This article contains information about how to make a personal injury claim following a hairdresser accident. This article will discuss some of the requirements you must meet, including how to prove that a breach of duty of care caused your injuries.
Hairdresser accident claims guide
In order to claim compensation for a personal injury, you must have suffered harm due to negligence. This article will discuss what constitutes negligence and the amount you could be awarded after an accident at the hairdresser.
Read on to learn more about seeking compensation for a hairdresser accident. Alternatively, you can easily contact our advisers in the following ways:
- Contact our advisers using the chat feature below
- Call us on 0113 460 1216
- Forward us your query using our online claim form
Choose A Section
- How Can I Make A Claim After A Hairdresser Accident?
- Accidents That Could Happen In A Hairdresser
- What Steps Should I Take After An Accident In A Hairdresser?
- Calculating Compensation After A Hairdresser Accident
- Why Should I Consider Appointing A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
- Discover More About Hairdresser Accident Claims
How Can I Make A Claim After A Hairdresser Accident?
Personal injury claims can be successful in a range of cases, including an accident at the hairdresser. You just need to show that your accident occurred due to negligence.
To show this is the case, the following criteria must be met:
- A person or party owed you a duty of care.
- That person or party breached this duty.
- Due to this breach, you sustained harm in the form of a physical or mental injury.
If you’re able to show all three of these criteria are true of the hairdresser accident in which you were injured, then you could be able to claim. Our advisers can explain more about the breach of duty of care you’re owed and how a breach of this could occur.
Frequency Of Accidents At A Hairdresser
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded 44,880 hairdressing and beauty salons across the United Kingdom in 2020. While we do not have accident statistics linked to only these specific places of work, thanks to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 we do have figures relating to the overall number of workplace accidents that took place across Great Britain.
In 2020/21, provisional figures show that of a total 4,263 non-fatal injuries to head locations:
- 2,542 were to an area of the head that excluded the face
- 98 were to several locations on the head
- 65 were to an ear
We also have data reflecting the types of injury that occurred, shown on the graph below:
These statistics reflect the number and kind of injuries that happened in workplaces across the United Kingdom. We do not have data to suggest how many involved negligence or took place in hairdressing salons.
Accidents That Could Happen In A Hairdresser
There are a number of circumstances that could lead to you sustaining an injury while visiting the hairdresser. For example:
- You could slip, trip or fall on a section of mopped floor that has not been marked with a ‘wet floor’ sign
- The hairdresser could fail to perform a patch test before commencing a dye. As a result, you may suffer an allergic reaction
- The hairdresser may leave a bleaching agent in your hair for too long, resulting in chemical burns to your scalp or hair
- A barber could be distracted while cutting and sever a piece of your ear
There is a piece of legislation that applies to workplaces called the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It states that an employer owes a duty of care to their employees and members of the public who visit the space. They need to take all reasonable steps to prevent accidental injury from occurring.
In some cases, you may be able to make a hairdresser accident at work claim if you were injured as an employee in a hairdresser because of employer negligence. Contact our team to learn more.
What Steps Should I Take After An Accident In A Hairdresser?
If you have received an injury while getting a haircut and are considering making a hairdresser accident claim, there are a few actions you can perform that may increase the chances of your claim succeeding. These could include:
- Getting medical attention. A doctor or nurse will be able to treat your injuries and provide a medical report that can be useful for proving the injury’s extent and severity
- Taking pictures of the injury during the healing process, as well as journalling the symptoms and mental states you experience
- Photographing the area in which the injury occurred or requesting CCTV footage that shows the accident
Please bear in mind that not all accidents will form a valid basis for a claim. You must be able to show that negligence took place, which involves a third party breaching the duty of care they owed you, resulting in harm. If you have questions about evidence for a personal injury claim or the time limits that apply, get in touch with our advisers today.
