A needlestick injury claim seeks compensation for the personal injury when you are cut by a sharp or needle in the workplace. You can suffer a needlestick accident when working in a hospital, working for the local council or when working for a recycling and refuse company.

Needlestick injuries cause infection, spread disease and having suffered a workplace accident, you could be off work for a time and need medical treatment.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors, personal injury solicitors in Dublin, can make your needle stick accident claim for compensation.

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Table of Content

What is a needle stick accident injury?

A needle stick accident injury is when your skin is punctured by an incorrectly disposed item such as a used needle, sliced by a scalpel or by an exposed blade in a bin. 

You may also suffer a needlestick accident if a sharp object is left lying on a shelf or on top of a bin in the hospital or anywhere around the workplace.

According to the State Claims Agency (SCA), over 100 needlestick injury claims are made annually against Irish hospitals and care facilities, almost two a week. Statistics show 91% of injuries were for a needlestick injury, and the other 9% of needlestick accidents involved a sharps injury. Over €3.3 million was paid out by the SCA, with 54% of successful claims made against the HSE.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors will work with you when making a needlestick accident claim for personal injury compensation.

How can a needlestick accident happen in the workplace?

A needlestick accident can happen in the workplace when there are not the correct bins for disposing of sharps and needles or when staff have not received needles and sharps disposal training.

A needlestick accident can happen in the workplace when:

  • An employer does not provide PPE for those dealing with sharps and needles
  • An employer does not have facilities for collecting needles in the workplace
  • An employer does not provide full training for needlestick disposal
  • The employer does not enforce needlestick care guidelines
  • Needles and sharps are not stored correctly in the workplace
  • Disposal of needles is not done in a secure manner
  • An employer does not provide training in working with and disposing of sharps

An employer owes their employees a duty of care. If an employer such as the HSE fails to provide the right bins, enough bins or does not have them emptied regularly, they may be breaching their duty of care to you. If an employer does not provide full training in sharps disposal or in handling needles, they may also be breaching their duty of care.

A breach of duty of care causing an injury could be a compensation claim if you suffer losses due to the injury. An employer who fails to provide care and training for those working with needles and sharps could be responsible for a breach of duty of care causing losses.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors in Dublin will work with you when making a claim for personal injury compensation.

Are You Eligible For Compensation?

If you want to obtain compensation for the negligence you have suffered contact us today.

Common claims for needlestick accident injury

Common claims for needlestick accident injury range from the surgery nurse injured by a needle not disposed of to the employee cut by a sharp when emptying a bin.

You make a compensation claim for the needlestick accident injury for the impact on your life today and in the future.

Medical staff needlestick injury in the hospital happens to nurses during surgery or to a doctor when working on the wards.

Types of claims by hospital staff for needlestick accidents:

  • Nurse contracts infection from needlestick injury 
  • Doctor suffers severe cuts and stitches from a sharps injury
  • Surgeon slices tendon in a sharps injury 

O’Brien & Company Solicitors can work with you to make the needlestick injury in the hospital.

Nursing staff in healthcare facilities are very vulnerable to needlestick and sharps injuries, and a severe workplace injury could have the nurse off work for a time.

Types of nursing staff needlestick injury at a care home:

  • Nurse suffers needlestick injury when emptying bins on the ward
  • Nurse slices artery in sharps injury when caring for an elderly patient
  • Nurse suffers needlestick injury when administering medication

If you suffered a needlestick injury in the workplace, you could have a personal injury compensation claim*.

A hospital cleaner can suffer a sharps injury anywhere in the workplace but can very easily be cut by a sharps when in the A&E department at a HSE hospital.

The A&E can be a busy place and cleaning staff are under pressure to clean beds and cubicles for incoming patients. A needle or scalpel left lying on a shelf or on a bed can cause severe injury, spread infection and leave unsightly scarring.

A hospital cleaner can make a sharps injury claim when injured in the A&E or any ward in a HSE hospital.

A refuse facility worker who suffers a needlestick injury at a recycling plant could suffer nerve and muscle damage but will also have the added stress of needing to have blood tests and waiting for the results.

The refuse facility employees should be issued with the correct PPE such as gloves, protective clothing and heavy-duty footwear. Refuse that is not stored correctly can be dangerous, and hospital waste can contain needles and sharps, covered in blood and other liquids.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors can make the personal injury compensation claim* for a workplace injury.

A council worker is always in danger of suffering a needlestick injury when emptying bins in the town park or on the street. The physical injury and the stress of not knowing if they have contracted an infection can be very difficult for the employee.

Claims by council workers for a needlestick injury:

  • Needlestick injury when emptying the bins in the park without gloves
  • Needlestick injury to a council employee cleaning the public toilets
  • Needlestick injury to a council employee collecting rubbish in town

A council employee who suffers a needlestick and sharps injury could be off work and need time in hospital.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors in Dublin will look at the details of the needlestick and sharps injury and help you make a compensation claim for the personal injury.

