Construction Site Accident Claims — No Win No Fee

Construction workers face the highest risk of serious and fatal injury of any industry in England and Wales. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) — , the construction sector consistently records more workplace fatalities than any other, with falls from height, being struck by moving objects, and contact with moving machinery being the most frequent causes.

No Win No Fee: The law limits our success fee to 25% of the compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity and for past financial losses, after any state benefits are repaid. Compensation for future losses is not counted. If you win, our success fee is deducted from your compensation. It is a percentage of our basic charges, and the law limits it as set out above. Any After the Event insurance premium is payable only if you win, and is never charged upfront. Your letter of engagement sets out exactly what you will pay for your type of claim, and we explain it before you sign. If you lose, you pay us nothing. This applies as long as you keep to your responsibilities under the agreement. You may have to pay costs if you end your claim early, fail to beat an offer the other side made, or a court finds your claim dishonest or exaggerated; where we have arranged After the Event insurance, it covers some of these costs if you keep to the policy's terms. See exactly what you pay.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) — alongside a comprehensive body of health and safety law — impose strict duties on every party involved in a construction project: clients, principal contractors, subcontractors, and site managers. When those duties are breached and you are injured, you are entitled to claim compensation — regardless of how complex the chain of responsibility appears.

NJS Law handles construction site accident claims across England and Wales on a No Win No Fee basis.

This page is part of our Accident at Work Claims service.

If we do not win your case, you pay nothing.

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Injured on a construction site?
Find out if you have a claim.

Construction workers face the highest risk of serious injury of any industry. Multiple parties may be responsible — NJS Law will identify them all. We gather the evidence, value your claim and negotiate with the insurer.

Check If You're Eligible With
Our Construction Site Accident Claims Solicitors

Discover today if you’re eligible to make a claim. Tell us what happened using the enquiry form on this page.

What Is a Construction Site Accident Claim?

A construction site accident claim is a legal claim for compensation against your employer, the principal contractor, the site owner, or another responsible party when a failure to comply with construction health and safety law causes you injury. What makes construction site claims distinct is that multiple parties — with overlapping legal duties — are typically involved on any site, and any one of them may be liable for your injury, individually or jointly.

Common types of construction site accident include:

• Falls from height — from scaffold, roofs, ladders, MEWPs, or unprotected edges; the most common cause of fatal construction injury
• Scaffold collapses and defects — inadequate erection, missing boards or guardrails, failure to inspect under the Work at Height Regulations 2005
• Struck by moving objects — falling tools or materials from height, swinging crane loads, objects ejected by plant
• Plant and machinery accidents — excavators, dumpers, telehandlers, concrete mixers, and other construction plant
• Forklift and vehicle accidents — pedestrian and vehicle interactions on site, reversing plant incidents
• Trench and excavation collapses — failure to shore, sheet, or batter back excavations in breach of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
• Contact with buried services — electrocution or gas incidents from striking buried cables or pipes not identified before excavation
• Manual handling injuries — back injuries from lifting heavy materials, handling concrete blocks, or awkward carrying tasks on site
• Electrical incidents — contact with live overhead lines, temporary electrical supplies, or uninsulated conductors
• Absence of PPE — failure to provide helmets, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear, eye protection, or respiratory protection on site

What Law Protects Construction Workers?

Health and Safety at Work
Act 1974

The overarching duty on all employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of all employees — including protection from falls when working at any height.

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015)

CDM 2015 is the main UK construction health and safety regulation. Clients, Principal Designers, and Principal Contractors must manage health and safety throughout a project. Contractors and workers must follow safety procedures and cooperate on site. Principal Contractors' duties extend to all workers, including subcontractors.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

PUWER 1998 requires machinery to be suitable for its intended use, properly maintained and inspected, fitted with effective guards and other safety measures, protected against specific hazards, and operated only by workers who have received adequate information, instruction, and training.

Work at Height Regulations
2005

Falls from height are the single biggest cause of fatal construction accidents. The Work at Height Regulations require employers and principal contractors to plan and supervise all work at height, use collective protective equipment (guardrails, safety nets), and provide fall arrest equipment (harnesses) where collective measures are insufficient. Scaffold must be designed, erected, and inspected by a competent person

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)

Applies to all lifting operations on construction sites — crane lifts, telehandler lifts, MEWP operations. All lifting operations must be properly planned by a competent person, and all lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined at defined intervals.

