How to Claim Compensation for Eye Injury in Factory Accident
This article explains some of the reasons why you might – or might not – qualify for compensation for eye injury in factory accident and the procedures you should follow after injuring your eye in an accident at work to support an accident at work injured eye claim for compensation.
A brief explanation of how to claim for injuries to eyes in factory accident is also included; however, as all claims for eye accidents in factory are unique, it is always in your best interests to discuss the specific circumstances of your work injury with a solicitor at the first practical opportunity.
Your first priority should always be your health and, if you have not already done so, you should seek professional medical treatment for the damage to your eye. No amount of factory eye injury accident compensation will ever make up for a long term health issue which could have been avoided by timely medical attention and, to support your claim for injuring an eye in factory, you will need a doctor to complete the Injuries Board Medical Assessment Form B.
Claims for Eye Accidents in Factory and the Duty of Care of Employers
In order to be eligible to claim compensation for eye injury in factory accident, you must have sustained an eye injury which could have been avoided had your employer – or other person with responsibility for your health and safety – fulfilled his or her duty of care to provide you with a safe working environment.
An employer´s “duty of care” covers all his or her responsibilities to prevent eye injuries wherever possible, and would include performing risk assessments to identify foreseeable hazards, providing training and supervision, and supplying personal protective equipment where necessary to eliminate the risk of an employee sustaining an eye injury in the factory.
Should an employer fail in their duty of care to eliminate the risk of an injury, and you subsequently sustain an eye injury as a result, you should be entitled to make an accident at work injured eye claim for compensation. It should be noted, however, that an employer´s duty of care is not “absolute” and, if your eye is injured in an accident at work which could not have been foreseen, claims for eye accidents in factory are unlikely to be successful.
Reporting Factory Accidents
It is important that your injured eye factory accident is recorded in your employer´s “Accident Report Book”. Although a copy of this report is not sent to the Injuries Board when applying for an assessment of compensation for eye injury in factory accident, reporting an injured eye work accident may initiate a Health and Safety Authority (HSA) investigation which could determine your employer´s liability in your claim for injuring an eye in factory.
If liability can be established before making claims for eye accidents in factory, it should speed up the Injuries Board process or may enable a solicitor acting on your behalf to negotiate a settlement of factory eye injury accident compensation without the need for witness statements or photographic evidence of your employer´s negligence.
If the damage to your eye is so severe that you are unable to report your injured eye factory accident – or your employer fails to give you access to the Accident Report Book – you should speak with a solicitor. Injured eye work accidents can be reported online at the HSA web site, but you will need an approval code to use the service and it may be a lot simpler for a solicitor to generate a report on your behalf and then use it in support of an accident at work injured eye claim for compensation.
How Much is a Claim for Injuring an Eye in Factory Worth?
The amount of compensation for eye injury in factory accident you will be entitled to receive will depend on the location, nature and severity of your injury in relation to your age, sex and general state of health prior to the accident in which your eye was injured. Financial values for injuries to the eye can be found in the Book of Quantum, but these values only account for the physical pain and suffering you experience at the time of your eye injury and not for the “inconvenience of incapacity” that might result from damaging an eye at work.
Claims for eye accidents in factory should include compensation for the impact that your damaged eye has on your ability to complete everyday domestic duties and your incapacity to participate in leisure pursuits or enjoy an active social life. There is very little opportunity to account for this “loss of amenity” when making a claim for injuring an eye in factory through the Injuries Board process, and this is a further reason why you should speak with solicitor with experience of making a claim for injuries to eyes in factory accident – to ensure you receive your full entitlement to factory eye injury accident compensation.
The amounts you are claiming for expenses, lost income and any other costs you have incurred due to your eye injury are then added to the compensation values above to finalise how much your accident at work injured eye claim for compensation is worth. You may also be able to recover any legal costs you have incurred in pursuit of your claim for injuring an eye in factory, fares paid to use alternative forms of transport if you can no longer drive and for any relevant future medical costs.
Unsolicited Offers of Eye Injury Compensation from Insurance Companies
You should always speak with a solicitor if you are directly approached by an insurance company with an unsolicited offer of factory eye injury accident compensation. Insurance companies are often made aware of injured eye factory accidents when a report is made in the employer´s “Accident Report Book”, and may make an approach even before you have considered making a claim for injuring an eye in factory.
The purpose of the insurance company´s approach is to reduce how much compensation for eye injury in factory accident they will have to pay you and even if you are concerned about your short-term finances, you should refrain from accepting an insurance company´s unsolicited offer of compensation until you have discussed your claim for injuries to eyes in factory accident with a solicitor.
By their approach, the insurance company has effectively admitted your employer´s liability for the injury to your eye, and your solicitor will be able to engage in direct negotiations with the insurance company to obtain a full and satisfactory settlement of your accident at work injured eye claim for compensation – organising interim payments until the claim is resolved if necessary.
Always Speak With a Solicitor
You do not necessarily need a solicitor in order to make claims for eye accidents in factory, but it is often in your best interests to do so. In addition to acting as a go-between between yourself and your employer, and dealing with any complications that may arise while making a claim for injuries to eyes in factory accident, a solicitor has the experience to ensure you receive your full entitlement to factory eye injury accident compensation – whether your claim for injuring an eye in factory is resolved via the Injuries Board, by negotiation with your employer´s insurers or through court action.
Most solicitors will offer an assessment of your accident at work injured eye claim for compensation without charge if you have sustained an injury in an accident at work for which you were not entirely to blame, and provide you with answers to any questions you may have in regard to your eligibility to claim compensation for eye injury in factory accident. As it is often in your best interest to have evidence collected in support of your claim for injuries to eyes in factory accident while it is still fresh, it is recommended that you speak with a solicitor about the circumstances of your eye injury in factory accident without delay.
