If you have sustained an injury at work, such as by tripping over boxes, you may be entitled to recover compensation. Many employees are reluctant to pursue a claim against their employer for fear of losing their job or fear that it will make life at work more difficult. This is certainly understandable and ultimately it is always your choice whether or not you would like to make a claim. It is your right to claim if you have sustained injury at work and it was not your fault. Whether or not you exercise that right is a decision only you can make.
Trips at work can happen anytime, whether it is tripping over bags on the floor, boxes or cables etc. Most working environments have some kind of equipment that could potentially cause a tripping hazard. There should be procedures in place to keep employees reasonably safe and free from harm. Bags and boxes should not be left in areas where they pose a tripping hazard. These kinds of hazards can often be avoided by adopting simple but effective measures such as keeping bags under desks. Not all trips will lead to injuries and it may just be a case of embarrassment. However if you have sustained injury, you may be eligible to make a work injury claim for compensation.
Injuries could include sprains, broken bones, bruises etc. If you are unfortunate then potential injuries could be more serious, for example if you tripped and then hit your head or tripped and fell down some stairs etc. Potentially the injuries could be serious and to me it seems like an easy accident to avoid. It is surely common sense to keep the workplace tidy and to put things away to keep tripping hazards to a minimum.
Employers are under a duty to keep workers safe and free from harm. Therefore procedures should be in place to ensure that tripping hazards are kept to a minimum. Employees also have a part to play and if a hazard comes to light, it should be reported to management. Your employer is under a duty to provide you with a safe working environment; this includes ensuring that you can move around your place of work without tripping or falling due to an obstruction or other hazard. It does not matter if no one is aware who caused the hazard; ultimately it is the responsibility of the employer. If a colleague caused a hazard such as by leaving boxes on the floor and you then tripped over the boxes and sustained injury, your right to claim would be against your employer. In this respect an employer is responsible for the acts of employees who are acting in the course of their employment. They are responsible for keeping the working environment safe.
If you have tripped at work sustaining injury, you may be eligible to claim compensation. You normally have 3 years from the date of the accident in which to either settle your claim or issue Court Proceedings – However we always recommend that you seek legal advice sooner rather than later.
