Although we use stairs all the time and they are in nearly every property, be it your home, at work, your local store or restaurant, unfortunately they can sometimes be the cause of some pretty nasty accidents and injuries! Accidents on stairs can happen for a number of reasons and therefore in this blog I will address 3 of the main types of accidents that we deal with every day involving stairs:
- Defective stairs
- Slips and Trips on indoor staircases
- Slips and Trips on outdoor staircases
1. Defective stairs
The manufacturer or fitter of any stairs has an obligation to ensure that the stairs are free from defects and fitted properly to minimise the risk of any injury to their users. For example: the stairs should not have any protruding fixtures such as nails, they shouldn’t be all bumpy and uneven and they certainly shouldn’t wobble when people walk on them (this latter one mainly applies to metal and wooden staircases not concrete that stuff is pretty sturdy!). Another defect that may not be noticeable straight away is if the step has been created to be too high! Statistically if a step is just 1 inch of the common measurement more people are more likely to fall. If you have an accident because one of the above is present it is likely that you may be able to claim against either the manufacturer, company that have fitted the stairs in the property or even possibly your landlord.
2. Slips and Trips on INDOOR staircases
These are undoubtedly the most common accidents- and to be fair they’re not necessarily caused by the steps themselves! Mainly these accidents occur when people spill substances on the stairs consequently making them more dangerous. Whether you can pursue these claims often comes down to where the stairs are that have caused your accident.
- At work: if the stairs are at work and something has been spilled you may have a claim against your employer who should ensure the environment you are working in is safe.
- In the local shop! These can be quite difficult as if the occupier can show that they have taken reasonable steps to make the area safe (such as proper inspection and cleaning regimes!) they may have a strong defence.
- In your house. Unfortunately, if you have spilt something on your stairs it is highly unlikely you can claim; however, if you have a third party in the house such as contractors there may be the argument that they should have cleaned after themselves! These claims can be extremely difficult and therefore should always be discussed with a personal injury specialist.
So as you can see, these claims run like any other slip and trip really apart from that falling down the stairs can obviously hurt a great deal more!
3. Slips and Trips on OUTDOOR staircases
Accidents outside can be difficult especially if caused by the weather! Slipping on Ice and puddles can simply unfortunately be an accident however, sometimes it cannot and therefore it is always advisable to seek legal advice. Some occupiers will be under a duty to ensure there is grit and/or handrails on certain flights of “potentially dangerous stairs”.
