fee basis, so you have nothing to lose by pursuing a claim or at least, speaking with our expert Solicitors.

My employer didn’t raise my desk as requested for 18 months, during which time I develop severe foot pain in both feet and had to wear an air cast boot on one of my feet. I was prescribed tramadol by my dr, I’ve also developed neck, shoulder and arm pain.
I was eventually told work wouldn’t raise my desk as we were moving office.

Once we moved office it took them 12 weeks to raise my desk dispite there being a desk on section that had a built in handle to raise the desk.

I no have a raised desk but I’m still in pain, where do I stand on monetary compensation for my injuries?
Would persuing a claim be worth any sufficient benefit?

Given your description of the situation at work, it would appear that there is a possible case of employer negligence here and that could well give rise to a successful claim for workplace injury compensation.

If an employer is placed on notice of a possible cause of injury and they fail to address the situation – either by taking action or by demonstrating that there is no reasonable action that they could take, they are then at risk of being responsible should any injury develop.

We would very much like to speak with you about this so that we can find out more about your work, what assessments of your workstation were carried out and by whom and what reports to the employer had been made about the desk being too low. Were occupational health professionals involved for example?

I was polishing wine glasses at work and a glass snapped in my hands and I ended up slicing my finger open and severing the nerve.

I’ve had to have surgery, spend 3 weeks off work and am currently coming back on lighter duties working my way up slowly as my finger begins to heal. Am currently in the middle of hand therapy sessions and the feeling still hasn’t returned to my finger because of the nerve damage.
Am I eligible to make a claim against my employer in this situation?

Of course, we would need to speak with you in detail to be able to offer specific advice about your claim and your prospects of success. What we can say is that we have succeeded with identical claims in the past and our solicitor partners are currently pursuing a number of claims for people injured in the exact same way as you. Our article on finger injury compensation will give you some further info and potential settlement values.

500lb pipe fell on my foot at 8am. The boss made the guys finish loading pipe before taking me to the hospital. So at 12 I finally got to the hospital. I’m going to lose my big toe and have now gotten fired because I was not wearing my steal toe boots cause we were not on site. So my question is can I get compensation or am I totally screwed?

Under UK Law, if the pipe was dropped due to negligence and was not your fault, you would be able to pursue a claim against your employer for workplace amputation compensation. There could be an element of contributory negligence to attach to your claim in that you were not wearing the correct safety equipment, namely the steel toe boots, which may affect the settlement value in your claim but this should not prevent you from pursuing a claim for compensation.

I’ve been off work since august with a work related back injury, i’ve only been with the company 8 months but they have now made me redundant while i am off sick can they do this?

Your employer would be within their rights to terminate your employment as long as they follow the correct statutory requirements regarding redundancy or dismissal. If you are unable to work as a result of injuries sustained in an accident at work, the employer cannot immediately dismiss you for that as they must allow you a reasonable time to recover and return to work. If however, the injuries last for such time that you are not able to return to work in a reasonable time, the employer can ‘let you go’.

In your case, you may well have been injured as a result of employer negligence and if so, you should make a claim for work related back injury compensation. This is something that we could help you with and would be very happy to speak with you about.

I was told to prime a pump at work and when I took the hose off the pump kicked in, smashed my work glasses and cement and gunge out of the water hit my eyes causing my eyes to haemorrhage. 2 weeks later and 3 visits to the hospital I am still without my full vision and was told if I don’t go back to my normal work I will have to go on the sick even though there is light duty work, what can I do?

Thanks for sharing your situation with us, the details of your accident at work and our response will be a useful resource to others who will be seeking help in the future.

It would seem that adequate safety protection requirements were not in place when you were instructed to prime to the pump and that a lack of training and risk assessment has played a part in you sustaining the injuries that you have.

We do hope that you are able to recover to pre-accident health quickly and return to work at the earliest opportunity. With regards to being on sick leave, if you do not receive your full salary whilst off, our Solicitors will seek to recover any lost income and expenses if you succeed with your claim by way of a special damages claim. If your employer has light duties that you can do safely and your Doctor is happy with the arrangements, you can return to work and mitigate any losses by doing so.

