Facial Injury at Work – A Guide to Claiming Compensation

As well as being painful, a facial injury at work can cause embarrassment and other forms of psychological harm. That’s particularly true if you are left with permanent scarring or facial disfigurement. Crucially, if you’ve suffered facial injuries caused by your employer’s negligence, you might have grounds to sue for compensation. As such, in this guide, we’ll explore how facial injury claims work, when a claim might be possible and how much compensation for facial injuries could be awarded.

We are ready to help if you have any questions about a facial injury at work. Initially, a member of our team will answer your questions and provide a no-obligation assessment of your case. They’ll then provide free legal advice on how you might want to proceed. If your claim appears to be strong enough, you could be connected with one of our accident-at-work solicitors who’ll provide a No Win, No Fee service if your case is taken on.

To arrange a free initial consultation about your claim you can:

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

For more on how facial injury compensation claims work, please read on or get in touch if you have any immediate questions.

Types of Facial Injuries at Work We Can Help With

Before diving into the process of claiming for a personal injury at work, let’s take a quick look at some common facial injuries in the workplace we can help with. They include:

• Broken jaw.
• Facial scarring.
• Damaged eye sockets.
• Broken noses.
• Broken cheekbones.
• Cuts and lacerations.
• Lost or damaged teeth.
• Burns and scalds.

Crucially, anything other than the most minor facial injury at work could entitle you to claim compensation from your employer if they were at fault.

Can I Make a Facial Injury at Work Compensation Claim?

It doesn’t matter what type of work you’re involved in, your employer will have a legal obligation to keep you as safe as possible whilst you’re at work. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 establishes this duty of care.

To try and uphold their safety obligations, employers should take practical steps such as:

• Maintaining equipment so it is safe to use.
• Providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as face shields and protective glasses where needed.
• Carrying out risk assessments of the workplace regularly.
• Training staff on how to perform their job safely.

Where an employer fails to take such actions, they could be deemed negligent and held liable for any linked workplace accident. In turn, employees could then be entitled to claim compensation for any subsequent facial injuries.

Therefore, if you wish to claim compensation for a work-related facial injury, you’ll generally have to prove that:

• At the time of your accident, your employer owed you a legal duty of care; and
• You had an accident at work in the last three years that was caused by your employer’s negligence; and
• The accident caused you to suffer a facial injury or injuries.

Please call our legal advisors now for free advice and to explore your options.

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

Here are a few examples of the types of workplace accidents that might lead to facial injury compensation claims:

• A laboratory technician sustained a facial burn at work after a chemical splash due to improperly labelled containers.
• A factory worker was sprayed in the face with hot oil and suffered extensive facial burns. The foreman was aware of the leaking piece of machinery but had only performed a temporary fix which subsequently failed.
• Whilst clearing tables in a busy pub, a member of staff was punched in the face and suffered a broken jaw. The pub owner was to blame for the incident because they had not put on enough security staff that evening.
• An office worker tripped on a cable being trailed across a corridor between two function rooms. In his fall, the worker hit his face against the wall and suffered a deep laceration.
• An engineer suffered a broken eye socket while she was using a drilling machine at work. The machine was poorly maintained and a safety screen that would’ve prevented the injury had been missing for months.
• A roofer sustained facial injuries at work after falling from scaffolding that was improperly assembled.

Don’t worry if you don’t see an accident similar to yours here. So long as you’ve suffered a facial injury at work and your employer’s negligence caused the accident, you could have grounds to sue them for any subsequent suffering. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.

What Should I Do If I Sustained a Facial Injury in the Workplace?

If you’ve sustained a facial injury at work, consider taking the following steps:

• Visit A&E or your GP as soon as possible so that your facial injuries can be properly assessed and treated by a medical professional.
• Report the incident to your immediate supervisor or manager without delay.
• Ensure the details of the accident are recorded in the company’s accident report book. Request a copy of the report for your records.

By following these steps, you’ll not only secure some crucial evidence for a facial injury claim but also help your employer implement improved safety measures to stop future incidents from occurring.

What Evidence Can Be Used for Facial Injury Claims?

The best way to prove employer liability for a facial injury at work is to gather as much evidence as you can.

Here are some examples of what evidence you might use to strengthen a facial injury claim:

• Before and after photographs of your face if there are any visible signs of injury (scars, bruising, swelling etc).
• Contact information for anyone (workmates, visitors, customers etc) who is a potential witness to your accident.
• Medical records and x-rays to confirm your injuries.
• CCTV footage of your accident as well as any accident scene photographs you’ve collected.
• Your copy of the relevant accident report form.

Please feel free to share any evidence you’ve gathered with one of our specialist advisors if requested. They’ll review it for free and explain your potential next steps as part of your free initial consultation.

How Long Do You Have to Claim Facial Injury Compensation?

In UK law, there is a three-year time limit for work-related injury claims. This means that if you are claiming for a facial injury sustained at work, you typically have three years to file your claim, starting either from the date of the accident or from the date when you first became aware that your facial injury was work-related. However, if the injured person is under 18, the three-year period does not begin until they reach their 18th birthday. For those who lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs, the time limit may not apply until their capacity is restored.