Calculating Compensation After A Hairdresser Accident
The compensation you could receive may be comprised of up to two heads of claim: general damages and special damages. The first is intended to reimburse you for the pain and suffering your injury caused. The second could be a means of reimbursing you for the financial losses incurred as a result of your injury.
When trying to assess how much a claim could be worth, a personal injury solicitor may turn to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This contains compensation brackets for different injuries. Instead of a personal injury calculator, we’ve created a table showing some of these figures below:
| Type of Injury | Award Bracket | More Detailed Information |
|---|---|---|
| Scarring | £7,830 to £22,730 | More than one noticeable scar that is disfiguring on the legs, arms or hands, for example |
| Scarring | £19,070 to £54,830 | One scar that is noticeable and that causes a cosmetic deficit that is not severe |
| Facial Disfigurement (a) | £29,780 to £97,330 | Severe cosmetic disfigurement and psychological reaction in a relatively young individual. |
| Facial Disfigurement (b) | £17,960 to £48,420 | Less severe scarring that is nevertheless substantial and accompanied by significant psychological reaction. |
| Facial Disfigurement (c) | £5,860 to £19,070 | The worst effects have been or will be reduced by plastic surgery. Cosmetic disability will remain, but will not cause a severe psychological reaction. |
| Skin Conditions (a) | £13,740 to £19,200 | Dermatitis of both hands with cracking and soreness that is permanent or lasts for years, and affects several aspects of life. |
| Skin Conditions (b) | £8,640 to £11,410 | Dermatitis of one or both hands that lasts for years. Improved by the use of gloves or treatment. |
| Skin Conditions (c) | £1,710 to £3,950 | Rashes or irritation of one or both hands that resolves in a few months with treatment. |
| Damage to Hair (a) | £7,340 to £11,020 | Defective hair treatments that lead to eczema, dermatitis, tingling or 'burning' scalp, resulting in brittle or dry hair that falls out or breaks off. Associated distress, depression, and loss of confidence. |
| Damage to Hair (b) | £3,950 to £7,340 | Less severe or fewer symptoms than above, with length of time before regrowth occurs taken into consideration. |
These figures are intended only as a guide. The JCG does not account for the specifics of your accident, and nor do they reflect special damages.
Special damages are a potential second head of claim that can be a way of recouping financial losses. The losses that can be awarded in special damages could include:
- Past and future lost earnings
- Travel expenses, such as those incurred during travel to and from the hospital
- Medical expenses, covering a range of items such as medications
To learn more about how special damages could be involved in a claim following a hairdresser accident, contact our advisers today.
Why Should I Consider Appointing A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
Though you do not need a solicitor to bring a personal injury claim, hiring representation could help navigate the process. One of the solicitors from our panel might be able to offer a type of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
Using this kind of agreement means that you usually do not have to pay for your solicitor’s services if your claim fails. You also generally will not pay during the claims process, or upfront. Instead, your No Win No Fee solicitor will take what’s called a success fee from your compensation amount, and only in the event your claim is successful. This fee is capped by law.
Make A Hairdresser Accident Claim With Our Help
If you’d like more information related to claiming after a hairdresser accident, you can contact our advisers. They could put you in touch with our panel of personal injury solicitors to help with your potential claim. To learn more, talk to us today. You can:
- Contact our advisers using the chat feature below
- Call us on 0113 460 1216
- Forward us your query using our online claim form
Discover More About Hairdresser Accident Claims
Other guides:
What Is The Personal Injury Claims Time Limit?
I Had An Accident At Work; What Are My Rights?
Claim Compensation For An Accident In A Public Place
Related information:
Request CCTV Footage – Information about making a request for CCTV footage
Reporting Accidents and Incidents At Work – HSE resource about the legislation regarding the reporting of accidents at work
Changing Faces – Charity dedicated to those with visible differences or scarring
We hope this article about claiming compensation after a hairdresser accident has been useful. If you find yourself unclear on anything, call our advisers using the information above.
Writer Morgan Fringe
Publisher Fern Stringer