Dental Injury at Work
Some of the most common accidents at work are slips, trips and falls, and sometimes these accidents can lead to high impact blows to the face. These types of accidents can cause an array of dental injuries, including severe swelling, gum damage and lost or broken teeth.
Dental injuries can be extremely painful, but they can also lead to embarrassment or low self-esteem about your appearance, especially if you have a broken tooth or damage to your front teeth. You will need to get your dental injury treated by a dental professional as soon as possible in order to reduce your pain and suffering, assess the damage to your teeth and to address any concerns you may have about the appearance of your teeth. However, dental treatment can be very expensive.
Can I Make a Claim for a Dental Injury at Work?
Your employer has a duty of care to make the workplace as safe as possible to prevent any type of injury. Your employer is under an obligation to provide a safe place of work under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations (1992) and The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 impose a duty on your employer to ensure that the work environment is always clean and maintained to a high safety standard
In order to ensure that your workplace is as safe as possible, your employer is responsible for:
- performing risk assessments for possible hazards
- cleaning up spillages
- making sure spillages are clearly signposted
- maintaining a tidy workplace
- advising on or providing appropriate footwear
If you have sustained a dental injury at work because your employer failed to adhere to the correct health and safety measures, then you may be able to make a claim for compensation.
Can I be Dismissed if I Make a Claim Against my Employer?
It is natural to be worried about the negative consequences of making a claim against your employer. You may be worried about being treated badly by your boss or even being dismissed if you make a claim against your employer.
We can assure you that your employer is not permitted to terminate your employment or to treat you in a negative way just because you make a claim against them.
Your employer should have appropriate Employers Liability insurance, such as Workers’ Compensation Insurance (Workers’ Comp), which should cover them in the event that any of their employees become injured due to their negligence or a breach of statutory duty. Therefore, the costs of the claim against your employer will be covered by your employer’s insurance company, not by your employer directly.
How Can I Make a Claim for a Dental Injury at Work?
If you have sustained a dental injury at work, you should contact a law firm, such as Beacon Law. Beacon Law have a team of specialist personal injury solicitors, who are highly experienced in dealing with all types of accident at work claims, including dental claims.
You should be aware that there is a strict time limit of 3 years from the date of the accident for making a personal injury claim. This can be extended in special circumstances; however, we would advise that you start your work accident claim as early as possible to avoid your claim becoming statute-barred.
The process for making a claim against your employer will involve:
- A telephone call with an experienced Personal Injury Solicitor: You will be required to provide your solicitor with your employer’s details, the circumstances of the accident, the time and date of the accident, the nature of your injuries, details about how the accident was reported and recorded, and contact details of any witnesses.
- Paperwork: When you have provided your agreement to proceed with the claim on a no-win, no-fee basis, your solicitor will provide you with some paperwork to fill in regarding your claim.
- Claim initiation: As soon as you have provided your signed paperwork, your solicitor will contact your employer to advise them of your claim.
How Much Can I Claim for a Dental Injury at Work?
It’s not possible to determine the exact amount of compensation you will receive for your dental injury at work claim. The amount of compensation you could receive for a dental injury depends on many factors, including the cost of dental treatment, the severity of the injury and also which teeth are affected.
At Beacon Law, we will calculate your dental injury claim according to Judicial College Guidelines and recent case law.
Below are guidelines of how much your dental injury claim could be worth:
- Back teeth – damage or loss of teeth: £930 – £1,460 per tooth
- Front teeth – damage or loss of one front tooth: £1,880 – £3,370
- Front teeth- damage or loss of two front teeth: £3,710 – £6,510
- Front teeth- damage or loss of several front teeth: £7,460 – £9,740
- Severe damage to several teeth or whole mouth: up to £32,540
How Can Beacon Law Assist?
Beacon Law can assist you in making a compensation claim for your dental injury at work on a no-win, no-fee basis, which means that you won’t have to pay any of our fees if your case is unsuccessful. We are experts in no win, no fee claims, and we are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Beacon Law is a Manchester-based law firm that specialises in personal injury claims. Some of the most common types of claims we deal with on a day-to-day basis include road traffic accidents, accidents at work, slips, trips, and falls as well as medical negligence and dental negligence claims.
If you decide to make a claim with Beacon Law, our highly professional personal injury solicitors and accident at work solicitors will work hard to ensure that you receive appropriate treatment and the highest level of compensation for your dental injury.
