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  • Needlestick Injury Claims

Needlestick Injury Claims

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Needlestick and sharps injuries can have a devastating impact on your health if you become infected by a disease. If you avoid infection, we understand that the fear of falling ill can put great strain on your mental health.

Our workplace injury solicitors could help you claim compensation if you’ve been affected by a needlestick or sharps injury. Contaminated sharps and needlesticks can also carry over 20 different diseases, such as hepatitis and AIDS.

The industries most at risk include:

  • Healthcare
  • Cleaning
  • Waste disposal

It’s unacceptable if you’ve been put at danger by your employer ignoring health and safety guidelines around needlesticks, either by failing to give you the right safety equipment or by failing to dispose of them properly.

Our lawyers have represented thousands of clients who have been injured in workplace accidents, so we have the expertise and tenacity to help you make a successful needlestick injury compensation claim.

We place great importance on rehabilitation for our clients, whether this means enabling you to access specialist medical treatment or counselling to cope with the effects of your injury or illness.

Most of the workplace injury claims we handle are on a No Win No Fee basis, which means that you won’t have to pay any legal fees if your claim is unsuccessful*.

For a free initial consultation about making a claim, call us on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.


No Win No Fee*
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Needlestick Injury Claims - More Information

After you’ve contacted us, we’ll set up a free initial consultation to discuss your case and whether you have a legal claim. We’ll discuss what funding options are available to you to pay for your claim, including No Win No Fee agreements*.

We’ll then get in touch with those responsible for your accident at an early stage to see if they accept the blame for your illness. If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments which can fund private medical care and ongoing expenses, before your claim fully settles. Any interim payments will be taken out of your final compensation award.

Our lawyers will look into your case in detail, gathering evidence from independent medical professionals and health and safety specialists. These experts will analyse how you contracted your illness and can determine any future implications to your health. They’ll also advise us on the care you’ll need in the future and any precautions that need to be implemented in your workplace.

We’ll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the claim process as short as we can. However, if your employer doesn’t accept responsibility or doesn’t agree with the amount of compensation we feel you need, we’ll start court proceedings.

Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim does need to go to court, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way, talking you through what will happen so you feel as comfortable as possible.

Read more about what happens if your case goes to court.

Compensation can make a real difference to your life, ensuring that you can access the healthcare and support to make the best recovery you can. By making a claim with us, we can get you funds which can help pay for:

  • Private healthcare treatment
  • Physiotherapy
  • Psychological therapy
  • Expenses (such as travel costs to hospital appointments)
  • Loss of income
  • Household adaptations

The amount of compensation you receive will depend on the severity of your injuries and the likelihood that you’ll make a full recovery. We’ll seek expert opinions on what care you’ll need to ensure that the compensation we claim will be sufficient.

If your employer accepts responsibility for your accident, we could help you get early compensation payments. Often known as interim payments, these funds will be taken from your final settlement and can help pay for ongoing care costs and expenses, before your claim has settled.


You normally have three years to make a claim from the date of your accident. However, there are some exceptions to this rule:

  • Under 18s – you can claim on behalf of a child who was on work experience or working part-time. No time limits apply in these circumstances until the child turns 18. When the child turns 18 they can make their own claim but the three year time limit will then apply.
  • Mental capacity – you can make a claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the ability to do so themselves, including when someone has suffered a serious head/brain injury as a result of their accident. In these circumstances, no time limits apply.
  • Fatal claims – if you’re claiming on behalf of a loved one who died, you’ll either have three years from the date of their death or the date of the accident to make a claim.

If you have any concerns about the time limits for claiming compensation, we’ll be able to talk through your options in a free initial consultation.

Many of our cases are funded with a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.

At the start of your claim, we’ll discuss the funding options available, advising you which we think is the most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI), or can access support through trade union membership, these may be best for you. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household and car insurance policies, so it’s always worth checking whether you’re already covered.

If we think you’re best supported by a No Win No Fee agreement, we’ll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that will protect you, at no cost to you. You’ll only have to pay anything when your claim is successful – your opponent will pay most of our fees.

Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.

We have experienced solicitors based across the country who specialise in helping people to claim compensation after accidents at work. We know the issues that you and your loved ones may be facing, and we can answer all of your questions in plain English.

As well as helping you claim compensation, we can also help with your rehabilitation and recovery. If you can’t work because of your illness, then we can also advise you on benefit entitlement and arrange for the best possible support to help you recover.

Having helped many other people who have suffered as a result of needlestick injuries, we can use our experience to get a positive outcome for you and your family.

Meet the team

Client Jaxx Cave

I'm relieved that I can continue to improve my recovery by accessing specialist rehabilitation services which have helped me get this far."

Jaxx, client

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Make A Claim?

If you’ve suffered a needlestick injury at work and your employer hadn’t taken reasonable steps to protect you, we could help you make a claim. We’ve previously helped workers in various roles to claim for their needlestick injuries, including individuals who work in the following industries:

  • Waste management/cycling
  • Hospitals
  • Social care
  • Cleaning services

Our lawyers can handle claims on behalf of employees, contractors, members of the public and visitors to the workplace. We could even help you with your needlestick injury claim if you’re a casual worker or self-employed because the site or business manager is still responsible for ensuring that your working environment is safe.

Needlestick injuries might not cause physical pain, but can create emotional trauma while you await test results to check for contracted illnesses. You could make a claim if you experienced psychological injuries during this time, helping you access support from specialist therapists.

We can also help you if you’d like to make a claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the mental capacity to handle their own claim or for a child under 18. Under 18s can become injured while they’re working part-time, on apprenticeships, completing work experience or if they’re visiting a workplace. Both claims for under 18s and those without mental capacity have to be made within three years – read more here.

Unfortunately needle stick injures can cause fatal illnesses. We could help you make a claim if your loved one has passed away because of a disease contracted by a needlestick injury, helping you with issues such as:

• Recovering compensation for their pain and suffering, to account for financial losses caused by their death and to cover funeral expenses.
• Representing you at inquest
• Getting you the answers and apology you deserve from those responsible

Our lawyers could also help you access a statutory bereavement award, a flat rate of £15,120 which is provided when a wrongful death has occurred. This is available if you’re the spouse, civil partner or parent (if under 18) of the person who died.

To find out if you could make a needlestick injury claim, contact us free today on 0800 056 4110.

What Constitutes Employer Negligence?

Although employees have a duty not to put themselves in danger, employers have a legal responsibility to take reasonable steps to protect their workers from harm. When it comes to slips and trips in the workplace, this means that employers should:

  • Carry out a risk assessment
  • Supply the right footwear for their employees, if appropriate
  • Make sure that the working environment is suitably maintained
  • Clean the workplace properly

Slips and fall accidents can have serious consequences, so it’s vital that the right measures are put in place to reduce the risk of them happening. Our specialist workplace accident solicitors have years of experience representing clients who have been injured as a result of employer negligence, so we know how to help you secure justice for what happened to you.

What If I Didn’t Contract A Disease?

The psychological impact of believing that you’ve contracted a disease can be massive, even if it turns out that you haven’t been infected. Depending on the extent of this impact, you may be able to claim compensation for the mental trauma you’ve suffered.

Waiting for test results can be a traumatic experience – you might find yourself struggling with anxiety and stress, and that this has a major effect on your life. If, for example, you’ve been forced to take time off work because of poor mental health, we could help you recover compensation for any lost earnings.

Our workplace injury solicitors have decades of experience, and have represented many people who have suffered psychological problems as a result of their work. If you’d like to know more about how we could help, please call us on 0800 056 4110.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Needlestick Injury Claims

Employment Our employment lawyers could help you defend your rights at work
PTSD At Work Claims We could help if you've suffered psychologically because of your job
Medical Negligence Claims We have the largest team of medical negligence lawyers in the UK
Defective Work Equipment Claims Our solicitors could support you if you've been injured because of defective equipment

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

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