My daughter has been injured at work by another colleague who drove a pallet towards her and pinned her to the warehouse wall which caused her to sustain a severe hand injury. She went to hospital and when they x-rayed her – they have said she has a severely fractured hand and wrist and put it in plaster. She attended fracture clinic next day where they put permanent plaster on and signed her off work for 2 weeks and have booked her in for MRI scan due to injuries. She went in to work with sick note and they have asked if she would come in to do light duties when they can clearly see she is in plaster and signed off. She has asked for it to be reported in the accident book on 2 separate occasions but been fobbed off as the duty managers she has asked do not know where it is. What should she do please?

Your daughter should write to the employer to put on record the details of her injuries and the incident that caused them. She should outline what happened to her, where it happened, how she was injured and what the injuries are. She should then send the letter by recorded delivery retaining a copy for her records and it would be wise to draw attention to the employers failure to properly report and record the details of the accident. Such a letter would go some way towards replacing an accident book entry and it would provide evidence of the accident at work that caused the injuries to her hand and forearm.

Offering your daughter light duties is a positive step by the employer. In the UK, employers are not obliged to pay full wages to any person during periods of absence – even if the reason for the absence is a work related incident or accident. Therefore, if your daughter can work on lighter duties, perhaps in a sitting role doing work that does not require the use of the injured hand, she can at least continue to earn her usual salary.

Given your description of the incident, our view is that your daughter has a viable claim for accident at work compensation. We would very much like to help her pursue a claim against the employer and to this end, I suggest that she calls us on 01225430285.

If you have a sprained wrist can my job make me work if I have a Doctor’s note that says I can’t?

An employer cannot force you to work if you have seen a medical professional who has assessed an injury and deemed you unfit for work. If you have a Doctors note signing you off work due to an injury, the employer must respect that.

Is it right if you’re in a car accident like a day ago and then they make you work, and they want me to lie about my injury? I rolled a 5 ton garbage truck on the driver side.

You should not be working if you are unfit to work. UK law allows a registered medical professional to sign you off from work on the grounds of ill health or injury if the Doctor is of the view that the illness or injuries would make it unsafe for you to work.

In your case, your employer should not be forcing you to work if you are not fit enough. I would imagine that the injuries you have sustained by rolling a large commercial vehicle would be sore today and worse in the coming days. With that in mind, it is likely that you should not be at work. Your employer is also acting incorrectly in asking you to lie about your injury and the car accident.

I had an accident at work and was dismissed as a result. I haven’t been able to work since due to an injury sustained during my accident. Am I still eligible for compensation?

Whether or not you still work for the employer is irrelevant when it comes to making a claim for accident at work compensation. The key issue as with any claim is to establish liability against the defendant. In this case, if you can demonstrate employer negligence with regards to your health and safety at work and that this negligence has caused your injury, you are likely to succeed with a claim.

Hi
I work in a SEN school as a learning support assistant. Some of the children have behavioural issues. Over the past few weeks some of the policies have been changed by Senior Management which has had a negative effect on children’s behaviour. Many staff has voiced their cocerns about the escalation in violence but we’re told we need to give it time. Long story short I was left in charge of a very volatile 10 year old boy who barricaded himself in a room then decided he would remove the sofa as he was ready to follow instructions I went to go into the room and he slammed the door into my face. I ended up with a lump on my forehead pulled tendons down my neck and into my shoulder and possible mild concussion. I have involved the Police. The school have had a meeting of how they can change things. Should I put in for compensation?

All employers have an obligation to assess the risks to the health & safety of staff with regards to any policies and procedures adopted within the workplace. In the scenario you describe, that would include staff and pupils. The employer may have a point in that the policies that have recently been amended and implemented do need time to settle in, but if the changes are leading to a serious risk of injury and damage to health, then there is also an argument that they need to be reviewed and amended urgently.

Given the injuries to your head and neck, we feel that you should further explore your options to seek a claim for compensation and we would like to help you with this process. As you can imagine, your situation is a little unusual and would need to be considered by one of our specialist Solicitors who deal with support worker claims, in order that they could provide you with accurate advice as to the prospects of success.

