By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 8th October 2025. If you find yourself asking, ‘I hurt myself at work, can I claim compensation?’, you are likely already navigating a difficult time in your life. After all, workplace accidents can leave people facing enduring physical and financial challenges. You may be unsure about your options for claiming compensation, but we’re here to help.
Our team of advisors works 24/7 to help people like you take the first steps towards making a claim. They will explain whether you are eligible to claim against your employer and could connect you with one of our expert workplace accident solicitors. They have represented clients nationwide, always using their experience and knowledge to provide tailored support from start to finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I be fired for making a claim? No, your employer cannot fire you for claiming compensation if you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault.
- What happens if you hurt yourself at work? You’ll want to seek medical attention as soon as possible and ensure that the incident has been reported to your employer.
- How common are workplace accidents? Between 2023 and 2024, 604,000 workers suffered an injury at work in Great Britain.
- What sector has the most workplace accidents? The accommodation/food service had the most self-reported non-fatal workplace injuries (2,818 between 2021/22 and 2023/24).
- Can I claim compensation for lost earnings? Yes, with sufficient evidence, you can recover this financial loss if it was a direct result of your injuries.
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What Is The Procedure I Should Follow After Hurting Myself At Work?
Following an accident at work, you are no doubt wondering, “if I hurt myself at work, what procedure should I follow?” Your employer should have their own procedure in place for dealing with workplace incidents. That being said we have set out a few things you can do here:
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
- Report the accident to your manager, team leader or the responsible person for your workplace.
- Make sure the incident is recorded in the workplace accident book.
- Gather CCTV of the accident if available.
- Take down the contact information of anyone who saw the accident so they can provide a witness statement.
- Seek advice about the possibility of making a claim.
If you have been hurt at work and are looking to claim compensation, contact our advisory team today for a free eligibility assessment. Our team are available 24 hours a day via the contact information provided below.
Reporting That You Injured Yourself At Work
If you’re wondering, “I hurt myself at work, what should I do?”, this section will highlight the importance of reporting accidents in the workplace.
Reporting an injury at work, should be part of any business or organisation’s accident at work procedure. According to RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013), any accident at work defined as a “reportable accident” should be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
If your accident is not a reportable accident, you still need to report your accident to your place of work. This will count as evidence to support your claim. It is also important that your place of work knows what happened, so they can make any adjustments that need to be made to your working environment or how employees carry out their activities, which will better protect you and your colleagues from accidents in the future.
Completing An Accident Report Book
You should make a formal report in the accident logbook as soon as you possibly can. Make sure the details of your accident, as well as the date, time and place are accurately recorded, before you sign.
Collecting Evidence Of Your Accident And Injuries
Evidence will form a key part of your claim. In addition to showing how badly you were hurt at work, which will be important when a solicitor or other party involved in the claims process is calculating potential compensation figures, this evidence will prove the liability of your employer.
Potential evidence examples include:
- Medical evidence
- CCTV footage
- Photographs
- Accident book
- Workplace documents
- Witness contact information (so a statement can be taken later on).
Working with one of our highly experienced accident at work solicitors for your claim will benefit you greatly. A trained legal professional could provide support when gathering evidence, ensuring the proof you collect is robust as well as making sure all court instructions and deadlines are complied with.
To find out if you’re eligible to begin a personal injury claim and ask our advisors what to do after “I hurt myself at work,” get in touch today using the contact information given above.
I Hurt Myself At Work, What Compensation Could I Claim?
If your personal injury claim for being hurt at work is successful, there are up to two heads of loss that could potentially make up your compensation settlement.
The first, general damages, will definitely be awarded if you’re successful. This head of loss compensates you for the physical and psychological effects of your workplace accident. Under this head of loss, these factors are just some that are looked at:
- Loss of amenity.
- The length of the recovery period.
- Pain severity.
You might be asked to attend an independent medical assessment to evaluate the extent of your workplace injury. The reports from this can be compared to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help calculate the value of your general damages. They might do so because the text contains guideline compensation brackets for all sorts of physical and psychological injuries.
In the table below, we have listed some injuries from the JCG, along with their accompanying guideline brackets (except for the top figure, which is not included in the document). Please bear in mind that we cannot guarantee how much compensation you could receive for your specific claim, as all cases are unique.
| Type of injury | Severity | Compensation guideline amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries with special damages | Serious | Up to £250,000+ |
| Neck injury | Severe (i) | In the region of £181,020 |
| Neck injury | Moderate (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 |
| Back injury | Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Back injury | Moderate (i) | £33,880 to £47,320 |
| Wrist injury | (b) Significant permanent disability | £29,900 to £47,810 |
| Wrist injury | (c) Some permanent disability | £15,370 to £29,900 |
| Knee injury | Moderate (i) | £18,110 to £31,960 |
| Knee injury | Moderate (ii) | Up to £16,770 |
| Hand injury | Moderate | £6,910 to £16,200 |
Special Damages
Secondly, special damages might also be awarded if you’re successful. This head of loss compensates you for the financial losses of your workplace injury. This can include:
- Loss of earnings for having time off work during your recovery period, plus future loss of earnings if you’re unable to return to work at all.
- Medical bills, such as mobility aid.
- Travel expenses to and from the hospital.
Since special damages are not guaranteed to be awarded, even if your personal injury claim is successful, you should provide evidence of your monetary losses. This can include bank statements, receipts, invoices, and payslips.
For more information on how compensation is calculated in workplace accident claims, please have a chat with our team today.
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I Hurt Myself At Work – Can I Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
You may be wondering how to claim for an injury at work. A solicitor could help you navigate the legal process. Your claim could be supported by a No Win No Fee solicitor. They may provide their legal services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement.
If you would like to claim because you suffered an injury at work and decide to use the services of a No Win No Fee solicitor, you won’t be charged upfront service fees for their support. They also won’t ask you to pay ongoing fees either.
Should your solicitor recover back injury at work compensation for you, they will take a legally capped percentage from it. This is referred to as a success fee. If they fail to secure a payout, they will not ask you to pay any service fees at all.
If you have any questions about what steps you could take to start the legal process, call our advisors. The advice they give is free. Additionally, they can assess the chances of your claim succeeding. If it seems like you could successfully recover compensation, they could put you in touch with our solicitors. If you hurt yourself due to employer negligence, get in touch today.
To speak to an advisor:
- Start your claim online.
- Call 0800 073 8804.
- Use the live chat.
Recommended Reference Materials
Below, you can find a list of guides which may tell you more about accident at work claims:
- How to claim for a minor injury at work
- Firefighter accident at work claims
- Agency worker accident claims
Thanks for reading our claims guide addressing the question of “I hurt myself at work what should I do?”.