Ladder accidents can be devastating – if you are given the wrong type of ladder for a job, or perhaps the ladders you were provided with were unsuitable or defective, or maybe you haven’t been properly trained or the land the ladder was on wasn’t safe, you may be able to claim.
There are a lot of workplace rules and regulations that can be applied for ladder accidents, so read on for more info about the law and how we can offer you a unique 100% compensation agreement.
Your rights
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations is one of the first sets of regulations we’d call upon if you have had a ladder accident. Ladders are classed as work equipment, and as such, these very important regulations apply. They set out that any work equipment you use must be suitable, safe, and you must be able to use it safely. So the wrong type of ladders could mean its unsuitable; whereas defective ladders could mean the equipment isn’t safe.
When it comes to training, you might think it daft that people need to be trained in how to use ladders. Surely using ladders is a simple and basic task that doesn’t really need any instruction, right?
Wrong – you can’t just presume such things. Does an employee know that there are specific safety catches to use to stop ladders folding in when using them? Do they know that a top platform may be dangerous to step on? Do they know about looking for dangers on the surface the ladders may be on? What about knowledge of what is classed as the right type of ladders for a specific job?
The regulations set out that employees need to be adequately trained and supervised when it comes to the use of the equipment, so it’s in the rules, and it needs to be adhered to.
We can also call upon The Work at Height Regulations which also place similar duties on the employer as those above; and can obviously apply given that ladders are used for working at height. Training and ability to perform a task safely are cited, as is ensuring surfaces are safe when working at height, selection of work equipment (i.e. ensuring its suitable) and guard rails and fall protection. They’re very similar requirements really. When it comes to the latter two, this could be from working at very high points with ladders where you may need a harness in case you fall if you need to stretch out, for example.
So there are plenty of rules that employers need to follow – and if they breach the rules and this causes your accident and injuries, we could make a successful claim for compensation from them.
Making a claim – 100% compensation
Making a claim is simple – in most cases we submit an electronic Claim Notification Form directly to your employer’s insurers, and they have 30 working days to admit liability. If they do, we then use medical evidence to value the claim and settle on the best terms we possibly can.
When it comes to 100% compensation, we still offer this even though most other firms will take up to 25% from your payout. The law changed dramatically last year which reduced the legal fees lawyers can recover. Most firms now can’t afford to offer 100%, but we can because we take on and win such high volumes of cases.
We also offer a full No Win, No Fee service as well – so call our claims helpline 0800 634 7575 today.