How to Start Your Fatal Work Accident Claim
Are you looking to claim compensation for death at work? If you have been affected by a fatal accident at work, our specialist solicitors are on hand to support you.
We can help you make a successful compensation claim if you have lost a loved one in an accident. Fatal work accident claims are made on the basis that an employee died following another person’s reckless and/or negligent actions. Fatal work accident compensation is vital in ensuring the victim’s close relatives are not financially burdened following the death.
Please click the button below to speak to one of our solicitors for free, no-obligation advice on pursuing a death at work payout.
Who is to blame? — Working at heights risks — Statistics — Compensation examples
Industrial disease — Accidents on farms — Compensation guide — What our clients think
Who Is to Blame for a Workplace Accident?
Workplace health and safety laws can be highly complex, and it’s not always straightforward to determine who is to blame for a work-related accident. In some cases, multiple parties may share some responsibility, including the injured employee, the negligent employee and the company itself. It is best to consult a solicitor to determine where the blame will lie.
The employer’s legal responsibility is to provide a safe working environment for their employees, ensuring work is carried out safely. Their duty may involve implementing safety procedures, providing training and maintaining equipment. The employer may be liable if an accident occurs due to inadequate training, hazardous facilities, or faulty equipment.
The employee’s legal responsibility is to follow the rules set by their management, ensuring they adhere to safety protocols, wear personal protective equipment (PPE), report hazards, and use equipment safely. If the employer has complied with health and safety regulations, covering areas such as providing appropriate training and using safe equipment. If an employee fails to follow instructions, they may be liable. If the employee is the victim, this may affect their entitlement to compensation.
Another critical point is vicarious liability, which means the company is partly liable for an employee’s actions that led to the accident. While employees can operate as they see fit, the employer must ensure that their staff act appropriately and take all reasonable steps to prevent or limit harmful acts performed by employees. If the victim cannot prove which employee acted negligently, the employer may be held responsible based on vicarious liability.
The Risks of Working at Heights
Statistics show that there are approximately 152 fatal work accidents annually for employees carrying out their jobs. Many are related to falling from heights, such as scaffolders, roofers, and builders on-site, who often climb ladders or work at heights. There are specific health and safety regulations in place to protect workers who work above ground level.
Employers are obliged to provide a safe working environment for their employees. Fatal work accidents are a clear hazard that employers must take steps to safeguard against. All employers must ensure that their workplaces are safe for all employees. They must provide any safety equipment, clothing and breathing apparatus to protect employees undertaking work that may cause them harm. Working at heights poses an obvious danger, and employers must provide not only the relevant safety equipment, such as scaffolding safety netting, but also training.
Fatal Work Accidents Statistics
The workplace is an environment where people should go to progress their careers, make friends and earn a living. No one should go to work and not return. To illustrate the prevalence of fatal work-related injuries, this section will present some of the latest accident statistics.
The Health and Safety Executive releases an annual report summarising fatal injuries at work. The statistics below are from the report published in July 2021, covering accidents from 2020/21 to March 2021. During this period, 142 workers were killed in a fatal work accident. Here is a breakdown of the industries where these deaths happened:
- Construction: 39 deaths
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing: 34 deaths
- Manufacturing: 20
- Wholesale, Retail, Motor Repair, Accommodation and Food: 14 deaths
- Admin & Support Services: 11 deaths
- Transport and Storage: 10 deaths
- Waste: 3 deaths
- Other: 11 deaths
The sectors where fatal injuries are more likely to happen are comparable to previous years, showing just how dangerous construction, agriculture and manufacturing can be. Most deaths occurred in people under 59, but the rate is greater for people aged 60 and over.
The following is a breakdown of fatal work accidents based on the primary type of incident that occurred:
- Falls from height: 35
- Struck by a moving vehicle: 25
- Struck by a moving object: 17
- Trapped by collapsing/overturning objects: 14
- Contact with moving machinery: 14
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has more statistics that show the impact of fatal workplace injuries across the EU. In 2018, across the European Union’s member countries, 3,332 fatal accidents were recorded. Regarding non-fatal accidents, most involved men, with 2,137,935 compared to 968,107. Construction, once again, led the way in terms of the most fatal accidents, followed by transportation and storage, manufacturing, and agriculture. Interestingly, manufacturing saw the highest number of non-fatal accidents.
