This guide will explore the process of making a claim for a slip, trip and fall at work that has led to you sustaining an injury. In order to make a valid claim, you must be able to show that your employer acted negligently, causing you to sustain harm.
We will look at your employer’s duty of care and how breaching this duty could result in injury. Also, we look at how a No Win No Fee agreement could help if you’re looking to hire a solicitor but are concerned about the costs often associated with doing so.
For more information, get in touch with our team. Our advisors are available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have.
To get in touch, you can:
- Contact us by filling out our form.
- Call the number at the top of the page.
- Use the live chat feature to speak with an advisor below.
Choose A Section
- Making A Claim For A Slip, Trip And Fall At Work
- How Could A Slip, Trip And Fall At Work Take Place?
- What To Do After An Accident At Work
- Compensation Settlements For Injuries In The Workplace
- How Could I Benefit From Appointing A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
- Guidance About Claims For A Slip, Trip And Fall At Work
Making A Claim For A Slip Trip And Fall At Work
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) is a piece of legislation that outlines your employer’s duty of care. Employers are expected to take reasonably practicable steps to keep their employees safe, and failure to do so is a breach of their duty of care.
However, as each type of job is different, these steps will vary depending on the workplace. Generally, though, the steps they take might include:
- Carrying out regular risk assessments to highlight and control the risk of any hazards
- Providing adequate training for employees to do their job safely
- Ensuring the equipment they provide is regularly maintained and safe to use for the purpose of which it was intended
- Communicating health and safety policies to employees
A failure to uphold their duty of care could lead to a workplace accident that results in injury. For instance, a slip, trip or fall at work that causes a severe head injury.
If you’ve been injured at work in a similar incident as a result of employer negligence, call our team to find out more.
Slip, Trip And Fall Statistics
Certain injuries and accidents must be reported under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
The reports are made by employers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and are used to collate workplace accident statistics.
The statistics showed that there were 16,698 non-fatal slips, trips and falls on the same level during 2020/21. Additionally, there were 4,143 non-fatal falls from height during the same period.
Please note, these figures are provisional.
How Could A Slip Trip And Fall At Work Take Place?
Every employer is expected to take reasonably practical steps to protect their employees as per HASAWA.
Failure to do so could result in the following accidents:
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- Wet floor: There may have been a spill on the floor but no wet floor sign to make people aware of the hazard. As a result, someone may have experienced a broken wrist after slipping on the spill.
- Wires across the floor: Wires could present a tripping hazard if they are not secure. For instance, wires may have been trailed across an office causing someone to fall over them and sprain their ankle.
- Defective equipment: Your employer may have failed to risk assess the equipment on a regular basis. As a result, you may have experienced a broken leg after falling from a faulty ladder.
If you have experienced a similar incident of employer negligence that led to a slip, trip and fall at work, get in touch with our advisors.
They’re available 24/7 to offer free legal advice, and if your claim is eligible they may put you in touch with our panel of personal injury solicitors.
What To Do After An Accident At Work
After experiencing a slip, trip or fall at work, there are several steps you could take to make a compensation claim. For instance:
- Seek medical attention: It’s important that you seek medical attention for your injuries to ensure you receive the correct treatment. Any medical records detailing the treatment and diagnosis you do receive could be used as evidence in your claim.
Also, you may be invited to an independent medical assessment as part of the claims process. A report on the current state of your injuries may be produced from the assessment which could also be used as medical evidence.
- Gather evidence: You could gather evidence such as CCTV footage of the accident at work, pictures of your injuries, witness contact details and pictures of the accident.
- Seek legal advice. If you were injured in a slip, trip and fall at work you may want to make a No Win No Fee injury at work claim. Hiring a solicitor on this basis could allow you to avoid paying an upfront fee often required for a solicitor’s services.
A solicitor could help you gather relevant evidence and arrange for you to attend a local medical assessment.
For more information on the accident at work procedure when making a claim, call our team.
Compensation Settlements For Injuries In The Workplace
When seeking compensation for injuries sustained in a slip, trip or fall at work, your payout may comprise two heads of claim. These are general damages and special damages.
We have provided more information on them in the following sections.
General Damages
Compensation awarded for your physical and psychological injuries suffered as a result of the accident will come under general damages.
