Can I Claim Compensation For Slipping On Ice At Work?
By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 17th August 2023. If you’re wondering ‘can I claim compensation for slipping on ice at work?’, this guide can help.
If you’ve been injured at work in the winter months when frost or ice has settled you may think that it’s simply been caused by the changing of the seasons and is ‘just one of those things’ but it certainly shouldn’t be. You may not be aware that all employers are supposed to put systems in place to make sure work is a safe place to be and that includes managing the risk of slipping on ice at work.
If an employer fails to protect its employees when icy conditions are prevalent then it could be held liable for any injuries suffered. If you’ve been injured by a slip or fall in icy conditions at work and would like to make a no win no fee personal injury claim, then please call our expert team today on 0800 073 8804.
If you’d like to no more first, then please carry on reading this useful guide.
Select A Section
- What duty of care does an employer have to prevent buildups of ice on their property?
- How to start a slip and fall on ice settlement claim
- Slipping On Ice At Work – Time Limit For Injury Claims
- Compensation payouts after slipping on ice at work
- Slipped On Ice At Work – Make A No Win Fee Claim
- Helpful resources
What duty of care does an employer have to prevent buildups of ice on their property?
Someone slipping on ice will not always be able to make a claim for an injury. In situations such as slipping on ice at work, you would have to be able to prove that your employer was negligent in dealing with the hazard in order to make a successful claim.
‘can I claim compensation for slipping on ice at work?’
As per the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 your employer has a duty of care to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure you are safe in the workplace. If your employer is aware that it is snowing, or there is an ice buildup at your place of work, they will have a responsibility to start taking practical steps to deal with the hazard before it causes an injury to you or your colleagues.
Actions they could take in this instance include:
- Assigning someone to clear out the ice buildup
- Providing alternative routes to avoid any buildup of ice
- Signs to warn of the slipping hazard
- Not requiring you to come in, if the conditions are deemed too unsafe
If your employer fails to take such actions, then they could be found liable for the injury you had sustained after you slipped on ice at work.
To discuss employer liability for injury caused by slipping on ice at work, please reach out to one of our advisers.
How to start a slip and fall on ice settlement claim
When asked the question ‘’can I claim compensation for slipping on ice at work?’, we always tell clients that if there is evidence to prove that somebody else was to blame, then the answer is yes.
We know that at the time of an accident your first thought isn’t necessarily going to be about making a claim but if you have the wherewithal to there are a number of steps that can help to make a claim more successful:
- Photograph the scene of the accident and also photograph your injuries as evidence of the accident and the damage it caused.
- Try to gather any statements from witnesses who saw your accident happen and ensure you have their contact details.
- Seek medical treatment as soon as possible and if necessary, call the emergency services if you’re unable to make your own way to A&E. Any medical records from the assessment can be used in the evidence to support your claim.
- Report the accident to your employer
- Ensure you keep any receipts or bills for any expenses incurred because of the accident.
All of this, together with your own statement, can be used to support your claim. It may be worth writing down what actually happened as soon as you can in case you forget some of the details later on.
Slipping On Ice At Work – Time Limit For Injury Claims
If you have strong grounds to claim for injuries caused by a slip and fall on ice at work, then you should be aware that there is a time limit for starting this process. Due to the Limitation Act 1980, there’s usually a three-year time limit for starting a personal injury claim for an injury at work. This time limit normally starts from the date of your accident.
Under certain circumstances, the time limit can work differently. For instance, if the injured party lacks the mental capacity to start their own claim, then the time limit is suspended indefinitely. A court-appointed litigation friend could make a claim on behalf of the injured party. If, however, this does not happen, and the injured party later recovers their mental capacity, then the time limit will begin on the day of recovery.
If the injured party is under the age of 18, then the time limit will not start for them until their 18th birthday. A claim could be made on the injured party’s behalf by a court-appointed litigation friend before this day comes. If this does not happen, then the injured party will have three years to start their own claim once they turn 18.
If you still have any questions about your eligibility to claim for injuries after you slipped and fell on ice at work, please contact our team of advisors today for free. They can also provide further guidance on how long you have to initiate legal proceedings.
Compensation payouts after slipping on ice at work
If you’ve researched the amounts of compensation you can get for slipping on ice at work you’ve probably heard of a personal injury claims calculator. Unfortunately, this is a bit of an Internet myth as every claim for slipping on ice is unique and the types of injuries sustained are different in every case.