Stats Last Updated: 8th May 2025
Fatal Accidents at Work Compensation Examples
There are so many ways in which an accident in the workplace can take place, and even more ways in which an accident may affect someone. Fatal work accidents are unique, regardless of how they were caused or how they impacted someone’s life. We can only fully grasp the bigger picture when we examine real-life work accidents and compensation examples. Below are some case study examples of accidents that have made the news, including how they have affected the victims’ lives and the payouts they received, giving you an idea of how much compensation you can expect for death at work.
Waste Company Fined for £250k
One of the most recent examples of a fatal work accident involves a waste management firm in County Durham. In December 2015, an employee of Stonegrave Aggregates tragically died when a machine that separates waste was accidentally switched on. The deceased, named Simon Hogg, was violently thrown around, as was another employee who sustained life-changing injuries such as a broken leg, several fractures and a punctured lung.
Mr Hogg was pronounced dead at the scene despite attempts to revive him. An inspection by the Health and Safety Executive revealed numerous failings. The company admitted to failing to comply with regulations and ensure the health and safety of its employees. The Northern Echo reports that Stonegrave Aggregates was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £48,952. The site manager, David Basham, was given a six-month suspended prison sentence, while the director and operations manager, Bruce Whitley, received a 12-month community order.
Farmer Fined for Serious Failings
In this case study example of death at work, a farmer was fined for serious safety failings. The farmer was charged with negligence/fault following the death of a 27-year-old man. The victim and another employee were tasked with fixing the mechanism of a digester tank. Once the tank’s roof was opened, the employees were engulfed by toxic hydrogen sulphide gas. This compensation for death at work payout resulted in the company and two of his other businesses being fined £20,000. It was determined that the farmer failed to assess the roof and did not provide the employees with the necessary training before carrying out the task.
Family Receives £315,000 for Cherry Picker Crash
A family has received £315,000 in death at work payout damages following a fatal work accident involving a cherry picker. Painter and decorator Mikey McArthur, aged 26, died following the accident in Doune, Perthshire, in September 2018. While working on the upper level of a building’s exterior, a tour coach collided with the cherry picker. Mr McArthur was flown from the platform and sustained fatal injuries after falling to the floor.
At the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Judge Lord Armstrong ruled that the accident occurred due to the coach driver’s failure to identify and avoid an obvious hazard. The family won a death at work compensation claim against coach operator Timberbush Tours and the company’s insurers. Mr McArthur’s father and mother each received £100,000. His half-sister and stepfather received £45,000 and £75,000, respectively.
Compensation for the Largest Oil Rig Disaster
Oil rigs can be some of the most dangerous environments for workers, and one of the world’s biggest disasters happened in July 1988. Piper Alpha, an oil rig near Aberdeen, was once one of Britain’s largest oil and gas providers. Sadly, an accident happened in 1988 following a gas leak, which ignited and caused an explosion, leading to the deaths of 167 workers.
Following the disaster, a report revealed that the operator, Occidental Petroleum, had employed inadequate maintenance and safety procedures. Lord Cullen recommended over 100 safety improvements for working in the North Sea. It cost more than £1bn and is the largest insured man-made catastrophe. No one was held liable, and the operator didn’t receive a criminal or civil conviction; however, they paid out £66m in compensation to the families of the deceased.
Family of Delivery Rider Gets $834,000
The family of a delivery rider in Sydney, Australia, has received $834,000 in damages after he died in a fatal work accident. Roads are inherently dangerous places and a common cause of serious accidents, posing a significant risk to people who work in jobs that involve driving. Gig workers, in particular, are at risk, as they generally work long hours with reduced health and safety awareness and receive an income based on how quickly they arrive at destinations.
In this story, 43-year-old Xiaojun Chen was working for the food delivery company Hungry Panda at the time of his death. Mr Chen died from his injuries after being struck by a bus while driving his motorbike. The company’s insurance agency agreed that he was considered an employee when he died, and therefore, his family was entitled to the NSW workers’ compensation scheme. This scheme awards $834,000 to dependents of an employee killed in a work-related accident and weekly payments of $149.30 for dependent children under the age of 16.
Mesothelioma and Industrial Disease Contracted At Work
If you have been exposed to asbestos dust, it may lead to fatal injuries at work. It will be classed as an industrial disease. Dust extraction systems can be effective products that employers can install to capture and remove dangerous dust particles.
Several conditions may be caused by asbestos:
- Mesothelioma
- Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer
- Asbestosis
Mesothelioma affects the lungs and is always fatal when diagnosed. Victims often have less than a year to live, some longer, some not so long. Asbestos-related lung cancer involves the fibres from asbestos becoming lodged in the lung tissue, causing irritation and scarring over time. This irritation and scarring can then also develop into tumours. There is often a complex association where the worker victim has also smoked, and the expert evidence suggests that there is an increased likelihood of lung cancer. But in the case of malignant mesothelioma, the asbestos fibres scar and lead to tumours in the lining of the lungs, causing cancer and death.
