Angle grinders are commonly used in construction as they can cut through hard materials quickly. However, there are several risks associated with the use of angle grinders that, if not managed properly, could result in serious injuries. As employers have a duty of care to try and keep their staff safe, you could be compensated for any injury resulting from the use of an angle grinder if your employer was to blame. In this angle grinder accident claims guide, we’ll explain the types of negligence that could allow you to claim and the injuries you could be compensated for.

We are here to help if you want to check if you could claim compensation for an angle grinder injury. A specialist advisor will listen to what happened, answer any questions and give free legal advice about your options. If your claim appears to have a fair chance of success, one of our personal injury solicitors may agree to represent you. If that’s the case, you won’t need to pay any legal fees upfront as your claim will be managed on a No Win No Fee basis.

To find out more about angle grinder accident claims, please read on or call our team on 0800 6524 881 if you’d like to discuss your case right away.

Common Uses Of Angle Grinders

Angle grinders are handheld tools that are most commonly used for:

Angle grinders are also known as disc cutters due to the spinning disc that is used to perform the task at hand. The dangers associated with angle grinders are linked to the speed at which they spin and the abrasiveness of some of the discs used for cutting.

Am I Eligible To Make An Angle Grinder Accident Claim?

Legally, employers have a duty of care towards the welfare of their staff as established by laws such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Control Of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005.

Before one of our personal injury solicitors agrees to accept an angle grinder accident claim, they’ll check whether:

• Your employer breached their duty of care through an act of negligence; and
• An accident involving an angle grinder occurred; and
• You were left injured from the accident.

Proving how you suffered and why your employer was responsible for an accident with an angle grinder can be tricky. We believe your chances of doing so increase if you have a specialist injury solicitor on your side. You can help them to prove what happened by supplying evidence. Therefore, we’ll explain what could be used a little later on.

Common Injuries From Angle Grinders

Some injuries caused by angle grinders can be minor and allow fast recovery. However, due to the nature of powerful handtool injuries, many are more serious and can be life-changing. Among the most common injuries that lead to angle grinder accident claims include:

Eye Injuries

It is obviously vital that safety equipment is worn at all times when using angle grinders but unfortunately we do see a number of claimants seeking compensation for eye injuries at work. The range of compensation available can be anywhere between £2,200 for a transient eye injury all the way up to £268,720 for loss of sight. The type of eye injury and the longevity of the effect on the victim’s vision will dictate the level of compensation.

Burn Injuries

There is no separate range of compensation for burn injuries as it will simply depend upon the severity of the injuries and the impact on the claimant’s life. While the majority of angle grinder burn injuries tend to be relatively minor, relatively minor scars might attract compensation of around £1,710 whereas very severe scarring could be in the region of £97,330.

Amputation Of Fingers/Hands

While minor hand injuries can attract compensation up to around £4,750, moderate and serious hand injuries from angle grinder accidents, for example, amputation of fingers/thumbs, severe crushing injuries leaving hands of little use can lead to compensation payments of up to £201,490 at the most severe.

Cuts And Abrasions From Angle Grinders

The majority of soft tissue damage, cuts and lacerations from angle grinders tend to heal fairly quickly and usually attract compensation up to a maximum of £2,450. Unfortunately, there are situations where deeper more serious cuts and abrasions are received when using angle grinders, and facial scars, in particular, can receive significant amounts of compensation.

Whatever type of injury you’ve sustained, please get in touch and we’ll review your chances of being compensated for free.

Employer Negligence Leading To Compensation Claims

As shown above, you can only sue your employer if you were injured in an angle grinding accident at work if they were negligent in some way. Essentially, your accident must’ve been caused by your employer’s actions or lack of action.

Some examples of when a compensation claim might be possible include:

• If the angle grinder provided by your employer was faulty, not fit for purpose or poorly maintained.
• Where you’d not been trained on how to use the tool safely.
• If a lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) led to your injuries (gloves, eyewear etc).
• If your employer failed to consider using a low-vibration angle grinder.
• Where you were asked to use an angle grinder for prolonged periods (especially in cold or damp conditions).
• If you were told to use the angle grinder by your employer where there was clearly inadequate lighting to see what you were doing.

