How to Claim Compensation for Slipping on Wet Stairs in Office
This article explains some of the reasons why you might – or might not – be entitled to claim compensation for slipping on wet stairs in office and the procedures you should follow after slipping on the stairs in an accident at work to support an office slip on wet stairs claim for compensation.
A brief explanation of how to claim for office wet stairs slip is also included; however, as no two claims for slips on office wet stairs are exactly the same, it is always in your best interests to discuss the specific circumstances of your office injury with a solicitor at the earliest practical opportunity.
Your first priority should always be your health and, if you have not already done so, you should seek professional medical treatment for your slip injury. No amount of office wet stairs slip accident compensation will ever make up for a long term health issue which could have been avoided by immediate medical attention and, to support your claim for wet office stairs slip, you will need a doctor to complete the Injuries Board Medical Assessment Form B.
Claims for Slips on Office Wet Stairs and the Duty of Care of Employers
In order to qualify to claim compensation for slipping on wet stairs in office, you must have sustained an office slip injury which could have been avoided had your employer – or other person with responsibility for your health and safety – fulfilled his or her duty of care to provide you with a safe environment in which to work.
An employer´s “duty of care” covers all his or her responsibilities to prevent an office slip on stairs injury wherever possible, and would include performing risk assessments to identify foreseeable hazards, providing training and supervision, and supplying personal protective equipment where necessary to eliminate the risk of an employee being injured on the stairs work.
Should an employer breach their duty of care to eliminate the risk of an injury, and you subsequently sustain an injury from slipping as a result, you should be entitled to make an office slip on wet stairs claim for compensation. It should be noted, however, that an employer´s duty of care is not “absolute” and, if you are injured in an accident at work which could not have been foreseen, claims for slips on office wet stairs are unlikely to be successful.
How Your Employment Status May Affect a Claim for Office Wet Stairs Slip
It is not often that your employment status will affect your ability to claim for office wet stairs slip, but there may be occasions when agency workers, employees on short-term contracts or self-employed workers may have to make a claim for wet office stairs slip against somebody other than their direct employer such as the owner of the office on which the injury was sustained.
Possibly of more concern if you have been injured in a slip accident at work is the fact that you do not want to fall out with your employer but, because of financial necessity, you need to make a claim for wet office stairs slip against their employer´s liability insurance policy. Most employers will be sorry that you have sustained a workplace injury due to their negligence and will admit their liability; but there are some instances in which an employer will want to protect their insurance policy excess and dispute your office wet stairs slip accident compensation claim.
Reporting Office Wet Stairs Accidents
It is important that your office wet stairs work accident is recorded in your employer´s “Accident Report Book”. Although a copy of this report is not sent to the Injuries Board when applying for an assessment of compensation for slipping on wet stairs in office, reporting an injury from a work accident may initiate a Health and Safety Authority (HSA) investigation which could establish your employer´s liability in your claim for wet office stairs slip.
If liability can be established before making claims for slips on office wet stairs, it should speed up the Injuries Board process or may enable a solicitor acting on your behalf to negotiate a settlement of office wet stairs slip accident compensation without the need for witness statements or photographic evidence of your employer´s negligence.
If your wet stairs slip injury is so severe that you are unable to report your office accident – or your employer fails to give you access to the Accident Report Book – you should speak with a solicitor. Work wet stairs slip accidents can be reported online at the HSA web site, but you will need an approval code to use the service and it may be a lot simpler for a solicitor to generate a report on your behalf and then use it in support of an office slip on wet stairs claim for compensation.
How Much is a Claim for Wet Office Stairs Slip Worth?
The amount of compensation for slipping on wet stairs in office you will be entitled to receive will be influenced by the location, nature and severity of your injury in relation to your age, sex and general state of health prior to the accident in which your injury was suffered. Financial values for office wet steps injuries can be found in the Book of Quantum, but these values only account for the physical pain and suffering you experience at the time of your injury and not for the “inconvenience of incapacity” that might result from being injured at work.
Claims for slips on office wet stairs should include compensation for the impact that your office related injury has on your ability to perform everyday domestic tasks and your incapacity to participate in social or leisure activities. There is very little opportunity to account for this “loss of amenity” when making a claim for wet office stairs slip through the Injuries Board process, and this is a further reason why you should speak with solicitor with experience of making a claim for office wet stairs slip – to ensure you receive your full entitlement to office wet stairs slip accident compensation.
The amounts you are claiming for expenses, lost income and any other costs you have incurred due to your workplace injury are then added to the compensation values above to finalise how much your office slip on wet stairs claim for compensation is worth. You may also be reimbursed for any legal costs you have incurred in pursuit of your claim for wet office stairs slip, fares paid to use alternative forms of transport if you are unable to drive and future medical costs if, for example, physiotherapy is required in order that you make a full recovery from your injury.
Unsolicited Compensation Offers from Insurance Companies
You would be strongly recommended to always speak with a solicitor if you receive a direct approach from an insurance company with an unsolicited offer of office wet stairs slip accident compensation. Insurance companies are often made aware of office-based accidents when a report is made in the employer´s “Accident Report Book”, and may make an approach even before you have considered making a claim for wet office stairs slip.
The purpose of the insurance company´s approach is to reduce how much compensation for slipping on wet stairs in office they will have to pay you and, by tempting plaintiffs with an offer which would result in a quick settlement, they are successful enough times to continue trying these approaches. Even if you are concerned about your short-term finances, you should refrain from accepting an insurance company´s unsolicited offer of compensation until you have discussed your claim for office wet stairs slip with a solicitor.
By their approach, the insurance company has effectively admitted your employer´s liability for your office slip injury, and your solicitor will be able to engage in direct negotiations with the insurance company to obtain a full and satisfactory settlement of your office slip on wet stairs claim for compensation – arranging for interim payments until the claim is resolved if necessary.
Do I Need a Solicitor to Claim?
Despite the fact that you do not need a solicitor in order to make claims for slips on office wet stairs, it is often in your best interests to do so. In addition to acting as a go-between between yourself and your employer, and dealing with any complications that may arise while making a claim for office wet stairs slip, a solicitor has the experience to ensure you receive your full entitlement to office wet stairs slip accident compensation – whether your claim for wet office stairs slip is resolved via the Injuries Board, by negotiation with your employer´s insurers or through court action.
Most solicitors will offer a free assessment of your office slip on wet stairs claim for compensation if you have sustained an injury in office accident for which you were not entirely to blame, and provide you with answers to any questions you may have in regard to your eligibility to claim compensation for slipping on wet stairs in office. As it is often in your best interest to have evidence collected in support of your claim for office wet stairs slip while it is still fresh, it is recommended that you speak with a solicitor about the circumstances of your office accident injury without delay.