Can I Sue My Employer For A Slip And Fall?
“Can I sue my employer for a slip and fall?” If you’re asking this question, our guide can help. You could claim against your employer if they caused a slip and fall accident resulting in your injury.
A guide answering the question ‘Can I sue my employer for a slip and fall?’
Unfortunately, falls at work are amongst the most common types of non-fatal workplace injuries. Even a small safety hazard, such as a spillage on the floor, can cause a slip at work. This guide will explain how slips and trips at work can happen and we will look at the injuries a slipping accident can cause. Moreover, we will explain how to claim against your employer if their negligence caused your injuries.
To see if you can sue for a slip and fall at work, contact Legal Expert today. We can offer you free legal advice on claiming compensation for an accident. Moreover, we could connect you with a skilled personal injury lawyer to handle your claim. They can handle your claim on a No Win No Fee basis, which means that your lawyer takes on the financial risk, not you. So contact us today to begin your claim.
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- Call Legal Expert on 0800 073 8804
- Or use our online claims form to reach us now
Select A Section
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- Can I Sue My Employer For A Slip And Fall In The Workplace?
- Does My Employer Owe Me A Duty Of Care?
- Quick Facts And Statistics On Workplace Slips And Falls
- How Do Slip And Fall Claims Against Your Employer Work?
- Slip And Fall At Work Compensation Amounts In The UK
- Talk To A Solicitor About Your Slip And Fall Claim
Can I Sue My Employer For A Slip And Fall In The Workplace?
Your employer owes you a duty of care when you are at work. Therefore, your employer is responsible for preventing slips in the workplace.
You can sue your employer for a slip and fall at work if there is evidence to prove the following:
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- Firstly, that your employer owed you a duty of care.
- Secondly, your employer breached this duty, causing a slipping accident.
- And finally, that the slipping accident at work led to you becoming injured.
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You don’t have to use the services of a solicitor to claim. However, it can be useful to have a legal professional on your side, giving solid advice and valuing your claim accurately.
Many claimants worry about claiming compensation for a work-related injury. However, if you make an honest personal injury claim against them, your employer cannot treat you unfairly or dismiss you.
Most employers have employers’ liability insurance, which covers them for personal injury claims. So your slip, trip or fall claim should not leave your employer out of pocket.
Does My Employer Owe Me A Duty Of Care?
There is legislation to protect workers. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers owe their employees a duty of care. Employers owe workers a duty of care when in an environment that their employer controls. Subsequently, employers need to ensure that employees have a safe and hygienic work environment.
Moreover, employers should observe The Work at Height Regulations 2005 to protect employees who work at a height. Employers should properly plan activities that take place at height. What’s more, employers should provide the correct safety equipment where needed and workplaces should properly train employees to work at a height. These regulations are relevant to construction work, to prevent scaffolding accidents.
Preventing Workplace Slips And Falls
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers should carry out regular risk assessments to identify health and safety hazards. And when an employer identifies a hazard, they should remove or minimise the hazard to prevent workplace accidents. For example, a leaking pipe can cause a wet floor. Therefore, the employer could fix it to prevent slips at work.
If an employer fails to reduce or remove a hazard they’re aware of, this could amount to negligence. Therefore, the employer may have breached their duty of care. If you suffer an injury as a consequence, you may be eligible to sue your employer for your injuries.
Quick Facts And Statistics On Workplace Slips And Falls
You may be wondering if you can sue your employer for a slip and fall at work. If you can show that the accident and injuries were due to your employer’s negligence, then you may be able to.
Here are some examples of how a slip and fall accident can happen in the workplace:
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- Passers-by can slip on a wet floor. Cleaners should put up signposts to warn passers-by about a wet floor.
- Spillages on the floor, such as a spilt drink, can cause slipping accidents if not attended to.
- A leak that isn’t fixed can cause a build-up of liquid on the floor. This, if not marked by a floor sign, could cause a slip and fall.
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What happens if you slip and fall at work?
You should report the accident to the appropriate person at work and ensure it’s in the accident log book. Also, don’t hesitate to seek the appropriate medical treatment.
Slip And Fall At Work Statistics
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a government body that enforces health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace. It received 51,211 reports of non-fatal injuries at work during 2020/21.
The most common type of accident was slips, trips and falls at the same level (33% of all reported non-fatal accidents). The fifth most common type of accident was falling from a height, accounting for 8% of all reported non-fatal accidents.
How Do Slip And Fall Claims Against Your Employer Work?
To claim against your employer for a slip and fall at work, you must provide evidence to support your claim. You could use your medical records to prove that you were injured. What’s more, you’d attend a medical assessment as part of the claims process. We discuss this in the section below.