Even if you don’t see a scenario that matches your own above, please get in touch to see if could be compensated for your injuries.

How Much Compensation For An Angle Grinder Accident Claim?

If you make an angle grinder injury claim, you’ll need to carefully consider what you should be compensated for. General damages can be sought to cover any pain and suffering while special damages could cover any out-of-pocket expenses. For example, you could claim compensation for:

• Any physical pain you’ve suffered.
• Mental health injuries such as PTSD.
• Lost income (how to calculate loss of earnings).
• The time that was spent by somebody else providing care for you.
• Any negative impact on your usual hobbies or family activities.
• Medical expenses.
• Travel costs.
• Replacing items that were destroyed or badly damaged during the accident (clothes, jewellery etc).
• Adaptations in your home or vehicle to improve your quality of life if you’ve been left disabled.

Importantly, you can only claim compensation once for the injuries you’ve suffered from the angle grinder once the claim is settled so it’s important to include everything when you do file your claim. If you work with a solicitor from our team, they’ll review your claim thoroughly and try to ensure you’re fairly compensated.

Injury Compensation Calculator

The amount of compensation awarded for angle grinder injuries varies from case to case. Therefore, we can’t say exactly what payout you might get until your claim has been properly assessed. However, our compensation calculator will give you some indications:

Please bear in mind that although the amounts listed are based on figures advised by the Judicial College they are simply guideline amounts and therefore not guaranteed.

Medical Assessments For Angle Grinder Injuries

To ascertain the severity of your injuries, you must have an independent medical assessment as part of the claims process. Usually, this will be carried out locally by a medical expert who shall examine your injuries as well as discuss with you how you’ve been affected. The report that follows the appointment will help your solicitor to determine how much compensation you’ll claim.

Evidence To Support An Angle Grinder Accident Claim

If you are unfortunate enough to be an employee injured at work by an angle grinder and decide to make a personal injury claim, you’ll need to provide evidence to show how you’ve suffered and who was to blame. Taking the steps below could all help you to provide that evidence if you do decide to proceed:

• Get medical treatment. Due to the nature of angle grinder injuries, it’s important to visit A&E or your GP for assessment and treatment. Later on, medical records could be used to prove the nature of your injuries.
• Report the accident. It is important to tell your employer about the accident as soon as possible. They will record it in the accident report book and may need to inform the HSE. Any reports could be obtained later on to prove where and when the accident occurred.
• Speak to witnesses. Ask anybody else who saw you get injured for their contact details. They may be asked to provide a statement for your solicitor later on if necessary.
• Take photographs. Pictures of the angle grinder and any visible injuries can be useful tools to establish the cause of the accident and how you’ve suffered.
• Secure camera footage. If your accident was caught on a security camera, ask your employer for a copy of the footage. This won’t typically be kept for long so you should act as quickly as possible.

In addition to the above, it’s a good idea to write down as much information about your accident as possible. This should include the date, time and location of your accident at work. Additionally, you should track how much money you’ve lost and any normal activities you couldn’t carry out while you were injured.

Work Accident Claims Time Limits

In law, there is a 3-year time limit to start a work accident claim in the UK. This will commence from:

• The date you were injured by an angle grinder; or
• The date your doctor diagnosed HAVS or a similar industrial condition associated with the use of an angle grinder.

To make it easier to gather evidence to support your claim, we’d suggest that you seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Straightforward claims can take as little as 6 months to be settled. However, more complex cases can sometimes take more than a year.

Starting The Angle Grinder Accident Claims Process

Our specialists are here to help if you’ve decided to sue for an angle grinder injury so please call us today on 0800 6524 881 to see if you could be compensated for your suffering.

There’s no obligation to proceed but if your claim is accepted, your solicitor will manage everything on a No Win No Fee basis.

The live chat team is on hand now if you’d like to know anything further about making an angle grinder accident claim.