Injured my knee ligaments carrying a granite island kitchen work top which is 3 metres long and 900 wide with one other employee, which was carried over uneven grounds. My knee twisted as the weight was far to heavy and my leg slipped, does my work still have to pay me when off work and could I put a claim in?

Your employer does not have to pay your usual salary whilst you are off due to the knee injury sustained at work. Employers are not obliged in law to pay usual incomes to injured or unwell employees even if they are away from work because of an injury or illness that happened whilst at work.

However, our view is that you can make a claim for accident at work compensation here. Your employer has tasked you with carrying an obviously heavy and large item in a way that would contravene manual handling guidance and that exposed you to a heightened risk of injury. When tasking staff with moving obviously heavy items an employer has a responsibility to make sure that the workers can do so without risking injury. In this case, it may well be that the item in question should have been moved on a trolley or similar item or that the ground should have been levelled to make it safer.

If we do pursue a claim against your employer on the grounds of employer negligence, not only would we seek compensation for the injury to your knee ligaments, but we would also look to reclaim any lost income that you incurred during your enforced absence from work. When our specialist accident at work Solicitors obtain an admission of liability in any claim, they also recover any lost income or costs incurred that can be directly attributed to the accident at work.

Hi,
I got injured at work moving a table. I was unable to move for 5 days with Lumbago and returned 2 after i was feeling better, in total was 7 days. I got a sick note from the doctor and i did explain to my manager how I injured myself over the phone and on my return to work.
I did not get paid anything from the company only the SSp and they have deducted 1 week from my salary but much more money that i would have received if i was working that week. I’m working in this company for 8 years and ive never called sick before.
What should i do?

There is no obligation for an employer to pay full salary to an employee who is away from work due to injury or illness – even if that injury or illness was caused by a workplace accident or an accident at work.

Your only route to reclaiming your lost income is by pursuing a claim for compensation for the injury to your back. You would have prospects of succeeding if there is any element of employer negligence that we can demonstrate – such as a failure on their part to provide manual handling training or failing to risk assess the work that they had asked you to carry out.

If you break a finger at work, but went right back to work bandaged and wearing a splint after surgery, and my employer is now saying I am not entitled to anything, is that right?

That is not correct. The fact that an injured worker has returned to their work immediately although injured, does not prevent or preclude them from making a claim for personal injury compensation.

The key to whether or not the injured worker is entitled to any compensation will rest on the cause of the accident. To succeed with a claim for accident at work compensation, an injured worker must demonstrate that the employer has been negligent and in this case, it is how the finger was broken and why that is important.

The accident was reported in the accident book, The reason I’m still wearing my support brace is that cysts have formed around the trauma area of my thumb. The hospital have said they should go after 3 weeks, however if not i have to go back to my doctors.

You state that your employer failed to provide you with the training that should happen every six months and that you were not given training for over a year. If the 6 month interval is a requirement of the employer they have failed and would have a case to answer in terms of employer negligence.

In this case I think you should be pursuing a claim against the employer and this is something we would like to assist you with further.

Hi my husband works for a company cleaning guttering and roofs and comes into contact with pigeon and bird excrement on a daily basis. Last year he also was given some acid to use to remove graffiti off a wall. He has never been given any protective gear mask or anything. Whilst doing this job he took really ill and went into hospital unable to breathe and the doctor kept asking us if we kept birds at home, which we don’t. After a few days he was taken to the high dependancy ward and they diagnosed a collapsed lung and a viral infection, he was in hospital for three weeks and off work for 3 months. Could we make a claim against his employer for not providing ppe? I also find it a bit odd that while he was in hospital the company he works for put every employee on a course on wearing masks and how to fit them on and wear them safely. I think they panicked.

Yes, your Husband’s employer has breached their Health and Safety obligations and by failing to provide PPE to him, they have exposed him to illness and injury that was otherwise avoidable.

Please call us on 01225430285 so that I can offer further assistance and help get your Husband’s claim up and running.