Who Can Make a Construction Site Accident Claim?

You may be able to make a construction site accident claim if you are:

• A directly employed construction worker — employed by a contractor or subcontractor working on the site
• A self-employed worker — working on a site where a principal contractor or site owner had control over the conditions and activities that caused your injury
• An agency worker or labour-only subcontractor — the principal contractor’s CDM duties extend to all workers on site regardless of employment status
• A visitor to the site — surveyors, architects, delivery drivers, and inspectors who are lawfully on site
• A member of the public — injured by construction activity adjacent to the site (for example, struck by falling materials from scaffolding over a public pavement)
• A dependant of someone killed in a construction accident — claims under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976

On construction sites, multiple defendants are common. Your direct employer, the principal contractor, the site owner, a subcontractor whose negligence caused the accident, and the manufacturer or supplier of defective plant may all be liable. We build your case with evidence to maximise your compensation.

You may still be entitled to claim even if you were partly responsible — for example, if you breached a site rule. Contributory negligence reduces your award proportionally but does not end your right to claim. See: Can I Claim If the Accident Was Partly My Fault?

How Much Compensation for a Construction Site Accident?

General Damages — Compensation for Your Injury

Construction accidents frequently cause severe and life-changing injuries. Solicitors use the Judicial College Guidelines, 18th edition (2026) to estimate the value of your injury.

Special Damages — Compensation for Your Financial Losses

Construction injury claims — particularly those involving spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and amputations — can involve very substantial special damages claims for future care, case management, accommodation adaptations, and permanent loss of earning capacity. Interim payments can be applied for during the course of serious injury claims to fund immediate care and financial needs. See: General Damages vs Special Damages and Average Compensation Payouts.

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Figures are compensation before any deductions.

How Do You Make a Construction Accident Claim? (Step by Step)

1. Seek Emergency Medical Attention

Go to A&E immediately. Construction site accidents frequently cause serious injuries. Ensure the medical notes record that the injury was sustained on a construction site and describe how it happened.

2. Report the Accident

Report the accident to both your direct employer and the principal contractor as soon as you are able. Most serious construction accidents must also be reported to the HSE under RIDDOR 2013. Ask for copies of all accident reports filed.

3. Photograph the Scene and Preserve Evidence

Photograph the location of the accident and the specific hazard that caused it — defective scaffold, absent guardrails, plant involved — before anything is repaired, removed, or altered. Construction sites change rapidly and evidence can disappear within hours.

4. Collect Witness Details and Request CCTV

Note the names and contact details of all witnesses — workers, site managers, and any visitors present at the time. Request any CCTV or dashcam footage immediately. Note the exact time and location to assist your solicitor in identifying relevant footage.

5. Contact NJS Law for a Free Assessment

Speak to one of our specialist employer liability solicitors as soon as possible. In construction site cases, multiple defendants may be involved — your direct employer, the principal contractor, a subcontractor, and the plant or equipment owner — and NJS Law will identify all available parties from the outset.

6. We Investigate and Issue Letters of Claim

We obtain all relevant documents — the CDM construction phase plan, scaffold inspection records, LOLER examination certificates, risk assessments, method statements, training records, RIDDOR reports, and site induction records — and issue formal Letters of Claim to all relevant insurers.

7. Independent Expert Evidence

We instruct the appropriate independent experts: medical specialists (orthopaedic surgeons, spinal specialists, neurologists), construction health and safety experts, and where appropriate, care and occupational therapy experts for serious injury cases.

8. Negotiation, Interim Payments, and Settlement

We present a full Schedule of Loss and negotiate a settlement on your behalf against all defendants. In serious injury cases we apply for interim payments to fund immediate care and financial needs. Most claims settle without going to court.

What Are the Time Limits for Construction Accident Claims?

Under the Limitation Act 1980, there are strict time limits for bringing a personal injury claim. Act within these limits — missing the deadline is the most common reason valid claims cannot be pursued.

For a full explanation of all time limit exceptions and what to do if you are approaching your deadline, see our guide: Personal Injury Claim Time Limits in England and Wales.

For guidance on how long the claim process itself takes once you have started: How Long Does a Personal Injury Claim Take?

