This article will explain who can claim for slips and trips at work after suffering an injury. If your employer didn’t fulfil the duty of care they owed you and you suffered an injury as a result, you might be able to claim compensation.
Slips and trips at work claims guide
If you’ve recently experienced a workplace accident that could have been avoided, you may be wondering if you can claim compensation for your suffering. Read on to learn more about slips and trips at work and what you can do if one occurs. You can also get in touch with our advisers by:
- Calling on 0800 073 8801
- Contacting an adviser via the live chat feature
- Filling out our online contact form
Select A Section
- What Are Slips And Trips At Work?
- Report And Record The Accident
- Get Medical Care
- Get Evidence To Help Prove Your Claim For Slips And Trips At Work
- Check The Average Payout For Slips And Trips At Work
- Get Help From An Expert
What Are Slips And Trips At Work?
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) obligates employers to, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure the welfare, safety and the health of employees. It actually extends to visitors and contractors that visit a workplace.
Another piece of legislation, known as The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, requires that employers carry out regular risk assessments and remove or mitigate possible hazards flagged during these reviews.
If your employer does not take these steps, they may breach their duty of care. If you suffer an injury as a result of the breach, then this is negligence, and you may be able to claim.
Some examples of slips and trips at work include:
- Slipping on a spilled drink or wet floor that has not been clearly signposted
- Tripping over an ethernet cable stretching between desks
- Falling over an electrical wire or trailing lead
If you’ve suffered an injury at work involving a slipping accident that was caused by your employer breaching the duty of care they owe you contact our team to find out if you’re eligible for compensation.
Report And Record The Accident
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) is a piece of legislation that requires that certain injuries be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Regardless of whether or not your accident is reported to the HSE, it is good practice to record the accident in an accident log book. Any workplace with ten or more employees is legally obligated to have an accident log book.
You can request a copy of this form at a later date. It’s important for the accident to be reported, as this can later be used as evidence to help strengthen your claim.
Get Medical Care
Those who suffer slips and trips at work should seek out medical attention as soon as possible. This ensures that you get the care you need following an injury and creates a record of the harm you have suffered. Some examples of injuries that you could suffer following a fall at work include:
- A fractured or broken bone
- A back injury
- A sprained, broken knee
- A dislocated shoulder
To learn more about how medical records can help strengthen claims for slips and trips at work, contact our advisors today. Alternatively, if you would like to learn more about making a slip, trip, or fall accident claim, continue reading.
Get Evidence To Help Prove Your Claim b
If you are interested in pursuing compensation for a work-related injury, you may want to think about collecting evidence to help strengthen your claim. You can do this alone or with the help of a No Win No Fee solicitor.
- Medical evidence, as discussed in the previous section
- Photographs of the injury
- Photographs of where the accident took place
- CCTV footage of the accident or the circumstances leading up to it
- A record of the accident, such as a copy of the entry in the accident logbook
In order to make a claim for compensation following an accident at work, you must be able to prove three things:
- That your employer acted or failed to act in a way that led them to breach their duty of care
- As a result of the breach, you suffered an accident, and
- You were caused an injury.
To find out how one of our solicitors could help you gather evidence to help strengthen your claim, contact our team of advisors today.
Check The Average Payout For Slips And Trips At Work
Personal injury compensation can contain two heads of claim. The first is general damages. These will reimburse you for the pain and suffering you experience as a result of your injury.
Solicitors use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them calculate personal injury compensation, as it provides guideline compensation brackets for many injuries and illnesses. Below, you can find some examples of these guideline figures. Please note that these are not guarantees and are guideline figures only.
| Injury Type | Compensation Bracket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Moderately Severe Brain Damage (b) | £219,070 to £282,010 | Limb paralysis or cognitive impairment. Significant dependence on others, and consideration given to life expectancy and ability to communicate. |
| Severe Back Injuries (a) (i) | £91,090 to £160,980 | Injuries that involve spinal cord damage and harm to the nerve roots, which lead to uncommonly severe symptoms. |
| Severe Back Injuries (a) (ii) | £74,160 to £88,430 | Injuries such as nerve root damage leading to loss of sensation and impaired mobility. |
| Severe Knee Injuries (a) (i) | £69,730 to £96,210 | Disruption to the joint, ligamentous damage, lengthy treatment and considerable pain and disability. |
| Wrist Injuries (a) | £47,620 to £59,860 | Complete loss of function, for example, where an arthrodesis has been performed. |
| Wrist Injuries (b) | £24,500 to £39,170 | Some movement remains, though there is a significant disability. |
| Severe Injuries to the Pelvis and Hips (iii) | £39,170 to £52,500 | Fractured acetabulum leading to leg instability and degenerative changes. |
| Severe Ankle Injuries (b) | £31,310 to £50,060 | Extensive treatment time and/or a period in plaster with residual disability. |
| Severe Shoulder Injuries (a) | £19,200 to £48,030 | Injuries usually involve the neck and are associated with damage to the brachial plexus. |
| Serious Shoulder Injuries (b) | £12,770 to £19,200 | Dislocation of the shoulder and lasting pain/symptoms extending into the arm. |
In addition to general damages, you could also receive special damages. Special damages compensate you for any financial losses you incurred because of your injury. For example, you may experience a loss of earnings if you have to take time off work to recover from your injuries. These losses can be recouped under special damages.
To get a free evaluation of what you could potentially receive should your claim succeed, get in touch with our team of advisors today. Or, to learn more about making claims for slips and trips at work, read on.
Get Help Claiming For Slips And Trips At Work
If you have suffered an injury as a result of your employer’s negligence and wish to make a slips and trips at work claim, you may be interested in hiring legal representation. Our solicitors offer their services with the help of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Generally, hiring a solicitor under a CFA allows you access to the benefits of legal representation without having to pay any upfront fees or ongoing costs.
Your solicitor only takes a fee if your claim is successful. This success fee has a legal cap, and is taken as a percentage of your compensation. However, if your claim does not succeed, then your solicitor will not take this fee.
Our advisors can provide free legal advice, and if they find your claim to be valid, they may connect you with one of our solicitors. To learn more about how you could benefit from legal representation, get in touch by:
- Calling on 0800 073 8801
- Contacting an adviser via the live chat feature below
- Filling out our online contact form
Check Similar Claims You Could Make
For more helpful accident at work articles, we recommend:
- Accident At Work With No Safety Goggles
- Claims For Accidents Caused By Fatigue And Tiredness At Work
- Agency Worker Accident At Work Claims
- How To Make An Accident At Work Claim
- Slips, Trips And Falls At Work Claims
- How To Claim If You Tripped On Carpet At Work
- A Guide To Slips And Trips In Kitchens
Or, for further helpful resources:
- HSE – Workers’ Health And Safety
- GOV – Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- NHS – Broken Arm
For more questions regarding slips and trips at work, get in touch with our advisors today.
Guide by MF
Edited by CH
