If you have been injured in an accident whilst working in a warehouse because of somebody else’s negligence, you may be eligible to make a warehouse injury claim for compensation.
Whether you’ve been injured in a forklift accident, by a slip, trip, or fall, or because an item of stock has fallen onto you, we could help you claim. Our team of personal injury claims advisors offer free consultations to give potential claimants advice on their options. If they advise you to proceed with making a warehouse injury claim, we could appoint a personal injury solicitor from our team on a No Win No Fee basis. That means there are no solicitors’ fees payable unless you receive compensation.
To find out if you can claim compensation for an accident in a warehouse right away, please call our team on 0800 6524 881. Alternatively, please continue reading to learn more about the warehouse injury claims process.
Table of contents
- Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For An Accident In A Warehouse?
- Evidence To Support A Warehouse Injury Claim
- How Much Compensation For A Warehouse Injury Claim?
- Common Causes Of Accidents In Warehouses
- Common Types Of Injuries From Warehouse Accidents
- Preventing Accidents And Injuries In Warehouses
- Time Limits That Apply To Workplace Accident Claims
- How A Personal Injury Solicitor Can Help With Your Claim
Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For An Accident In A Warehouse?
Warehouses can be vast working environments and, as such, not all risks can realistically be avoided. Therefore, before accepting your claim, a solicitor will need to check the following:
- Did your employer owe you a duty of care?
- Were they negligent in some way and did that lead to an accident in a warehouse?
- Were you injured as a direct result of the accident?
If you are able to answer yes to all three questions, you could be eligible to make a warehouse injury claim.
Evidence To Support A Warehouse Injury Claim
Some steps you could take following a warehouse accident that could improve your chances of receiving compensation include:
- Report the warehouse accident. When you tell your employer that you’ve been involved in an accident in the warehouse, they should log it and report your accident at work. You are entitled to a copy of their report. This could be important in your claim as it would make it hard for your employer to deny that the warehouse accident took place.
- Photograph the scene. Before anything is moved from the accident scene, try to take a photograph. Ideally, this will show the root cause of the incident.
- Speak to any witnesses. Where your employer denies liability for the accident, your solicitor could ask any witnesses to explain what they saw. Therefore, make a note of the contact details of anyone who saw what happened.
- Seek medical treatment. Importantly, you shouldn’t rely solely on first aid. You should also attend A&E or a minor injuries unit to have your injuries checked over. Later on, your medical records could be requested to help prove your injuries and the treatment you had to endure.
- Obtain CCTV footage. Many warehouses have CCTV cameras in place to protect staff and stock. If your accident was captured on camera, you are legally entitled to a copy of the footage.
The next step you could take to help you is to call our free advice line. We will review your evidence with you and explain if anything further is required.
How Much Compensation For A Warehouse Injury Claim?
When your solicitor files your warehouse injury claim, they’ll typically base a settlement amount on two heads of loss:
- General damages. This is where you claim for the pain, suffering, and loss of amenity the accident in the warehouse has caused. Loss of amenity puts a financial value on things that you can’t do because of your injuries (even temporarily). For example, if you enjoy playing a sport but can’t because of your injuries, it could be factored into your claim.
- Special damages. Where you claim back any expenses, costs or losses linked to your warehouse injuries. This part of the claim could recover any medical expenses, travel costs, care costs, lost earnings and future lost earnings.
Your appointed solicitor may need you to undergo a medical assessment to help prove the extent of your injuries. Your solicitor will therefore book an appointment with an independent medical expert which can usually be arranged locally.
Warehouse Injury Claims Compensation Calculator
We have provided the warehouse injury claims compensation calculator below to demonstrate what amount of compensation could be paid for a wide range of personal injuries. The amounts we have provided are based on the general damages guidelines provided by the Judicial College. These are the same figures used by personal injury solicitors and insurers when settling warehouse injury claims.
Please note, these amounts can vary and they only form one part of your claim (general damages). As shown above, any financial costs (special damages) could be added to the value of your claim as well.
Should you require any advice on what your warehouse injury claim might be worth, please call our team today.
Common Causes Of Accidents In Warehouses
There are plenty of scenarios that could result in a warehouse injury compensation claim. While we can’t list all of them here, we’ve provided a few examples for you. Therefore, if you can’t see an example that matches your own incident here, don’t worry. Speak with an advisor today and they’ll let you know if you could start a claim.