Who can be responsible for a needlestick injury in the workplace?

Your employer can be responsible for the needlestick injury in the workplace. If your injury happened in a medical facility, the hospital authority, usually the HSE in Ireland, can be responsible for the accident.

In Ireland, the HSE is responsible for the upkeep and daily cleaning of hospitals, and a needlestick injury may be due to errors by HSE management at some stage.

If your personal injury happens in a private hospital, you can take a compensation claim against the operator of the private medical care facility. 

O’Brien & Company Solicitors will make your needlestick accident claim for compensation against your employer, the HSE or the private hospital authority.

Need Advice? Speak With An Expert.

If you are a victim of medical negligence, obtaining the advice of a professional and experienced solicitor is in your best interests.

Compensation in a needlestick accident injury claim in Ireland

Compensation in a needlestick claim in Ireland could see you receiving money to cover your costs and losses, as well as for the pain and other effects on your life of the personal injury.

The compensation differs from claim to claim. You could be incapacitated for life and need full-time care due to the personal injury, or you may be out of work and lose income to the home.

There is not one fixed amount of compensation for a personal injury accident, and you seek compensation for your losses, known as damages, in a claim.

In Ireland, a personal injury compensation claim* combines two types of damages.

What are damages in a personal injury claim*?

The two types of damages in a personal injury claim* cover the immediate effects on your life and the impact on your future life. You claim damages for the pain and suffering and damages for any loss of income following a personal injury.

If you need to make adaptations to the home and car and make other changes to your life, you can claim compensation for the costs.

The damages in a personal injury claim* in Ireland are:

General damages in a personal injury claim* are compensation for the Loss of Amenity in your life. The loss of amenity can be from a sliced tendon in your arm or the impact of the infection in your foot or legs.

A loss of amenity can be seen in a difficulty walking, exercising, or getting to work. 

You can also claim for the pain and suffering experienced due to a breach of the duty of care owed to you.

The special damages in a personal injury claim* cover the extra costs in your life due to the personal injury caused by a needlestick accident.

Special damages in any personal injury compensation claim* are for:

  • Medical costs
  • Loss of earnings
  • Travel costs 
  • Cost of care
  • Further treatment costs
  • Cost of aids and equipment 

The personal injury claim* in Ireland seeks compensation for the two types of damages due to a needlestick or sharps injury.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors in Dublin will be there with you when making a personal injury claim*.

Did you suffer injury due to negligence in the workplace?

If you can show there was negligence in the workplace causing your needlestick accident injury, then you may have a compensation claim.

You must first determine that you suffered workplace negligence due to a lack of care by the employer.

To establish personal injury workplace negligence, you must show:

  • The employer owed you a duty of care
  • There was a breach of the duty of care by the employer
  • The breach of duty of care caused you harm
  • You suffered losses, damages, due to the harm from a breach of duty of care

O’Brien & Company personal injury solicitors in Dublin can look at your case and see if you have a valid claim for the needlestick accident injury.

Make a needlestick accident claim today

At O’Brien & Company Solicitors we have extensive experience of workplace accident claims, as well as in-depth knowledge and expertise in construction site accident claims.

If you have been injured or had an accident on a construction site, you may be entitled to compensation for your injury as well as any financial loss or expenses you have faced. 

Contact us today and allow us to put our knowledge and experience to use for you. We can advise and assist you at each stage of the process for a successful outcome. 

Frequently Asked Questions on Needlestick Accident Claims

Yes, you can make a claim against the HSE for personal injury. The HSE is responsible for the care of all staff, including maintenance and medical staff and for any possible personal injury accidents.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors has the experience of working with the Injuries Resolution Board when making personal injury claims*.

The Injuries Resolution Board is the first step to getting compensation after a personal injury.

Every personal injury claim* must go through the Injuries Board for assessment.

Your solicitor can make the claim for you and advise you to accept the findings of the Injuries Resolution Board or take the claim to court.

You have two years from the date of the accident to make a personal injury claim* in Ireland. The two years start from the date of realising you suffered an injury, known as the date of discovery.

A child, a person under 18, has until they turn 18 to make a personal injury claim* for compensation.

No, you will not have to go to court to make a compensation claim in Ireland. If you work with your solicitor, they will make your claim to the Injuries Board when you are injured in a needlestick accident.

A solicitor will give you good advice and know how to make a successful personal injury claim* without going to court.

No, you do not have to use a personal injury solicitor for a compensation claim, but using one may be the best way to win compensation.

A good personal injury negligence solicitor will know how to claim compensation. 

The experienced personal injury solicitor can tell when to settle a claim and when to keep fighting.

Contact us now
in confidence.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors has a wealth of experience and a history of success in personal injury and medical negligence cases.

We pride ourselves on achieving the best results for our clients whilst at the same time making everything as straightforward and clear for you as possible.