The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) is a publication that supplies bracket compensation amounts for different injuries at varying severities. It’s often used to help value claims alongside medical evidence and reports which will assess:
- The severity of your injuries
- How badly your injuries have impacted your quality of life
As you can see, the payout you receive following a successful claim will vary depending on your specific circumstances. However, we have used figures from the JCG in the table below. You should only use these figures as a guide though.
| Injury | Potential Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate brain damage (c) (iii) | £40,410 to £85,150 | A case of brain damage the impacts memory, concentration and the ability to work. There may also be a small risk of epilepsy. |
| Moderate psychiatric damage (c) | £5,500 to £17,900 | The person will have made a significant improvement and have a good future prognosis. |
| Minor neck injuries (c) (i) | £4,080 to £7,410 | Minor soft tissue injuries with a full recovery within one to two years. |
| Minor back injuries (c) (i) | £7,410 to £11,730 | Less serious strains, sprains, disc prolapses, soft tissue injuries or fractures that don't require surgery. The person may make a full recovery with 5 years. |
| Serious shoulder injuries (b) | £11,980 to £18,020 | A shoulder dislocation with lower brachial plexus damage that causes several symptoms such as shoulder and neck pain. |
| Moderate Pelvis or Hip Injury (b) (i) | £24,950 to £36,770 | Significant injury but no permanent disability. |
| Arm injury | £6,190 to £18,020 | Simple fracture affecting the forearm. |
| Moderate or minor elbow injuries (c) | Up to £11,820 | Injuries might include a simple fracture with no permanent damage. |
| Wrist injuries (b) | £22,990 to £36,770 | A wrist injury that causes a permanent and significant disability but some useful movement will remain. |
| Moderate knee injuries (b) (i) | £13,920 to £24,580 | Injuries might include a dislocation or torn cartilage that cause symptoms such as minor instability. |
If you can’t see your injury listed, please call our team. They can provide a free valuation of your injuries.
Special Damages
The part of your claim that seeks to reimburse costs associated with your injuries comes under special damages. The costs you could claim under special damages might include:
- Loss of past and future earnings
- Travel expenses
- Care costs for yourself or someone else dependent on you
- Medical expenses
Please note, you will need to provide evidence to prove any financial losses you incurred such as payslips or receipts.
For more information on what your compensation settlement for injuries sustained in a slip, trip and fall at work may comprise, call our team.
How Could I Benefit From Appointing A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
After suffering from injuries sustained in a slip, trip or fall at work, you may wish to seek legal representation. However, the cost of a solicitor’s services may make you apprehensive to do so.
If this is the case, you may benefit from making your claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor.
Claiming with a solicitor who offers No Win No Fee services means you won’t pay:
- Upfront fees
- Fees while your claim is ongoing
- A success fee from your compensation settlement if your claim is unsuccessful
For successful slip, trip and fall claims, a legally capped success fee is taken from your compensation as a percentage. However, your solicitor will make you aware of the fee before you claim.
Call Us About Making A Slip Trip And Fall At Work Claim
Our panel of personal injury solicitors offer No Win No Fee services and could handle your claim if it holds validity. If you’d like an experienced accident at work solicitor from our panel to represent your claim, our team could help.
An advisor could assess your slip, trip and fall at work claim to determine whether it has a chance of success. If it does, they could assign a solicitor from our panel to start working on your case.
Alternatively, if you require further information before taking this step, our advisors can provide clarification on anything of which you’re unsure.
Either way, our advisors could help. To get in touch, you can:
- Contact us by filling out our form.
- Call the number at the top of the page.
- Use the live chat feature to speak with an advisor below.
Guidance About Claims For A Slip Trip And Fall At Work
Below, we have provided some additional external resources that you may find helpful.
- NHS Guide – How Do I Know If I’ve Broken a Bone?
- Government Guide – Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- HSE Statistics – Health and Safety at Work Summary Statistics for Great Britain 2021
We have also included some additional guides that you may find beneficial.
- How Do I Make a Successful Broken Leg at Work Claim?
- Could I Include Emotional Distress as Part of My Accident at Work Claim?
- Will I Get Paid For An Accident At Work?
- Make A No Win No Fee Workplace Accident Claim
- What Is The Maximum Settlement For A Work Accident?
- Accident At Work Claims Time Limit
- How To Use Accident At Work Solicitors
- How Could I Make A Claim For An Accident At Work?
- Broken Ankle At Work Claims
For more information on making a slip, trip or fall at work accident claim, call our team on the number above.