The workplace should be a safe environment where employees can perform their duties without risk of injury from hazards such as trailing leads. However, when such injuries occur through no fault of workers, it can give rise to trailing leads hazards claims. Read on to learn all about the process of making an accident at work claim and find out how one of our dedicated solicitors can help you.
Essential Information
- Slip, trip and falls are the most common cause of reported non-fatal injuries.
- You could make an accident at work claim if you have been injured in an incident through no fault of your own.
- Generally, you have 3 years from the date of your accident at work to start a claim.
- You could claim for your physical and psychological injuries.
- If you have suffered financial losses due to your injury, you may be eligible to claim compensation for provable out-of-pocket costs.
Whether you’re ready to get started or have any questions for us at this stage, you can contact our advisors by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8804
- Using our website’s online contact form
- Messaging an advisor in live chat
Jump To A Section
- Can I Claim For Injuries Caused By Trailing Leads Hazards?
- How Much Compensation For Trailing Leads Hazards Claims?
- How Common Are Trip Accidents At Work?
- What Injuries Could Trailing Leads Hazards Cause?
- How Long Will I Have To Make A Trailing Lead Trip Hazard Claim?
- What Evidence Will I Need To Prove I Tripped Over Trailing Leads?
- How Can Legal Expert Help Trailing Leads Hazards Claims?
- Can I Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Learn More
Can I Claim For Injuries Caused By Trailing Leads Hazards?
Yes, you can claim for injuries caused by trailing leads hazards if you can prove the following:
- You were owed a duty of care
- The party which owed you this duty of care breached it
- The breach directly led to you sustaining injuries
The first thing we must discuss is what a duty of care is. In short, it refers to the responsibility that another party (in this case, an employer) has to take certain actions to protect the safety of others.
For employers, that duty of care is owed under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This act requires that they take reasonable measures to ensure both your health, safety, and well-being as their employee. Employers could meet this duty of care by, for instance, conducting regular maintenance or ensuring that staff are sufficiently trained.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is responsible for regulating workplace safety in the UK, provides guidance to employers on how to prevent the risk of trailing wire injuries. These steps include:
- Ensuring walkways are in the right position
- Housekeeping of any walkways, including making sure that there are no obstructions or trailing wires
- Making sure that the walkways are designed correctly and maintained to prevent slips, trips and falls
- Providing suitable footwear
If your employer fails to fulfil their legal obligations, and you are resultingly injured, you might have the basis to make a trailing lead hazard claim.
Contact us today to access our free 24/7 advice service to discuss your experience and see if you have a valid case for compensation.
How Much Compensation For Trailing Leads Hazards Claims?
The amount of compensation that might be paid out in successful trailing leads hazards claims is dependent on a number of factors, such as the severity of the injury and its long-term impact.
Successful trailing hazard claims may be made up of 2 types of damages:
- General damages: Compensation for the level of pain and suffering you have endured from your injuries. This head of claim also considers any loss of amenity, covering how your injuries impact your quality of life. For example, if you have been left unable to engage in hobbies the same way you could before the accident.
- Special damages: Encompasses the financial losses caused by the injuries you sustained. We’ll cover these damages in more detail in the next section.
When assessing general damages, legal professionals often refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), as the document publishes suggested brackets for compensation covering a wide range of injuries.
The brackets in our table are taken from the JCG, with the exception of the first entry. Since these are guideline brackets, they do not guarantee compensation.
| Injury | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Injuries and Special Damages, Such as Loss of Earnings | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Tetraplegia (also known as Quadriplegia) | £396,140 to £493,000 |
| Very Severe Brain Damage | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Severe (i) Back Injury | £111,150 to £196,450 |
| Severe (ii) Neck Injury | £80,240 to £159,770 |
| Severe (ii) Very Serious Leg Injury | £66,920 to £109,290 |
| Very Severe Ankle Injury | £61,090 to £85,070 |
| Severe (iii) Pelvis/Hip Injury | £47,810 to £64,070 |
| Severe (iii) Knee Injury | £31,960 to £53,030 |
| Serious Foot Injury | £30,500 to £47,840 |
What Else Can My Compensation Cover?
As we briefly discussed above, your compensation may also cover the financial impact of your injuries, such as costs related to:
- Loss of income or earning potential
- Medical expenses for private treatments, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy
- Extra childcare due to your injuries
- Travel necessitated by your injuries, such as to attend medical appointments
- Adaptations in the home to facilitate independence or support your disability, for instance, ramps or accessible showers
- Therapy or counselling if you also suffered psychological harm
No matter what out-of-pocket expenses you claim for, special damages must be supported with evidence. For instance, you could use wage slips to prove a loss of earnings or invoices confirming modifications made to your property.
Compensation can’t undo the harm that you have experienced, but it can help your recovery as you readjust to life after an accident. If you’d like to learn more about compensation for trailing lead hazard claims, please contact us today for free and confidential advice.
How Common Are Trip Accidents At Work?
Trip accidents at work are the most common type of incident involving non-fatal injuries to employees reported to the HSE. According to the HSE, 31% of reports made under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) in 2023/24 involved slips, trips, and falls. To put that in context, 61,663 non-fatal injuries were reported under RIDDOR during that period.
However, it’s important to point out that these statistics, while highlighting the prevalence of slips, trips, and falls, do not reveal whether trailing wires were a contributing factor.
