According to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) latest statistics, every year hundreds of thousands of UK employees suffer some kind of work-place injury. 

From cuts and sprains through to broken bones and worse, millions of working days are lost due to work-related illness and injury each year. 

UK employers are legally responsible for their employees’ safety while they are at work and all are required by law to have liability insurance to cover work injuries or illnesses caused to employees. 

While many companies recognise the importance of strong health and safety practices, not only for the wellbeing of their employees but also for their business, some continue to put workers at risk. 

When an employee is injured due to an employer’s negligence, if the injury or disease is serious, specialist care and support is essential. Specialist lawyers will fight for an early admission of liability to ensure victims with serious injuries can access treatment quickly, reducing the risk of the condition getting worse and improving the chances of recovery. Lawyers with specialist expertise know how important it is to give the injured employee peace of mind to focus on getting as well as they can as quickly as they can.

“It’s not just about securing financial compensation at the end of a case – it’s about enabling people to access the variety of support they need at the earliest time possible to come to terms with life-changing injuries and start to live life as independently as possible.”


Thompsons played a key role in establishing the 1974 Health & Safety at Work Act and has won many of the test cases that have established the law in injury and disease cases in the UK. Thompsons uses that expertise in every case. 

Samantha Hemsley, national head of the serious injury and clinical negligence team, said: “Too often victims of injury are let down by employers who refuse to admit liability early on for serious injuries that were clearly caused by employer negligence. This approach is often led by the employer’s insurers who, even in cases involving catastrophic injuries, will delay and frustrate the legal process. They do this in the hope that victims of injury (who are often unable to work) become so financially desperate they will accept a lower sum in compensation. This happens even when liability clearly rests with the employer. This approach not only causes additional suffering to the injured party and their family, but also results in financial hardship, an inability to access private rehabilitation and delays the conclusion of the litigation. 

“When someone is dealing with life-changing injury, through no fault of their own, they should be afforded peace of mind to focus on rehabilitation and recovery. The last thing they need is the daunting prospect of a long and drawn-out court case.

“We represented one man who lost part of his right leg below the knee because he was dragged into the rollers of a conveyor belt at the factory he was working at. In this case we were able to secure an early admission of liability which meant we could obtain an interim payment to meet the cost three new prosthetics, including one for water therapy. The client in this case saw a psychologist for counselling sessions, visited a physiotherapist and a specialist in orthopaedics, and had advice on home alterations all before the final settlement of the case. 

“It’s not just about securing financial compensation at the end of a case – it’s about enabling people to access the variety of support they need at the earliest time possible to come to terms with life-changing injuries and start to live life as independently as possible.”