What the law requires
An employer must provide a safe place of work, safe equipment, safe systems of work and competent colleagues. In a warehouse that means racking that is inspected, loads that are stable, walkways separated from vehicles, and training that actually happened rather than a form that was signed.
Most warehouse injuries are traceable to a system that was written down and not followed, which is why the paperwork matters as much as the incident itself.
What decides a claim like this
Liability is established on records far more often than on recollection. In this kind of claim the documents that matter most are:
- Racking inspection records — statutorily expected, and frequently missing or overdue.
- The traffic-route plan separating pedestrians from forklifts and other plant.
- Forklift operator licensing and the maintenance log for the vehicle involved.
- The written risk assessment for the task, and whether you were ever shown it.
What to do now
The evidence that decides these claims has a short life. If the accident was recent:
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1
Report it in the accident book Every workplace with ten or more staff must keep one. Ask for a copy of the entry you signed.
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2
Tell your GP An early medical record is what links the injury to the work, which is often the point in dispute.
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3
Note who saw it Colleagues move on. A name and a mobile number now is worth more than a perfect memory later.
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4
Keep what you were given Training records, the equipment involved, the rota and any risk assessment you were shown.
How long you have to claim
The general limitation period for a personal injury claim is three years from the date of the accident, or from the date you first knew the injury was significant and attributable to someone else. If you were under 18 at the time, the three years runs from your eighteenth birthday. Where the injured person lacks mental capacity, time may not run at all.\n\nThe practical deadline is shorter than the legal one. CCTV is overwritten, defects are repaired and records are archived, so a claim started early is almost always a stronger claim.
How we work
We assess the claim, obtain the records that decide it, instruct an independent medical expert and deal with the insurer throughout. Personal injury claims of this kind are run on a No Win, No Fee agreement: there is nothing to pay upfront, and nothing to pay us for our work if the claim does not succeed. A success fee is deducted from the compensation if it does, and we set that out in writing before you commit to anything.