As expert solicitors in this area, not only do we have a wealth of experience with personal injury and industrial disease at work, but we have also combined our expertise when dealing with fatal accidents to provide comprehensive legal services to bereaved families. A complete seamless legal service providing a wealth of experience to progress your case with vigour and without fear.
Further Reading: Mesothelioma After Death For Families
We have several more articles on mesothelioma to help you and your family consider choosing the right solicitor to help you through this difficult time. You must not delay, however, as this could be a bar to making a claim and be in no doubt that despite the hardship and pain you and your family are enduring, the employer’s insurers and legal advisers will take the matter to court to decide if there was a delay in taking court action.
- Mesothelioma Compensation After Death
- Complete Guide to Claiming Compensation for Mesothelioma After Death
- 20 Questions About Mesothelioma Compensation For Families
Work Accidents Are More Prevalent on UK Farms
The agriculture industry is a sector that is particularly affected by fatal work accidents. Even in this accident at work guide, we’ve presented several examples of deaths following an accident at a farm. According to Farmers Weekly, as of April 2021, the United Kingdom has seen its fatal accident rate for UK farming reach its highest point in 25 years. In just one year, over 50 people were recorded as having died in a farm-related accident. This figure is nearly double the rate of the previous year.
Farming is a critical industry, as it helps source raw materials like sugar and wood, boosts international trade, and contributes to environmental conservation. Perhaps most importantly, farming is an essential source of the world’s food supply. However, we can’t ignore the fact that farming can be a hazardous work environment. Farming accidents often involve falls from height, vehicle and machinery incidents, and injuries caused by livestock.
Fatal Accident Claims Compensation Guide
Here at R James Hutcheon Solicitors, we understand that losing a loved one can cause pain, grief and suffering and that no compensation can recover this loss. However, the award of compensation for a death at work can help alleviate the stress of loved ones still having to pay the mortgage and bills, such as funeral costs, loan repayments, and general household expenses. A bereavement award can also be awarded to the deceased’s spouse or parents.
For your information, we have created a guide on fatal accident compensation. If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
What Our Clients Say
We’ve helped many clients receive thousands in workplace death compensation and for other types of claims. Our team is dedicated to providing friendly advice and compassionate support while submitting claims with a high likelihood of success.
Below is a selection of reviews people have left for our solicitors.
“I recommend R James Hutcheon Solicitors and the work they did to successfully claim for injuries and win my case for me. Martin Maginn, my solicitor, was professional throughout really understood the case and what I was looking for. In the end he got more than that and the justice I wanted. After a few derisory offers, he advised me to hold my ground and in the end advised me to take the final offer as it was good and fair. Communication was good and responsive throughout.” – Peter B
“Fantastic service from start to finish. After speaking to RJH I knew I was in the right place. Advice & knowledge was absolutely fabulous, they kept me informed all along the way. If your in need of a very good Solicitors then don’t hesitate to make contact. Thank you once again.” – William P
“I’ve recently had a great experience with Hutcheon solicitors, managing everything for me and basically just getting on with it. I would 100% recommend and use them again.” – Richard G
“Very well organised company with dedicated staff , Martin kept me informed every step of the way and talked through the legal jargon that I couldn’t understand and made it easier I would recommend this company to my family and friends.” – Sean K
“A professional and helpful service right from the word go. Communications were excellent letting me know how each stage of the progress was going. I would highly recommend for any accident claim.” – Philip H
“Martin is an expert and very good at what he does. I’ve been kept informed and up to date with every aspect of my case, all proceeds and documents explained and always had support one phone call away. Cannot praise enough, thank you for your hard work and professionalism.” – Brandon D
“Fantastic service from start to finish with R James Hutcheon – particular credit to Rachel who was first class in handling our case. Highly recommended.” – Jo M
Get Your Death At Work Payout
All of the above questions following the death of a close family member are just a small number of enquiries that you will find answers to by contacting us for sympathetic and professional advice.
The family/dependents are entitled to submit a claim to get fatal accident at work compensation on behalf of the deceased if there is blame.
Not only can the family get death at work payout compensation, but they are also able to claim for bereavement award and dependency claim, which includes funeral expenses and serious loss due to being dependent on the deceased.
Click the button below to get started and speak to one of our solicitors who can help with your death at work payout compensation claims.
