Slip or Trip at Work - Compensation Claims
Claiming compensation for a slip or trip at work
Slips and trips account for many workplace accidents and injuries. Workers may have tripped over obstructions left in inappropriate places, loose cabling, slipped on spillages which have not been cleaned or fallen on slippery or otherwise unsuitable flooring.
There is legislation which places obligations on employers and others responsible for premises to protect workers from slips and trips. The main regulations relevant to this area are The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and The Work at Height Regulations 2005 although other regulations are sometimes relevant depending on the circumstances of the accident.
When you can claim for a slip or trip at work
These accidents can happen either in a regular workplace or whilst out and about working on different sites. Situations where compensation claims in respect of a slip or trip in the workplace are often successful may involve:-
- Tripping hazards (e.g. a raised carpet tile/hole in floor) that are not repaired or warnings issued
- Areas with inadequate lighting
- Failure to use a suitable flooring material in the workplace (e.g. using a slippery lino in a workplace where water may drip onto the floor)
- Falls down stairs where handrails or other safety measures should have been in place
These are just examples of slips, trips and falls in the workplace and they can occur in many different ways.
Potential claimants often do not investigate a compensation claim because they are concerned that the trip or slip was their fault, for example, they did not spot the hazard because they were not “looking where they were going” or because they were carrying something which obscured their view. The legal system recognizes that in the real world people are often in such situations and makes allowance for that. These claims are often successful, despite the claimant initially thinking they could not claim.
We have considerable experience of handling slip and trip claims arising in many different types of scenario.