Can I Claim Compensation if I Cut My Finger at Work?

You might think that cutting your finger at work isn’t the most serious injury in the world. However, cuts, lacerations and finger amputations can have a lasting effect and mean you need to make changes to the way you live your life. Crucially, if you suffer a cut finger at work because your employer was negligent, you might have grounds to claim compensation. This guide about claiming compensation for a cut finger at work explores when you can claim and how the claims process works.

If you would like to check if you can claim compensation for a cut finger at work, as part of a free initial assessment of your claim, we’ll review what happened, offer legal advice and set out your options. If you decide to proceed with a claim and we believe your case is strong enough, we could connect you with a No Win, No Fee accident-at-work solicitor on our panel.

For more information about your options, you can:

• Phone our advisors on 0333 241 2519 to discuss your case.
• Tell us about your claim via our 24/7 online chat service.

If you want to know more about claiming compensation for a cut finger, read on. Please feel free to contact us right now if you have any questions along the way.

Can I Claim Compensation for a Cut Finger at Work?

While no workplace will ever be completely risk-free, employers have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to try and protect their staff. This duty is established by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 but other laws may apply in industries like engineering, manufacturing, forestry and construction where the risk of finger injuries might be higher.

Some of the ways in which employers can help fulfil their health and safety obligations include:

• Conducting risk assessments in the workplace regularly to try and identify potential hazards.
• Ensuring all equipment is safe to use by maintaining it and repairing it where necessary.
• Training staff on how to do their job safely.
• Providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in circumstances where risks can not be mitigated in other ways.

Failure to take such steps could mean that your employer has been negligent. As such, you might be entitled to seek compensation after cutting your fingers at work if you can demonstrate that:

• Your employer owed you a duty of care at the point you were injured.
• You were involved in a workplace accident in the last three years that was linked to your employer’s negligence.
• You sustained a cut finger in that accident.

Whether you’ve suffered multiple finger amputations or a deep cut to your little finger, you could sue your employer for any suffering caused so long as the incident was your employer’s fault. Please feel free to call if you’d like us to check your eligibility to claim.

What Types of Negligence Can Lead to Cut Fingers in the Workplace?

There are of course many different scenarios that might cause you to cut a finger or fingers at work. Here are a few examples that could result in a compensation claim:

• If you lost the tip of a finger while using a mechanical saw at work because a safety guard was missing.
• Where you cut through your fingers while cutting branches from a tree because your employer had not trained you on how to use a chainsaw safely.
• If you sustained deep cuts on your fingers while handling glass sheets due to insufficient protective gloves and training.
• While working on an assembly line, your finger was cut by a strapping machine because you’d not been provided with safety gloves and this resulted in tendon and ligament damage.
• If you cut a finger while chopping vegetables in a commercial kitchen because the knife was defective or the cutting board was unstable.
• If you suffered cuts to several fingers while operating a faulty conveyor belt that lacked necessary safety guards and emergency stop mechanisms.

We’ve likely not described the sort of incident that you were involved in but you could still be entitled to start a claim. Therefore, please feel free to call to discuss your accident with a specialist.

What Should I Do If I Cut My Finger at Work?

Like your employer, you will have some obligations when it comes to health and safety in the workplace. As such, if you cut your finger at work, you should:

• Seek medical treatment at A&E or visit your GP rather than relying on first aid because professional diagnosis and treatment could help you to recover sooner.
• Tell your employer about how the accident happened so that they can think about any changes that might prevent future injuries.
• Ensure that the details are logged in the accident report book.

As well as fulfilling your health and safety requirements, taking these steps could help if you decide to claim compensation for a cut finger at a later date.

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

Collecting evidence is an important part of any accident at work claim. The right information can help to strengthen a cut finger compensation claim if it shows how the accident occurred, the extent of your injuries and why your employer was to blame.

Here are some examples of the types of evidence you could collect to try and prove your case:

• Periodic photographs of your finger injuries as you recover (with timestamps where possible).
• A copy of the accident report form so that your employer can’t deny the accident occurred.
• Medical records from the hospital or medical facility where you were treated.
• Video footage of your accident and photographs from the accident scene to help prove the cause.
• Contact information for any potential witnesses to your accident.