Accidents that are more common in warehouses include:
- Malfunctioning equipment accident;
- Falls from heights such as ladders or high shelves;
- Being hit by objects falling from height, such as containers stacked incorrectly or boxes stacked too high;
- Exposure to toxic and hazardous substances such as corrosive or poisonous chemicals;
- Wrongful handling of heavy equipment;
- Slips, trips and falls on slippery surfaces or over obstacles strewn around the place;
- Accidents involving heavy vehicles such as forklift trucks and container trucks;
- If you’ve fallen because of a wet or slippery floor where no warning signs were used
- Where you sustain an injury because you weren’t given protective equipment.
- Exposure to loud noises.
Common Types Of Injuries From Warehouse Accidents
Warehouse accidents can result in several different types of injuries including, but not limited to:
- Manual handling injuries while moving or lifting heavy items;
- Sprains, strains, pulled muscles and torn ligaments;
- Cuts, bruises and lacerations;
- Burns;
- Back injuries;
- Neck or shoulder strain or sprain injuries from lifting heavy items;
- Dislocations;
- Broken or fractured bones;
- Limb and joint injuries;
- Amputation;
- Head and brain injuries;
- Spinal cord injuries;
- Loss of eyesight;
- Repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome;
- Loss of hearing;
- Tinnitus.
Please call today if you’d like us to review your chances of being compensated.
Preventing Accidents And Injuries In Warehouses
According to the law, employers are responsible for conducting a thorough risk assessment of the warehouse. This is particularly important because every warehouse is unique and may require a unique set of precautionary measures.
Depending on the results of the risk assessment, employers are legally required to put measures in place in order to minimise the risk to all warehouse workers and visitors. If the employer fails to follow the recommended safety guidelines and a worker is injured as a result, the employer is liable to pay compensation.
While the precautionary measures will differ from one warehouse to another, depending on the industry and the size of the warehouse itself, in general all employers are required to do the following:
- Ensure there is proper supervision in the workplace;
- Provide all workers with the appropriate personal protective equipment such as hard hats, safety goggles, gloves, work boots and /or weight lifting belts;
- Provide all workers with extensive training on how to use various equipment, with special emphasis on the hazards of the workplace;
- Ensure all items are stacked on racks and shelves properly;
- Make sure there are no obstacles in the way that can cause slip and fall accidents at work;
- Put up easily visible warning signs where appropriate.
If you’ve suffered an injury in the warehouse due to your employer failing to protect your health and safety, please get in touch with us today if you’d like to discuss your options.
Time Limits That Apply To Workplace Accident Claims
When you claim compensation for a workplace accident, a 3-year time limit will apply. Generally, the time limit for warehouse injury claims will begin from the date of your accident. However, in some cases, it could be extended if your injuries weren’t diagnosed until a later date, for example, if you’ve suffered noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This is referred to as the date of knowledge.
We would always advise that it’s best to begin your claim as early as possible. That’s because if you leave it too late, you might find it difficult to recall exactly what happened. Furthermore, your solicitor might not have enough time to arrange a medical assessment if required or to gather the evidence needed to support your case.
We are here if you need us to check how long you have left to claim or if you have any other questions.
How A Personal Injury Solicitor Can Help With Your Claim
When you seek compensation from your employer, you’ll need to prove to your employer’s insurance provider the exact nature of the warehouse accident and your injuries, and why your employer is ultimately to blame for them. Doing this alone can be tricky and it’s the reason we suggest you take on legal representation.
If your case is taken on by one of our personal injury solicitors, they will:
- Review your claim thoroughly so that they are aware of how your injuries have affected you.
- Contact your employer to let them know you are claiming.
- Arrange for your medical assessment.
- Handle communication with your employer and their insurer so you don’t need to deal with them.
- Provide regular updates about the progress of your warehouse injury claim.
- Answer any queries you might think of.
- Try to counter any objections over liability for your injuries or the warehouse accident.
- Aim to secure the highest level of compensation possible in your case.
All of this work will be carried out on a No Win No Fee basis if one of our solicitors works for you.
Will I Get The Sack For Making A Warehouse Injury Claim Against My Employer?
One last thing to mention is that it is illegal for you to be sacked or punished in some other way for claiming compensation against them. Your employer cannot single you out, demote you, sack you, or discipline you for making a warehouse injury claim. If that were to happen, you’d have grounds to start a separate claim for constructive or unfair dismissal.
Please call us today if you believe you have a warehouse injury claim and would like to take action on 0800 6524 881.