Crucially, the Limitation Act 1980 enables claims that are made too late to become statute-barred. This means that you could miss out on any compensation that you might otherwise have been entitled to.

Therefore, we suggest that you take action as soon as possible after your accident to avoid disappointment. Please call our legal advisors now if you’d like to check how long you have left to start a facial injury claim.

How Much Compensation for Face Injury at Work?

As you might expect, compensation for a face injury at work can vary greatly depending on the severity of the injury and its impact.

The first head of loss that will contribute to any settlement you receive is called general damages. This compensates for any pain, discomfort and loss of amenity your injuries cause.

Solicitors often check the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) when valuing facial injury claims as it contains settlement brackets for a range of different injuries. As such, the following list uses JCG data to demonstrate potential compensation amounts for various facial injuries. However, please note that the amounts displayed are for guidance only and not guaranteed.

• Compensation for fractures of the nose can be in the region of £1,710 – £23,130.
• Compensation for cheekbone fractures can range from about £2,320 – £15,780.
• A fractured jaw could be worth around £6,460 – £8,730.
• Where multiple bones in the face have been fractured, £14,900 – £23,950.
• Where there is facial scarring, compensation can range from £1,710 up to £97,330.

Another head of loss could also contribute to any settlement you receive. Special damages are compensation to cover any financial losses or expenses linked to your facial injuries. They could cover:

• The cost of private plastic surgery and other medical costs.
• Care costs (if somebody needed to support you while you were injured).
• Loss of income – future losses could also be considered here.
• Travel expenses.
• The cost of special medical devices to protect your face if they’ll help more than anything offered by the NHS.

It is crucial to think about all current and future costs you might incur before agreeing to settle a facial injury claim. If you work with one of our solicitors, this is something they’ll help you with to try and ensure that your facial injuries don’t leave you out of pocket.

Will I Get Fired If I Sue My Employer for Negligence?

You mustn’t worry about facing any negative implications for starting a claim for work-related facial injuries.

So long as you’re suing your employer for a genuine facial injury caused by their negligence, it would be illegal for you to be disciplined for an accident at work that caused it, fired, demoted or face any similar consequences. Such actions may even give you grounds to claim for unfair or constructive dismissal.

Do I Need a Solicitor to Make a Facial Injury Claim?

There’s little doubt that using a work injury solicitor to help make a facial injury compensation claim should make the claim a lot smoother and less stressful. That’s because a solicitor will understand the claims process inside and out meaning they will file any information required by the defendant on time and in the correct format.

If you work with a solicitor specialing in injuries at work on our panel, some of the services they may provide in the claims process include:

• Collecting the evidence required to substantiate your claim.
• Filing the claim within the allowable time limits.
• Using their legal knowledge to fight your corner if the claim is contested in any way.
• Ensuring that you receive updates about the case on a regular basis.
• Aiming to ensure that the maximum level of compensation is awarded.

It’s also worth pointing out that if your facial injury claim is accepted, you won’t need to pay your solicitor upfront because of their No Win, No Fee service.

The only time you will need to pay them is if they secure compensation on your behalf. If that happens, you’ll have an agreed percentage of your settlement deducted to cover the solicitor’s success fee.

The percentage you’ll pay if the claim is won will be listed in your Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Legally, if a CFA is used, the maximum success fee percentage is capped at 25 per cent.

Why not contact our legal advisors now to check if you could make a No Win, No Fee facial injury at work claim?

Will I Have to Go to Court?

In our experience, very few people end up in court when making personal injury claims. Generally, a solicitor will work hard to try and achieve a settlement with the defendant’s insurers to prevent time-consuming and costly court hearings.

However, as a last resort, your solicitor could book a day in court if:

• Your employer does not agree that they caused your accident; or
• They don’t agree that your injuries were sustained at work; or
• They offer a settlement that is deemed to be too low.

Crucially, if a court day is booked, an out-of-court settlement can still be achieved right up until the date of the hearing.

How Long Does a Facial Injury Claim Take?

Each compensation claim for facial injuries will vary in length due to several factors. For instance, if you suffered a lacerated ear but made a full recovery after a month or so, your compensation claim could be settled in around 4 to 5 months. This would be dependent on your employer admitting they caused your accident right away.

Conversely, if you have suffered a badly fractured cheekbone that, despite surgery, is still causing you problems a year down the road, your claim would take a lot longer. This is because it’s not usually advisable to settle without fully understanding how your injuries will affect you in the long term.

However, if you are involved in a drawn-out accident at work claim, you might receive interim compensation to cover loss of earnings, care costs or any other immediate expenses.

Contacting Us About a Facial Injury at Work Claim

If you suffered any type of facial injury at work and believe your employer was to blame, we can help. To contact us you can:

• Call 0333 241 2519 to speak to someone now.
• Use our free live chat service any time of day or night.

Our initial advice is free and there’s no obligation to sue your employer for your facial injuries. However, all accepted facial injury at work claims are processed on a No Win, No Fee basis for your peace of mind.