If you have been injured after slipping, tripping, or falling over trailing lead hazards, contact our advisors today. They can assess your situation and help you get started with your potential claim
What Injuries Could Trailing Leads Hazards Cause?
Trailing leads hazards can cause a range of injuries, and below you will find some of the most common, together with scenarios that might lead to a valid claim:
- Head: In your office, you trip on trailing leads which your employer repeatedly refused to address with a wire protector. You fall heavily, sustaining a serious head injury and a broken leg.
- Back: You trip on a trailing wire, causing you to lose your balance and fall down several steps. Warehouse management had decided against conducting routine inspections of their premises. Due to this, you suffer a severe back injury that leaves you with spinal cord damage.
- Neck: Despite multiple reports of several trailing wires in your supermarket’s storeroom, no attempt is made to remedy the hazards or post warning signs about the potential danger. Subsequently, you trip on the leads and fall down a flight of stairs, suffering multiple injuries to your neck, shoulder, arms, and legs.
- Fractures and sprains: You are working on a construction site where there are trailing wires across the walkways. Management hasn’t made any attempt to conduct a risk assessment or authorise regular inspections on the building site. You catch your foot and trip, sustaining a sprained ankle and a fractured wrist.
No matter what type of injury you’ve suffered, our advisors can assess your case and guide you through the trailing leads hazards claims process.
How Long Will I Have To Make A Trailing Lead Trip Hazard Claim?
You generally have 3 years from the date of the accident to make a trailing lead trip hazard claim. This time limit is established in the Limitation Act 1980, but won’t apply if:
- The claimant is under 18, as minors can’t make a claim for themselves. Instead, their time limit will run from the date they come of age, up to the day of their 21st birthday.
- The individual is considered to be mentally incapacitated. As with minors, they cannot claim independently. Consequently, the 3-year time limit will only be instituted if they regain capacity, dated from the point of recovery.
In both of the above circumstances, it is possible for someone to act as a litigation friend to claim on behalf of another person while time limits are paused. Any eligible adult can fill the role, but candidates are most typically loved ones and professionals, like solicitors.
If you are unsure whether your claim still falls within the limitation period or if you would like to know more about claiming on behalf of someone else, you can contact our advisors. They’re available 24/7 and will be happy to discuss these aspects of the claims process with you.
What Evidence Will I Need To Prove I Tripped Over Trailing Leads?
The evidence you need to prove that you tripped over trailing leads can range from visual records to medical notes. Evidence is an important part of the claim process as it helps to demonstrate how your injuries were caused by an employer breaching the duty of care they owed you.
Your evidence in trailing leads hazard claims could include:
- CCTV evidence of the accident, if it was caught on camera
- Workplace accident report book
- Details of anyone who would be willing to provide a witness statement for your solicitor to strengthen the claim
- Medical or GP records to demonstrate the extent of your injuries
- Any hospital reports if you needed to attend the hospital
Our solicitors understand that the process of proving a claim can be daunting, especially when someone is still recovering from their injuries. That’s why they are always ready to assist their clients with obtaining supporting evidence.
Contact us today to learn more about what evidence could be useful in your claim. Please also read on as we next discuss some of the other services offered by our solicitors.
How Can Legal Expert Help Trailing Leads Hazards Claims?
Here at Legal Expert, our specialist solicitors use their decades of combined experience to help clients get started with trailing leads hazards claims. Our team has advocated for individuals throughout the UK and understands that the expert support they provide can make all the difference when navigating the claims process.
Guided by their own client experiences, our team is committed to providing a personalised service that puts people like you at the heart of the process. By choosing to work with us, you can expect:
- Regular updates about the progress of your claim
- Help with gathering evidence to support your claim, from collecting witness statements to requesting copies of medical records
- Tailored support for your recovery journey, including access to specialists like physiotherapists
- Clear, straightforward explanations about legal language, documentation, and other aspects of claiming
- Expert, professional negotiations with the defendant’s representatives to secure a fair compensation
These services are all offered on a No Win No Fee basis, which we discuss next. You can also reach out to our advisory team to learn more about the advantages of claiming with one of our solicitors.
Can I Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Yes, you can claim on a No Win No Fee basis, provided your case meets the eligibility criteria we discussed above. Our solicitors work specifically via a Conditional Fee Agreement, which can be a beneficial way of claiming, as it keeps solicitor fees from mounting. When making trailing leads hazards claims, that means:
- No upfront solicitor’s fees
- No solicitor fees for the progression of the claim
- If, for whatever reason, the claim were unsuccessful, there would be no solicitor fees to pay at all
If your claim wins, a small fee will be deducted from your compensation as payment for the solicitor’s work. This success fee is limited as the percentage taken is capped in accordance with The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 to ensure that you receive the majority of their compensation.
Contact Us
We hope that our guide has been useful today, but if you have any questions about making a trailing leads hazards claim, you can contact our knowledgeable advisors by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8804
- Using our website’s online contact form
- Messaging an advisor in live chat
Learn More
Why not read our other guides about:
- The accident at work claims process
- Claiming for electric shock accidents
- How to claim for nerve damage
Useful External Resources
- When to report an accident at work from the HSE
- How to claim Statutory Sick Pay from GOV.UK
- When to visit a walk-in centre from the NHS
Thank you for taking a moment to read our trailing leads hazards claims guide today.