Case highlight

£3.7m - A life rebuilt after a devastating workplace accident

Forklift accident · Spinal injury · Employer negligence

Our client was seriously injured in a forklift accident at work. What followed was four years of rehabilitation, specialist hospitals, and legal complexity — with NJS Law by his side throughout.

“Nichola, my solicitor, took on two professional barristers who got my claim going. Without NJS Law, I wouldn’t have gotten this far. They helped me far beyond things I wouldn’t have known about.”

— NJS Law client, £3.7 million settlement

Nichola JohnsonSpecialist Solicitor · Employer & Serious Injury · Qualified 2014

Ready to find out what your claim could be worth?

Our team is here to help.

No Win No Fee Accident at Work Claims — Explained Clearly

All accident at work claims at NJS Law are handled under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) — what most people call No Win No Fee. Here is exactly what that means for you:

• No upfront cost: You pay nothing to start your claim. There are no consultation fees, no retainer, and no disbursements charged upfront.
• No cost if you lose: You pay nothing upfront, and if you lose you pay us nothing.
• A success fee if you win: If your claim succeeds, we deduct a success fee from your compensation. We explain every deduction in writing before you sign.
• ATE insurance: Where we arrange After the Event insurance, it covers the other side's costs and your disbursements if you lose, on the policy's terms.

You can read a full plain-English explanation of how No Win No Fee agreements work at No Win No Fee Claims Page.

Meet Your Accident at Work Legal Team

Our dedicated solicitors specialise in slip and trip claims and have more than 200 years of combined legal experience securing fair compensation. We understand how stressful an accident can be and provide clear, supportive guidance throughout the process.

Contact us today for a free consultation and move forward with confidence under our No Win No Fee promise. Taking early legal advice can strengthen your claim and protect your rights.

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Injured at work? Find out if you have a claim.

680,000 workers were injured in the workplace in 2024–25. You may be entitled to compensation.

Why Choose NJS Law as Your Accident at Work Solicitors

Being injured at work can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re unsure of your rights or worried about your job. Our solicitors provide clear, honest advice and manage every aspect of your claim, so you can focus on recovery. We gather the evidence, value your claim and negotiate with the insurer.

Construction Site Accident Claims – Frequently Asked Questions

Making an accident at work claim can feel overwhelming. Below we’ve answered themost common questions our clients ask. These cover eligibility, time limits, compensation, and what happens if your case goes to court.

Who is legally responsible for safety on a construction site?

Under CDM 2015, responsibility is shared across multiple duty holders. The client must ensure suitable management arrangements are in place. The principal contractor must plan, manage, monitor, and coordinate health and safety during the construction phase — their duty extends to all workers on site, not just their own employees. Individual contractors and subcontractors must also comply with safe systems of work and cooperate with the principal contractor. All parties may be named as defendants if their failures contributed to your accident.

Can I claim against the principal contractor as well as my direct employer?

Yes. The principal contractor’s CDM duty extends to all workers on site. If a failure in the principal contractor’s management of site safety — inadequate induction, failure to enforce the construction phase plan, inadequate traffic management, absent guardrails — contributed to your accident, the principal contractor may be liable in addition to or instead of your direct employer. NJS Law will identify all available defendants at the outset of your claim.

Can I claim if I am self-employed on a construction site?

Yes, in most circumstances. Self-employed workers on construction sites are not excluded from the protection of CDM 2015, the Work at Height Regulations, or the Health and Safety at Work Act. The principal contractor owes safety duties to all workers on site — including self-employed subcontractors. If a failure in site management caused your injury, you are entitled to claim regardless of your employment status.

What if I was injured on my first day on site — before a full site induction?

The principal contractor’s duty to ensure safe site conditions applies from the moment any worker is on site. Failure to provide an adequate site induction — or to prevent workers from accessing hazardous areas before they have been inducted — is itself a breach of CDM 2015. If your accident occurred in circumstances that an induction would have prevented, the absence of that induction is strong evidence of a CDM failure.

What if the accident was caused by another subcontractor on site?

You may have a claim against the subcontractor whose negligence caused your injury, and also against the principal contractor for failing to adequately manage and supervise the interaction between different trades and contractors on site. The principal contractor’s duty under CDM 2015 includes coordinating the activities of all contractors to prevent accidents caused by their interaction.

