Your claim, explained
Who may be responsible for a construction site injury?
The answer depends on who employed or engaged you, controlled the site, supplied equipment and directed the work. A contractor’s name on a hard hat or a CIS arrangement does not settle all those questions. Start with the actual working relationships and task.
Map the contractors and preserve the site sequence
Details that help an individual assessment
Record the project address, principal contractor if known, your engager and the person supervising the job. Note who supplied access equipment, tools and materials. Large sites change quickly: photographs, induction records and dated messages may explain the work area before barriers, scaffolding or excavation arrangements were altered.
For earnings, distinguish invoiced work, paid work and expected future jobs. Self-employed accounts may include expenses that continued during recovery and others that were saved. Keep invoices, bank records and accountant correspondence rather than relying on a daily rate alone. If the accident affects your ability to return to a particular trade, describe its physical demands and any alternative duties offered.
Before you contact us
Identify who controlled the site and the work
Construction sites can involve a main contractor, subcontractors, labour suppliers and several employers. Describe your role, who directed the task and which company controlled the area or equipment. That information helps distinguish the work arrangement from the mechanism of the accident.
Useful information to have to hand
- List the site address, project name and relevant employer or contractor names.
- Retain induction details, task instructions and the incident reference where available.
- Record scaffolding, access, plant or lifting equipment involved without entering unsafe areas.
A point worth checking early
An employment label alone may not answer who was responsible. Provide the practical arrangements and documents rather than assuming one business must be the correct defendant.
Request an individual assessment →Construction sites are among the most heavily regulated workplaces in the country, with duties spread across principal contractors, sub-contractors, designers and equipment suppliers. That regulatory framework helps injured workers, but it also means the first task in any claim is identifying who actually held the relevant duty.
We act for site operatives, tradespeople, self-employed contractors and site visitors. We will work through the contractual chain, obtain the site documentation and explain the funding options available, including whether a no win no fee arrangement may be appropriate in your case.
Find your specific claim or injury
Scaffolding accident claims
Investigate platform condition, edge protection, access, alterations and the responsibilities of the organisations using a scaffold.
Discuss this claim : Scaffolding accident claimsWhen can you pursue compensation?
- You were injured on a construction, demolition, refurbishment or civil engineering site.
- A contractor, principal contractor or site occupier failed to plan, manage or monitor the work safely.
- The failure caused your injury — for example missing edge protection, an unsafe scaffold, or plant operating without a banksman.
- Self-employed operatives can claim too; being outside PAYE does not remove the duties owed to you on site.
Circumstances to discuss with a solicitor
- Falls from scaffolding, roofs, ladders and unprotected edges
- Falling materials, tools and loads striking workers below
- Excavation collapse and trench work without adequate shoring
- Excavator, dumper, telehandler and crane incidents
- Electrocution from live services and inadequate isolation
- Injuries from cutting, grinding and power tools without guarding
What Compensation Could I Claim?
- Damages for fractures, crush injuries, amputation, burns and psychological trauma
- Loss of earnings for day-rate and self-employed workers, evidenced by invoices and accounts
- Future loss of earnings where you cannot return to site work
- Rehabilitation, prosthetics, surgery and pain management
- Care, home adaptations and equipment in serious cases
Recoverable compensation depends on the injury evidence, supported losses and applicable claim route.
Evidence That Helps
- Site accident report, permit to work and toolbox talk records
- Construction phase plan, risk assessments and method statements
- Scaffold inspection registers and plant maintenance records
- Any Health and Safety Executive investigation or improvement notice
- Photographs of the working area before it is altered or cleared
How Long Could the Claim Take?
Construction claims often take longer than average because liability can be shared between several parties and expert engineering evidence is regularly needed. Serious injury cases will also await a stable medical prognosis. Interim payments may be available where liability is admitted.
Costs and funding for construction accident claims
What to clarify before you instruct
Ask who will pay for site investigation and technical reports, and whether a proposed agreement includes disputes involving several contractors. Do not assume CIS status determines the funding route.
Compare funding options and potential cost risks
Construction Accident Claims FAQs
I am self-employed on a CIS card. Can I claim?
Yes. Occupiers and principal contractors owe duties to everyone lawfully on site, not only to their direct employees.
Several companies were on site. Who do I sue?
It may be more than one. We investigate the contractual chain and, if necessary, bring proceedings against multiple defendants so that responsibility can be determined by the court.
The HSE is investigating. Should I wait?
You should take legal advice now. An HSE investigation can produce very useful evidence, but limitation periods continue to run regardless of its progress.
How are day-rate earnings proved?
Through invoices, bank statements, CIS statements and accounts. Bring whatever records you have and we will advise on what else is needed.
Are site induction records useful?
They can help identify the site, contractors and instructions provided. Keep your own copies and explain whether the induction covered the work and hazard involved in the accident.
What should I record about a scaffold fall?
Identify the location, access route, platform and task, together with witnesses and photographs already available. Do not re-enter an unsafe structure to collect evidence.
Can a subcontractor's employee enquire?
Yes. Provide the employer, contracting chain and day-to-day supervisor. The assessment depends on actual responsibilities rather than a single company label.
What if hired plant caused the injury?
Record the equipment identifier, supplier if known, operator and reported fault. Hire paperwork and inspection records may help establish who controlled the relevant risk.
Should I keep a method statement?
Keep copies you lawfully hold and note the version and date. Explain any difference between the document and instructions given on the day.
How do I describe a falling-object accident?
Identify the work above, exclusion zones, storage and who was present. Photographs of the wider arrangement may be more useful than a close-up of the object alone.
Can a site visitor ask about compensation?
Yes. Explain why you were there, permission to enter and the route taken. Visitor access and warnings may raise different questions from a worker's assigned task.
What if the site was cleared before I took photographs?
Keep earlier messages, reports and witness details. State that later photographs show a changed site; do not present reconstructed conditions as the original scene.
Are cash-paid jobs relevant to earnings loss?
Give a truthful account and any supporting records. Incomplete accounts require careful discussion; inventing invoices or overstating income would undermine the claim.
Should I identify who delivered toolbox talks?
Record the speaker, date, subject and what you remember. Attendance records and the practical relevance of instructions can be considered together.
What if a safety harness was available but not used?
Explain why, including the task, training and anchorage arrangements. Advice should address the actual circumstances rather than assume the presence of equipment resolves responsibility.
Can injuries during demolition be assessed?
Provide the work scope, contractor details and the mechanism of injury. Preserve existing reports about collapse, dust or services without approaching hazardous remains.
How should I document cancelled contracts?
Keep accepted quotations, scheduled dates, communications and replacement labour costs. Distinguish confirmed work from enquiries that had not become bookings.
Does a site closure establish negligence?
A closure or investigation may be relevant, but it is not a complete civil liability assessment. Send the notices or references and obtain advice on their significance.
What if I was working through a labour agency?
Identify both the agency and site organisation, who paid you and who instructed the task. Retain placement information and relevant timesheets.
Can I discuss an accident caused by temporary electrics?
Record the equipment and incident safely and seek appropriate medical attention. Electrical inspection should be left to qualified people; do not recreate the event for evidence.
Speak to our team
Explain the injury and any approaching deadline. We will confirm whether we can assess your enquiry.
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