Slipped down stairs at work – personal injury claiming

We deal with all types of personal injury claims including accidents at work. If you have slipped down stairs at work, sustaining injury as a result, then you may be able to claim compensation. People are often reluctant to pursue a claim against their employer and while this is certainly understandable, if you have sustained injury through an accident which was not your fault, it is your right to claim compensation. It is also important to note that the general rule is that you must issue Court Proceedings on a claim or settle the case within 3 years of the date of the accident. Therefore it is better to make a claim sooner rather than later!

There are many regulations in place which employers should comply with.

Employers are under a duty to keep employees safe and free from harm during the course of their employment. If you slipped down stairs at work then initially we would look at what caused you to slip. Did you slip because the floor was left wet? Did you slip or fall because there was a defect with the stairs? Did you slip because you were carrying something which impeded your view of the stairs? There are many possibilities but if one of the above happened then it is likely that you do have a claim against your employer.

There are other issues to consider such as if you slipped on a wet floor, was there any warning sign in place to warn you of the danger? Was the warning sign easily visible? These are the type of questions that we would look to answer, whether it be information provided by yourself as the Claimant, from witnesses, from disclosure of documentation etc.

If we are able to pursue your claim, we would submit a formal letter of claim to your employer. It is then up to your employer (or their insurers) to investigate the claim and provide a decision on liability. If liability is not admitted in full then documentation must be provided in support. In this type of scenario your employer may argue something called contributory negligence. If this is found by a court or accepted by yourself, you can still recover compensation but the amount would be reduced to account for your own negligence in contributing to the accident.

Say for example you slipped on a wet floor but at the time you were running for no apparent reason, or you were on your mobile phone while walking down the steps. In these situations it is clear than an element of contributory negligence may exist. Contributory negligence is always worked out on a percentage basis. For example you may agree to a 90/10 split in your favour. This means that your employer is 90% responsible for causing the accident and that you are 10% responsible for causing/contributing to the accident or to the extent of your injuries. As a result of contributory negligence your compensation would be deducted (i.e. in this scenario you would receive 90% of the value of your claim rather than 100%).

To discuss a potential claim, contact The Injury Lawyers today.