My employer says I breached a site rule — does this end my claim?

No. Breaching a site rule may result in a finding of contributory negligence — reducing your compensation proportionally — but it does not extinguish your claim. The question is whether your employer or the principal contractor allowed unsafe conditions that made the accident foreseeable, or failed to enforce site rules consistently. A single breach by a worker in an environment where rules are routinely ignored does not shift all liability to the worker.

Should my employer have filed a RIDDOR report for my accident?

Under RIDDOR 2013, most serious construction site accidents must be reported to the HSE: deaths, specified injuries (including fractures, amputations, crush injuries), over-seven-day injuries, and dangerous occurrences. If your employer failed to file a RIDDOR report when required to do so, this is itself evidence of poor safety management — though it does not prevent you from claiming. Your solicitor can check the HSE’s RIDDOR records and advise on the implications.

What if a family member was killed in a construction accident?

Dependants can claim for loss of financial dependency and bereavement under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. The estate can also claim for the deceased’s own losses between the accident and death. Construction fatality claims are complex and require early instruction of specialist lawyers. NJS Law handles fatal accident claims with the expertise and sensitivity this work demands — contact us as early as possible.

How long does a serious construction accident claim take?

Straightforward construction accident claims may settle within 12-18 months. Complex claims involving multiple defendants, serious injuries, or liability disputes can take two to four years to resolve — particularly where future care and loss of earnings are contested. In serious cases NJS Law applies for interim payments as early as possible to fund care and address financial pressures during the claim. For general timescale guidance: How Long Does a Personal Injury Claim Take?

How long do I have to make a construction accident claim?

Three years from the date of your accident in most cases, under the Limitation Act 1980. For fatal accidents, three years from the death, or from when the family learned the facts if later. Evidence from construction sites changes quickly — do not delay in seeking advice. Full time limit guidance: Personal Injury Claim Time Limits

Our solicitors have written a library of plain-English guides to help you understand your rights. Read the articles most relevant to your situation:

Accident at Work: What to Do Immediately -Complete UK Guide-

Injured at work? Learn the key steps to take straight away to protect your health, evidence, and legal rights.

Accident at Work Claims: How Much Compensation Could You Get?

Find out how workplace injury compensation is calculated and what factors can affect the value of your claim.

No Win No Fee Accident at Work Claims – How It Works

Learn how No Win No Fee accident at work claims work and how you can start a claim without upfront legal fees.

Personal Injury Claims: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

A simple guide to the personal injury claims process, from starting your claim to reaching a settlement.

Can My Employer Sack Me for Making a Work Injury Claim?

Understand your rights if you are worried about your job after making a workplace injury claim.

RIDDOR Explained — What Gets Reported and Why It Matters to Your Claim

Learn what RIDDOR is, which workplace accidents must be reported, and how it may support your claim.

Construction Site Accident Claims — A Complete Guide for Injured Workers

Find out your rights after a construction site accident and how to claim compensation for your injuries.

Machinery and Equipment Injury Claims — Your Rights Under PUWER 1998

Learn how PUWER 1998 protects workers injured by unsafe machinery, tools, or workplace equipment.

Falls from Height at Work Claims

Understand when you may be able to claim compensation after a fall from height at work.

How Long Does a Personal Injury Claim Take in England and Wales?

Find out what affects the length of a personal injury claim and what to expect during the process.

What Is The Most Common Worksite Personal Injury Claims?

Learn how PUWER 1998 protects workers injured by unsafe machinery, tools, or workplace equipment.

What Is the Average Personal Injury Compensation Payout in the UK?

Learn how personal injury payouts are assessed and why compensation varies from case to case.

Personal Injury Claim Time Limits in England and Wales: A Complete Breakdown

Understand the key time limits for making a personal injury claim in England and Wales.

Can I Claim Personal Injury Compensation If the Accident Was Partly My Fault?

Find out how partial fault can affect your personal injury claim and compensation amount.

General Damages vs Special Damages: Personal Injury Compensation Explained

Learn the difference between compensation for pain and suffering and compensation for financial losses.

Interim Payments in Personal Injury Claims — What Are They and Can I Get One

Find out when interim payments may be available before your personal injury claim fully settles.

Thinking about a claim? Read about Accident at Work Claims and how No Win No Fee works, or send us your enquiry.