Finger Injury at Work – A Guide to Claiming Compensation

Any finger injury at work can make it difficult for you to function normally. Simple tasks like using a mobile phone or computer can become much harder and all aspects of your life, including your ability to work, can be affected. If you’ve sustained finger injuries at work, it may be possible to claim compensation for any suffering you’ve endured. In this guide about finger injury at work claims, you’ll read when claims might be possible and how the process works. You’ll also find out how much compensation for work-related finger injuries could be awarded.

If you’re thinking about claiming compensation for a finger injury at work, we can help right now as we offer a consultation where your finger injury claim will be assessed by a specialist at no cost to you. As well as being given free legal advice, you could be connected to a No Win, No Fee accident-at-work solicitor if your claim is feasible.

To find out more about how we can help, you can:

• Call our legal advisors on 0333 241 2519.
• Connect to our live chat service right away.

Please read on for more on finger injury at work claims or give us a call if you have any questions.

Types of Finger Injuries at Work We Can Help With

As you’ll read shortly, it may be possible to claim for any type of work-related finger injury (other than the most minor). Here are some common finger injuries we can help:

• Broken finger at work.
• Dislocated fingers.
• Lacerated and cut fingers.
• Crushed fingers.
• Finger amputations.
• Vibration White Finger (VWF).
• Ligament and tendon injuries.

Even if we’ve not listed your finger injury here, you could still be entitled to start a claim. Please read on for more information.

Can I Make a Finger Injury at Work Compensation Claim?

Several pieces of legislation place a duty of care on employers to keep their staff as safe as possible. One overarching law is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA). Some of the ways employers can meet their HASAWA obligations and try to prevent workplace finger injuries include:

• Conduct regular risk assessments to identify any obvious hazards.
• Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) where hazards cannot be mitigated in other ways.
• Ensure all workplace equipment is properly maintained and in good working order.
• Train staff on how to do their job as safely as possible.

As such, if you’re to be awarded compensation for a finger injury at work you will generally have to show that:

• Your employer must’ve owed you a duty of care at the point you were injured.
• An accident or incident must’ve been caused by employer negligence.
• Your finger injury was sustained in the last three years in that accident.

If you want clarification on your entitlement to compensation for the suffering caused by your injured finger, please call our legal advisors to explore your options.

What Types of Negligence Can Lead to a Finger Injury at Work Claim?

Here are a few scenarios that could result in work-related finger injuries because of a negligent employer:

• The tips of your index and ring finger were amputated by a cutting machine because its safety guard was missing.
• A finger was crushed at work and badly broken after a heavy item fell from poorly secured stock in a warehouse.
• You dislocated two of your fingers after slipping on a wet floor at work that had been recently cleaned but warning signs had not been used.
• Due to working with vibrating tools for prolonged periods, you’ve been diagnosed with Vibration White Finger.
• If you have suffered permanent ligament damage in your fingers because your employer wouldn’t provide an ergonomic keyboard.
• Your fingers were severely burned whilst working in a kitchen because of a defective water boiler.

This list is by no means exhaustive so whatever type of work accident you’ve been injured by, please call our legal advisors to check your eligibility to claim finger injury compensation.

What Should I Do If I’ve Injured My Fingers in the Workplace?

If you are involved in an accident at work where your fingers have been injured, you should in the least:

• Visit A&E or a minor injuries unit so that your injury is properly diagnosed and treated.
• Tell your employer about the accident and your finger injuries.
• Ensure the incident is logged in the company’s accident report book.

These measures are important for two reasons. Firstly, if you tell your employer about what happened, they could make changes to prevent similar incidents in the future. Secondly, taking these steps could provide you with some of the evidence needed to support a finger injury claim. More on this next.

What Evidence Can Be Used for a Finger Injury Compensation Claim?

To claim compensation for a work-related finger injury, you will need to prove that your accident a) happened, b) was caused by your employer and c) caused you to suffer. Examples of the types of evidence that will improve the chances of winning a finger injury compensation claim include:

• Photographs of any visible finger injuries. Also, pictures of the cause of your accident can be helpful.
• Medical records that confirm the type of finger injury you’ve suffered.
• Witness information in case your solicitor needs to collect statements later.
• CCTV footage of your accident.
• A copy of the accident report form to help prove when and where your fingers were injured.

If you call our legal advisors to examine your case, please let us know about any evidence you have already managed to secure.

How Long Do I Have to Claim Finger Injury Compensation?

The time limit for finger injury claims is 3 years. This is defined by the Limitation Act 1980. If your fingers were injured in an accident at work, the time limit normally starts from the date of the accident. If you’ve been diagnosed with a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) or vibration white finger, for instance, the limitation period might begin on the date of diagnosis.