You can also collect the following evidence to support your claim:
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- Photographs of the hazard that caused your injuries
- Photographs of your injuries, if they are visible
- A copy of the report, in your company’s incident logbook
- Witness contact details so you can get statements at a later date
- CCTV footage of your accident
- Receipts or other financial documents that show any purchases you have made because of your accident
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To sue your employer for a slip and fall, you’d need evidence. If you’re unsure about the evidence you have, why not contact our advisors to discuss it?
Slip And Fall At Work Compensation Amounts In The UK
If you wish to claim compensation for a slip and fall accident, Legal Expert could help you. You may be wondering, “How much should I settle for a slip and fall?” How much compensation you could receive would depend on factors such as the severity of your injuries.
General damages are compensation for the harmful effects of your injuries. Please use the table below to help you understand how much compensation you could receive in general damages. We have used Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to create the compensation table. The JCG is used by legal professionals when valuing injuries. However, the table does not include special damages.
| Category Of Injury | Category Of Severity | Comment | Amount |
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| Brain Damage | Less Severe | Amount of damages paid are affected by how severe the injury was, what the extent of it is and if there is the chance of disability as a result. | £14,380 to £40,410 |
| Clavicle | Fracture | Damages are higher for more serious fractures. | £4,830 to £11,490 |
| Arm | Loss Of One Arm | Loss of one arm where the amputation is at the shoulder. | Not less than £128,710 |
| Elbow | (b) Less Severe | An elbow injury which impairs the function or use of the elbow but which does not need a major operation. | £14,690 to £30,050 |
| Wrist | (b) | An injury that could result in permanent disability which is significant. Some movement which is useful could remain. | £22,990 to £36,770 |
| Finger | Severe Fractures | Could result in partial amputation of the finger resulting in impaired grip, deformity and reduced function. | Up to £34,480 |
| Hip | Severe (ii) | Could include a traumatic myositis ossificans or a fractured dislocation of the pelvis which involves the pubic rami and ischial. This could result in impotence. | £58,100 to £73,580 |
| Leg | (b) Severe – Serious (iii) | Comminuted, compound and serious fractures of a leg bone. It may also present as an injury to a ligament or joint. The injury may require prolonged treatment. | £36,790 to £51,460 |
| Ankle | Moderate (c) | Tears in ligaments or bone fractures. These may cause less serious forms of disability, such as the person finding it hard to walk on uneven surfaces. | £12,900 to £24,950 |
| Foot | Moderate (f) | Such as a displaced fracture of a metatarsal bone that causes continuing symptoms and permanent deformities. | £12,900 to £23,460 |
To help prove general damages, you would need medical evidence. This could come in the form of a medical report created after you attend a medical assessment. An independent medical professional would check your injuries and any relevant medical notes. The purpose of the report is to:
- Assess the severity of your injuries.
- Establish whether your injuries are consistent with those that such an accident could cause.
Your solicitor would use the report as proof but can also use it to help value your injuries.
You may be eligible to claim special damages and general damages. Special damages are reimbursement for any financial losses you have experienced because you were injured. Here are some examples of special damages:
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- Medical costs, such as the cost of prescriptions
- Specialist care costs if the NHS wasn’t able to provide it
- Loss of income reimbursement
- Travel costs, such as the cost of travelling to and from hospital
- If you suffer a disability due to the accident, you can claim special damages to pay for any mobility equipment or home adaptations you may need
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To prove special damages, you can provide documents such as payslips, invoices and bank statements.
Please call Legal Expert’s claims helpline, and we can accurately estimate how much compensation you could claim, based on your circumstances.
Talk To A Solicitor About Your Slip And Fall Claim
Call us today to discuss whether you can sue your employer for a slip and fall. If you have strong grounds for a claim, we can provide you with an experienced solicitor to handle your workplace injury claim.
What’s more, you could make a No Win No Fee claim. Essentially, you would not have to pay a solicitor’s fee before work begins on your claim. Instead, you would pay a success fee only if your claim is successful. Therefore, if you do not win your claim, you wouldn’t need to pay the solicitor’s fee at all.
You would sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (the formal term for a No Win No Fee agreement) to formalise this.
To find out if you can sue if you slip and fall at work, please contact Legal Expert today.
- Call us on 0800 073 8804 to see if you can begin your claim
- Use our claim online form via our website
- Or use the Live Support widget in the corner of your page to ask an advisor a question right now.
Related Employee Accident Claims
You may find these guides helpful if you wish to claim compensation for an accident.
How to make an accident at work claim
Making a Civil Service accident at work claim
Case study: £22,000 compensation for an electric shock at work
An HSE guide to the Work at Height Regulations 2005
A guide to basic health and safety for businesses, from the HSE
About the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)
We hope the question, “Can I sue my employer for a slip and fall?” has been answered. However, if you need anything more, why not reach out to our advisors?
Written by Chelache
Edited by Victorine
