Conveyor belts are very useful pieces of machinery that can greatly speed up work process, while reducing the risk of manual handling injuries. Like all work equipment, conveyors need to be adequately maintained and staff trained in the safe operation of them. If this doesn’t happen, potentially serious injuries could occur. With this in mind, we’ve created this guide to conveyor belt accident at work claims.
Our panel of personal injury experts can support your claim from start to finish if you meet the eligibility requirements. The solicitors we work with can use their considerable experience to your advantage, providing a range of tailored services and support to give your potential accident at work claim the best chance of success. From providing expert legal advice to calculating your total damages, our panel of personal injury lawyers will be with you every step of the way.
Key Questions
- Can I claim conveyor belt injury compensation? Yes, you could claim compensation for a conveyor built injury if your employer failed to maintain the conveyor or train staff in its operation.
- How can I prove the conveyor belt was faulty? Evidence, including photographs, CCTV footage and any workplace documents, can all help show that a fault with the conveyor caused your injuries.
- What if I need to be off work for a while? If you are off work due to conveyor belt injuries, you can be compensated for any lost earnings as well as other costs.
- What are my employer’s legal obligations? Employers are legally obligated to keep their employees safe while at work, including regular inspections and maintenance of any work equipment.
- Can I claim on a No Win No Fee basis after a conveyor accident? Yes, our panel of solicitors work under a specific No Win No Fee contract.
You can contact our advisers at any time for a free consultation. They can provide you with both free and confidential advice regarding your potential personal injury claim.
To do this, you can:
- Call 0800 408 7825
- Complete our form to contact us
- Use the live support window below to speak with an adviser
Choose A Section
- Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims Eligibility Criteria
- What Can Cause A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work?
- Ways To Gather Evidence For Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims
- How Much Can I Claim For A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work?
- Can I Claim With The Help Of A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
- More Support With Claiming For A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work
Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims Eligibility Criteria
Conveyor belts may be used in some workplaces to transport items from one place to another. These workplaces could include factories, airports, and food processing plants.
To make a conveyor belt accident at work claim, you must prove employer negligence. This means:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care at the location and time of your accident
- Your employer breached this duty of care
- As a result of the breach, you sustained physical injuries and/or psychological harm
Employer duty of care is laid out by the Health and Safety At Work etc. Act 1974. This states that employers must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the safety and health of their employees. This can include providing employees with the correct level of training to work with a conveyor belt and carrying out risk assessments.
The Time Limits For Accident At Work Claims
After an accident at work that meets the definition of employer negligence, you generally have 3 years from the date of the accident to begin a claim. This is established by the Limitation Act 1980, which outlines the time limitations for personal injury claims.
However, there are some exceptions to this 3-year time limit. If you would like to learn more about how these exceptions may apply to your potential claim, please speak to our team.
What Can Cause A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work?
An accident involving a conveyor belt could occur in the workplace for various reasons, for example:
- An employee is not provided with any training to work with a conveyor belt.
- The speed of the conveyor belt or production line is too fast.
- The conveyor belt is not correctly maintained, leading to faults.
- There are spillages on the floor near the conveyor belt or obstructed walkways that create a fall risk.
This could lead to an accident in which an employee sustains injuries that range in severity from minor to severe. Examples of the injuries that you could suffer in a conveyor belt accident include:
- Lacerations, cuts and grazes
- Broken bones and fractures
- Amputations
- Dislocations
- Degloving
If you sustained an injury at work because your employer breached the duty of care owed to you at the time and location of your accident, you may be eligible to pursue compensation. Speak to our advisers to learn more.
Ways To Gather Evidence For Conveyor Belt Accident At Work Claims
Conveyor belt accident claims, like any type of workplace accident claim, must be supported by relevant evidence. You can instruct a solicitor to help you gather proof, but there is never a bad time to get started yourself if you’re able to. For example, you could try and get:
- Photos of the scene, plus any injuries that are visible.
- CCTV footage. If your place of work has a CCTV camera, you could apply to receive the footage.
- Medical evidence. For example, you could get a copy of test results or X-rays that show the extent of your harm.
- A copy of the workplace accident book report. Make sure that the person responsible for updating the accident logs reports what happened, and check their entry to confirm its accuracy.
- Contact details for potential witnesses to the incident.
You should look for evidence that highlights how the accident happened, who or what caused it, and how it affected you.
If you’d like more guidance on collecting evidence for conveyor belt accident at work claims, simply call our team of advisors for a free chat.
How Much Can I Claim For A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work?
The award for a successful personal injury case can be divided into two separate heads of claim: general and special damages. General damages can compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries, which could be physical and/or psychological.
To help them assess this head of claim, injury at work solicitors can refer to a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This provides compensation bracket guidelines for different types of injuries. Therefore, we have referred to the JCG to create the table below.
Guideline Compensation Table
Please remember that this table is a guide. The top line is the only one that cannot be found in the JCG.
| Injury | Severity | Guideline Compensation Brackets |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Conveyer Belt Accident Injuries Plus Lost Earnings and Other Financial Loss | Very Severe | Up to £500,000+ |
| Arm Amputation | (b)(i) Loss of One Arm At Shoulder Level | Not Less Than £167,380 |
| Arm Amputation | (b)(ii) Loss of One Arm Above the Elbow | £133,810 to £159,770 |
| Arm Injuries | (a) Severe | £117,360 to £159,770 |
| Arm Injuries | (b) Injuries that Result in Permanent Substantial Disablement | £47,810 to £73,050 |
| Hand Injuries | (c) The Complete or Effective Loss of One Hand | £117,360 to £133,810 |
| Hand Injuries | (d) Amputation of Index and Ring and/or Middle Fingers | £75,550 to £110,750 |
| Hand Injuries | (f) Severe Fractures of Fingers | Up to £44,840 |
| Wrist Injuries | Complete Loss of Function | £58,710 to £73,050 |
| Back Injuries | (b)(ii) Moderate | £15,260 to £33,880 |
Additionally, you could be eligible to receive special damages to compensate you for the financial losses resulting from your injuries. For example, special damages could account for:
- Loss of earnings, past and future
- Care costs
- Travel expenses
- Housing adaptations
It is important that you provide evidence of these financial losses. This could include invoices, payslips and travel tickets. Contact our advisers to learn more about the compensation you could be eligible to receive for your potential personal injury claim for a conveyor belt accident in the workplace.
Can I Claim With The Help Of A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
A personal injury solicitor could help you to compile evidence and present a complete claim. What’s more, they could offer their services under the terms of a type of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This would mean that you wouldn’t have to pay for your solicitor’s services upfront or during the ongoing claims process. Also, they generally wouldn’t charge you for their services if your claim fails.
This type of agreement also means that your solicitor can deduct a success fee from the compensation in the event your claim succeeds. This fee is calculated as a percentage that is subject to a legislative cap, which means that you always receive the majority of the compensation.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about pursuing workplace accident compensation, our advisers can help. They can offer you a free consultation at a time that is most convenient for you. Additionally, if our advisers discover that you may have valid grounds to make a workplace injury claim, they could put you in touch with one of the No Win No Fee solicitors on our panel.
To make an enquiry, you can:
- Call 0800 408 7825
- Complete our form to contact us
- Use the live support window below to speak with an adviser
More Support With Claiming For A Conveyor Belt Accident At Work
Below, you can find some more resources that may help you with your case.
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) – Information from GOV.UK
- Reportable Incidents – Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on which incidents an employer must report
- First Aid – Information from the NHS
If you still have any questions about conveyor belt accident at work claims, please get in touch.