In our experience, the sooner you begin an accident at work claim, the easier it will be to secure evidence and carry out the necessary work before your claim is filed. As such, please call us now to explain your case as soon as possible.

How Much Compensation for a Finger Injury at Work?

Any compensation you receive for a finger injury at work is generally formed of a) general damages and b) special damages.

General damages is the compensation paid to cover any pain and suffering from your finger injuries. It also covers the impact your injuries have on social activities, hobbies and family duties (loss of amenity).

To ascertain the severity of your finger injuries, your solicitor will request copies of your medical records. They may also ask you to attend an independent medical assessment so that the impact of your injuries is properly understood.

Using the evidence they’ve gathered, your solicitor may then compare your finger injury to those listed in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This will help when it comes to valuing your injuries.

We’ve included some compensation brackets for finger injuries from the JCG in our compensation table below:

• Compensation for a minor broken finger at work leading to full recovery can reach as much as £4,750.
• A fractured index finger resulting in the loss of grip or dexterity can range from £9,110 – £12,240 in compensation.
• Serious injuries to the ring or middle fingers are valued between £10,320 – £16,340.
• The total loss of the index finger might expect compensation of somewhere around £18,740.
• A severely fractured finger at work that permanently affects dexterity and grip could receive up to £36,740 compensation.
• Compensation for the traumatic amputation or loss of all fingers can fall between £96,160 – £109,650.

Please note that the finger injury compensation amounts listed are not guaranteed.

Special damages could also form part of any compensation you’re paid if your compensation claim is won. This covers any financial losses linked to your injuries including:

• Medical and rehabilitation costs.
• Loss of earnings.
• Support and care costs.
• Future loss of earnings.
• Travel expenses.

To help prove your financial losses because of your finger injury at work, you should submit receipts and other documentation during the claims process.

Can I Claim Compensation for a Broken Finger at Work if I’m Not a Full-Time Employee?

Earlier, we explained that employers have a duty of care towards the welfare of their employees while they are working. Crucially, this duty extends to all forms of workers including contractors.

As such, it’s possible for zero-hours staff, agency workers, the self-employed, consultants and part-time workers to claim compensation for a broken finger injury at work and other personal injuries too. So long as you can prove your employer is liable for your injuries, we could help you to sue for compensation. Please get in touch if you’d like more information.

Do You Need a Solicitor for Finger Injury Claims?

It is possible to take on a finger injury claim against your employer alone. However, you won’t always find the process easy and you might face difficult legal and medical questions from your employer’s insurers along the way.

For that reason, you might want to work with a specialist accident-at-work solicitor who understands the claims process. This could make things a lot less complicated and could improve your chances of being paid the right amount of compensation for your finger injury.

Additionally, our solicitors offer a No Win, No Fee claims service for accepted cases. Before they can start working on your behalf, they will ask you to sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This type of contract means that:

• Your solicitor will not ask to be paid upfront for their work.
• If your finger injury claim is lost, you don’t pay for your solicitor’s work.
• If your claim is won, a success fee will be deducted from your settlement.

The success fee is a legally capped percentage of any compensation you’re awarded. When using a CFA, the success fee cap is 25 per cent.

To see if you could claim compensation for a work-related finger injury on a No Win, No Fee basis, please call our legal advisors.

Will I Be Required to Go to Court?

In our experience, finger injury at work claims are normally settled out of court. That’s because insurers and accident-at-work solicitors would much prefer to reach an amicable agreement rather than heading to the courtrooms.

However, a solicitor may decide to take a case to court as a last resort if they believe the finger injury claim is strong enough but the employer won’t accept that they caused the injuries or offers too low a settlement.

How Long Will a Finger Injury Claim Take?

Finger injury claims don’t have any set processing times. That’s because each case is different and their duration can be affected by several factors.

For instance, if you sustained damaged tendons but have fully recovered, you could be awarded compensation in around 4 to 5 months so long as your employer accepts liability for your accident quickly.

However, if you lost a finger at work and it’s not yet fully known if surgeons can save the amputated finger, the claims process could take up to a year or more. Crucially though, if liability for the accident is accepted by your employer, interim compensation payments could be awarded to cover loss of earnings and other costs while the case is in progress.

Contacting Us About a Finger Injury Compensation Claim

If you would now like to talk to a legal advisor about suing your employer for your suffering, you can:

• Call 0333 241 2519 to connect with a specialist.
• Use our online chat service any time of night or day.

We won’t pressure you into taking legal action and any legal advice you receive in your initial consultation is free. If you do decide to proceed, it’s worth remembering that all finger injury at work claims are managed on a No Win, No Fee basis.