Slips at work can happen for a variety of reasons. It may be that machine oil has been left on a factory floor, food or drink spilt on the floor of a restaurant or you work in an office and an overhead water pipe is leaking onto the surface below – there are many more reasons such as these why an employer may have been negligent in providing a safe environment for you to work in and you have suffered an injury as a consequence.
Slips at work can happen just about anywhere and certain industries even have specific rules and regulations in place to cover certain scenarios. For example, an ice-making machine in a pub is often going to create a slippery surface in the immediate vicinity, and employers have the responsibility to train their staff on the safest way of using the machine and put up signs indicating that there is the likelihood of a slippery surface. Employers who do neither of these things are in breach of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2007), and if one of their employees slips at work, are liable to pay compensation for their injuries.
Slips at work may frequently lead to damage of the spine due to the way people have their legs taken away from them, and therefore it is very important that, if you have sustained an injury through a slip at work, you should have a precautionary x-ray at your local hospital. The area of the spine which is likely to hit the floor first during slips at work is the cervical or upper thoracic sections – regions of the spine which may lead to weaknesses of the limbs and ultimately paralysis. Your attendance at hospital will be recorded in your medical records – details of which should accompany a copy of your employer´s “Accident Report Book” when making a claim for compensation following slips at work.
Claiming Compensation for Slips at Work
Claiming compensation for slips at work may not always be straightforward. In order for such a compensation claim to be successful, there has to be evidence that an employer was indeed negligent in the circumstances that surrounded your accident. Often it is helpful if you have witnesses to the event – particularly if they have knowledge of similar slips at work occurring for the same reasons. It will also be beneficial to you to use the services of a specialist personal injury claims solicitor.
There are a number of good reasons why you should take advice from a solicitor when claiming compensation for slips at work. Primarily, they are experienced in handling personal injury claims of this nature and are aware of the procedures involved. You may also have received conflicting pieces of advice from well-meaning friends and colleagues about any action you should take – a solicitor will provide accurate answers to any questions that you may have, and this is one of the reasons that we have established a free advice telephone service.
The service enables people who have suffered slips at work to give us a call and speak with an experienced personal injury claims solicitor familiar with work-related accidents. They will offer practical and helpful advice to suit your particular circumstance and answer any questions about claiming compensation for slips at work. Both the telephone call to our offices and the advice offered is free of charge, and you are under no obligation to proceed with a claim once you have spoken with us.
Call us now or if you cannot speak now please fill in the form below and we will call you back.
What You Can Expect When You Call
When you call our legal claims advice helpline, you will speak directly with an experienced personal injury claims solicitor who is familiar with claiming compensation for slips at work, and who appreciates that there is an element of apprehension when contemplating making a claim against an employer. Therefore, we will be courteous and considerate at all times in our telephone conversation, explaining everything clearly as we go and repeating anything that you are not sure about.
Because of the variety of reasons for slips at work , we would ask you to explain to us how your accident occurred, what injuries were sustained and what medical treatment you received. Please also let us know whether you are still undergoing treatment and how this may be affecting your quality of life – at work (if appropriate), at home and socially.
We would also ask you to tell us why you believe your employer may be responsible for your slip at work, as this will help us assess your claim for slips at work compensation and determine whether you have a case that is worth your while to pursue. If so, our solicitors will advise you how long the process will take, the likelihood of your success and the amount of compensation we would anticipate you would receive.
There is no pressure on you to proceed with a slips at work compensation claim, but if you choose to do so, our solicitor will explain the procedures to you and what further information we would need from you. There is no need to make this decision immediately as we expect you will want to talk to your family about claiming compensation for slips at work.
Your first step though should be to call our legal claims advice helpline and speak with one of our solicitors.
At least by doing this you will have accurate and helpful information on which to base a decision. If it is not convenient to call right now, please leave your contact details in our call-back box at the bottom of the page and one of our friendly and helpful team will get back in touch.