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9th March 2009

Tripping accident at work causes permanent injury to employee

Our specialist personal injury lawyers were able to help this client who suffered a serious injury in a tripping accident at work. This was despite the obstruction having been brought to the attention of management.

The employer admitted liability for the injury at work and we were able to negotiate a settlement of over £18,000 in injury at work compensation.

Tripping hazard in the workplace

Some items of office furniture, including cabinets and coat stands, were removed from an office and stored in a corridor.

Although this was intended to be temporary, the items had not been returned when the work had been completed. The corridor was extremely busy and there had been a previous incident where an employee had caught themselves on items protruding into the restricted walkway.

Walking down the corridor, our client tripped over this hazard, which was protruding several inches into the pathway.

Injury at work results in permanently restricted movement

Falling heavily, our client was in such pain that for several minutes was unable to let colleagues, who had come to assist, help our client to rise.

When able to get up, our client was taken to hospital in an ambulance where the injury was x-rayed. Told that a severe fracture to the shoulder had resulted from this accident at work, it left our client with a permanent restriction. Initially an operation was suggested but it was later found that, due to the site of the injury, an operation would be more serious than first thought and offered no guarantee of success.

Our client returned to work as soon as possible and was able to make some adjustments to the work to allow this, given the on-going lack of mobility.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

Under the Workplace Regulations, an employer has a duty of care to provide a safe working environment, including making sure all areas are free from tripping hazards. By putting the furniture in the corridor, the defendant had created a foreseeable risk of injury to our client.

This was compounded by their failure to remove the tripping hazard once it had been brought to their attention. These failures were a clear breach of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Personal injury compensation following admission of liability

The defendant, our client’s employer, admitted liability for this accident at work and our specialist personal injury lawyers were able to negotiate accident compensation of more than £18,000 for our client.

Accident at work compensation claims

Clear Answers’ lawyers are specialists in all types slip, trip and fall accidents, including those suffered as the result of an accident at work. We have teams of experts waiting to help you, should you decide to instruct us to represent you in your claim.

The insurer of the person responsible for your tripping accident at work will pay our legal fees and the entire service will be cost-free for you. You will receive 100% of your compensation if you select Clear Answers to represent you in this matter.

Our advisers will be happy to talk you through the injury at work claims process, in plain English. They will provide you with expert legal advice to answer any questions you may have regarding your personal injury claim.

If you or a family member has suffered a personal injury at work, please ring us on 0800 783 9019 and speak to one of our advisers. Alternatively, you may prefer to complete our online compensation claim forms and one of our representatives will contact you as soon as possible.

Strict time limits apply for making a personal injury compensation claim or an accident claim, so please seek expert legal advice as soon as you think you may have a claim for compensation.

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