I think the vast majority of large work vehicles will have steps on them to allow employees to use them properly. Lorry cabs will have them; diggers will have them; even small vans may have them to access the back.
So what happens if you slip on vehicle steps and you are injured as a result? Whether you have slipped and twisted your ankle or knee, or fallen down and caused an impact injury, you may be able to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
The Law
I often tell people that there are a lot of rules and regulations that an employer must abide by in order to comply with their health and safety duties; and there really are a lot! For someone slipping on steps on a works vehicle you can apply several of the regulations, which can give you a better shot at winning a claim.
We only need to prove that they are in breach of one such regulation and that this breach has caused the accident / injuries for us to succeed with a case.
The classic one would be The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 that state an employer is responsible for ensuring that work equipment is suitably maintained and safe to use. A works vehicle can be classed as work equipment, so slipping on a vehicle step could mean your employer is in breach of these regulations first and foremost.
A step on a works vehicle can class as a part of your ‘workplace’ and as such there is a general duty under The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 to ensure that traffic routes are not slippery and ensure you have a safe means of access and egress to and from a workplace. As such, these regulations can apply as well.
But how can we prove they have breached the regulations?
Normally it’s about being able to show that more could have been done. Now, if the steps are unsuitable for adverse weather, perhaps there is insufficient grip on them, or grip has worn off or they are sloped or too steep, we may have an argument that they are in breach of both of the above regulations.
There can be other regulations to look at as well. If steps could be slippery due to wet weather which cannot be avoided, perhaps your employer should provide you with safety boots which is a duty under The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. And if you are climbing up in to a cab or trying to access the bag of a wagon, there’ll be a distance in height, so we could even look at The Work at Height Regulations 2005.
So for an accident like this, we have potentially at least four lots of regulations that we can try and allege your employer is in breach of. Each of these regulations have their own individual rules so there is a fair amount of ammunition in our legal arsenal to hit them with.
If we can show that they are in breach of any of the workplace regulations and show that this breach has caused your injury, we should be able to win a claim. With The Injury Lawyers, we offer a unique 100% compensation and No Win, No Fee agreements – so for work accidents like this, you shouldn’t be faced with any bills or percentage deductions.