Your solicitor may look to obtain further evidence on your behalf if your claim proceeds. However, you should try to collect as much information as you can in the immediate aftermath of your accident i.e. before the cause of the incident is replaced, removed or repaired.

How Long Do I Have to Claim Cut Finger at Work Compensation?

In UK law, the Limitation Act 1980 places a 3-year time limit on all personal injury claims. This time limit normally begins on the date that you cut your finger at work as the injury will generally be immediately apparent. However, if you were under 18 years old when your finger was cut, the three-year limit starts from your 18th birthday, which gives you until you reach 21 to make the claim.

While 3 years is a long time, there are some tasks that will need to be carried out before your claim can be submitted such as requesting medical records and gathering witness statements.

Therefore, it’s usually best to begin your claim as soon as you can to try and avoid it being filed outside of the allowable timeframes.

How Much Compensation for a Cut Finger at Work?

The level of compensation paid for a cut finger at work can depend largely on which finger was cut and the extent of your suffering. For instance, a worker who suffered deep lacerations to the middle fingers causing damage to tendons and a permanent loss of grip might get compensation of £10,320 to £16,340. On the other hand, a worker who cut some of the tip off their little finger might expect £3,950 to £5,860 compensation where some sensitivity remains.

To determine what a claim should be valued at, your solicitor will use Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) along with medical evidence they’ve gathered. Crucially, this could also take account of any psychological suffering you might have endured as well as your physical suffering.

You might also be entitled to claim back any costs associated with your cut finger. For instance, you may be able to claim for:

• The cost of travelling to and from medical appointments and other travel costs.
• Prescription fees and, in some cases, the cost of private hospital treatment.
• Care at home costs if you need support while you recover.
• Lost income and future loss of earnings.
• The cost of specialist devices at home if your cut fingers have resulted in a loss of grip or other disabilities.

If you are represented by one of our solicitors, they will review your case in fine detail to try and ensure that all of your suffering is considered before your claim is filed.

Can I Claim Compensation for Cut Fingers if I’m Not Employed Full-Time?

If you work as a temp, you have the same rights as full-time workers when it comes to workplace health and safety. That’s also true for consultants, sub-contractors, the self-employed, agency staff, part-time workers and those working on a zero-hours basis.

As such, if you can prove that your finger was cut at work because your employer has been negligent, one of our solicitors could help you to claim compensation for your suffering.

To check your eligibility to start a cut finger claim, call the number above now.

Do You Need a Solicitor to Make a Work Injury Claim?

Any type of personal injury claim following an accident at work can be complex. It’s not just about winning the claim, it’s about trying to ensure that you receive the right level of compensation. Both may be easier if you hire a specialist solicitor to support you.

Their training and legal expertise could be of real benefit if your employer’s insurance provider contests that the accident happened or that your injuries are as bad as you suggest.

Crucially, our solicitors offer a No Win, No Fee service for personal injuries at work. After you’ve signed a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), they’ll get to work on your behalf without needing to be paid upfront.

The only time you’ll pay for your solicitor’s efforts is if they win compensation for you. If that occurs, they’ll retain a percentage to cover their success fee. For your protection, the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 ensures that the maximum success fee is 25 per cent of your settlement.

To see if you can begin a No Win, No Fee claim, please call us now.

How Long Should the Claims Process Take?

The time it takes to settle a cut finger compensation claim varies from case to case. For instance, if you suffered a finger laceration but it has healed completely and your employer has admitted that they were to blame for your accident, you could receive a compensation payout in as little as 3 to 5 months.

Conversely, if you suffered deep lacerations across multiple fingers, it could take longer for the claim to be processed while medical experts try to ascertain how much you’ll suffer in the future. In these types of cases, claims can take as long as a year or more but, if liability is proven, you could receive interim compensation while your claim is still being processed.

Contacting Us About a Cut Finger Compensation Claim

Are you ready to find out if you could claim compensation for a cut finger at work? If so, you can:

• Call our legal advisors on 0333 241 2519 now.
• Ask one of our online advisors for free advice about your options.

You won’t be pressured into claiming when you contact us but we will assess whether you might be entitled to claim compensation for a cut finger at work for free.