We can however, show you the table below which shows how much compensation can be awarded for general damages for certain types of injury. General damages is a head of claim that covers you for the pain and suffering caused by the injury. For example, if you’ve been injured due to slipping on ice at work as a result of negligence, you could claim for both physical and psychological injuries caused by this. The range of payment shown is based on the severity of the injury:
Body part Range of severity Compensation Amounta
Mental anguish Up to £4,670
Back injury Minor to severe Up to £160,980
Hand injury Minor to serious Up to £201,490
Wrist injury Minor to severe Up to £59,860
Arm injury Moderate to severe Up to £130,930
Finger injury Minor to severe Up to £90,750
Ankle injury Minor to severe Up to £69,700
Foot injury Minor to very severe Up to £201,490
Leg injury Minor to severe Up to £282,010
Our job, as a personal injury solicitor, is to ensure that we provide enough medical evidence to support the true level of severity of any injury which we usually do by providing medical records obtained from hospitals or GPs and sometimes by using medical specialists to assess the impact that the injury has had on you.
If your injury isn’t listed in the table above then don’t worry as we’ve listed a small sample of injuries that can be sustained, if yours isn’t listed then please contact us and explain the scenario that occurred in your accident. Alternatively, if you’re wondering ‘can I claim compensation for slipping on ice at work?’, please speak to one of our advisors today and they’ll be happy to assist you.
More Payouts for Slipping on Ice Claims
Another potential head of claim that can make up some of your ice slip compensation relates to the financial losses caused by the injury. This is referred to as special damages compensation. You would need evidence such as receipts, bank statements and invoices to illustrate the value of the losses. Examples of losses you may be able to claim for during ice slip claims include:
- Loss of Earnings – If you’re unable to work due to the injury, you may be able to claim for loss of earnings. If your injury is permanent or long-term, you may be able to claim for future loss of earnings.
- Care costs – You may need to hire a carer to help look after you as your injuries caused by slipping on ice at work have meant you are unable to carry out domestic tasks. If it’s deemed a necessary requirement, you could receive compensation for the costs of this.
- Healthcare costs – If you require private healthcare (healthcare that is not provided through the NHS), you may be able to claim for this. You can also claim for prescription costs, travel costs and adjustments to your home as part of the ice slip compensation.
- Damaged personal property – Some of your personal items may be damaged as a result of the fall. Successful ice slip claims can involve you receiving compensation for these losses.
Generally, you have three years from the date of the accident to begin the claims process. The Limitation Act 1980 provides more information about this. If you prefer, you can also contact us for free legal advice at a time that works for you.
Slipped On Ice At Work – Make A No Win Fee Claim
If you’ve slipped on ice at work and injured yourself due to negligence, we would recommend hiring a solicitor. If someone slipped on ice at work, they could suffer serious injuries and be owed compensation.
If you’re concerned about how much hiring a solicitor could cost you, you may be interested to know that our solicitors can all work with their clients on a No Win No Fee basis. This is when you only pay them a percentage of your settlement in the event of a successful claim. The percentage is capped by law. There are also generally no upfront fees. If your claim does not succeed, you are not required to pay your solicitor.
‘can I claim compensation for slipping on ice at work?’
If you’re wondering ‘can I claim compensation for slipping on ice at work?’, now you know about how Legal Expert can help you, then there are a number of ways to contact us:
- Call us directly on 0800 073 8804
- Use our live chat feature on any page of the website
- Use our contact page
- Email us at info@legalexpert.co.uk
Helpful resources
Hopefully, you’ve read this guide about slipping on ice at work and have decided if you want to begin your personal injury claim but if you require more information here are some more useful links and guide articles which may help further:
- Ice slip compensation – A guide on claiming for slipping on ice in public places (i.e. not at work)
- No Win No Fee Service – Further information on how our no win no fee service works
- Accident At Work claims – A guide about claiming for accidents at work (not just slipping on ice)
- Health and Safety at Work act – the act which defines health and safety laws at work in the UK
- Broken Leg guide – an NHS guide to broken legs which is a common injury sustained when slipping on ice at work
- I slipped on water in a supermarket, can I claim? – Another of our guides.
- Learn more about claiming compensation for a fall at work here. You can find potential compensation payouts and advice on working with a No Win No Fee solicitor.
- Back injury claims – Information on claiming for this injury.
- Neck injury claims – How much could you be owed?
- Find out how to claim for a slip or trip caused by someone mopping the floor with our helpful guide.
We hope this guide has helped answer the question of ‘can I claim compensation for slipping on ice at work?’. If you require any more resources, then please feel free to call Legal Expert today and we’ll try to answer any remaining questions you have.
