Research from personal injury solicitors Hubbard Pegman & Whitney (HPW) reveals while 90% of employees expect compensation if they injure themselves at work, staff underestimate how much they will be entitled to.
Typical compensation for a fractured arm is £6,000 but 44% expect less than £2,000 and 61% expect under £5,000. For a broken leg, compensation awarded will be in the region of £8,650 but 46% of employees expect less than £5,000.
These modest expectations, according to HPW, cast doubt on the widely made claim Britain has developed a compensation culture.
Charlotte Pegman, managing partner at HPW, said: "Not only are most compensation awards unspectacular, but most people actually have very modest expectations - typically in line with average awards or even expecting substantially less. Most people only want fair and reasonable compensation when they are injured at work.
"In fact our experience is British people are too stoical - failing to claim compensation as they are worried about losing their job, even in the case of injuries causing permanent disablement. The trend is likely to increase in the current economic environment as workers, often those on low income manual jobs, worry they will not get a replacement job if they are made redundant as punishment for claiming compensation for an injury."
Too worried to claim compensation for injuries at work
Staff 'stoically avoid' seeking compensation for injuries at work - even for modest amounts of money - for fear they will be made redundant as punishment.
