Are you looking to start a claim for injuries you sustained after tripping over cables at work? This article will explore when you might be eligible to do so. All employers owe their employees a duty of care to take reasonable steps to reduce or remove the risk posed by known hazards in the workplace. However, if they fail to do so, causing you harm, you may be eligible to seek compensation. This guide will explore your employer’s responsibilities in more detail.
Additionally, we will provide guidance on the steps you could take to build a strong claim, including the evidence you can gather.
Furthermore, we will provide information on what your settlement could consist of and how compensation is often calculated.
If you want to hire legal representation, this guide could help by providing information on the services our panel of solicitors can offer on a No Win No Fee basis.
We hope you find this guide informative. However, if you have any questions after reading, you can:
- Call our team on the number at the top of the page
- Complete our contact form
- Connect with an advisor through our live chat feature
A guide on claims after tripping over cables
Can I Claim Compensation After Tripping Over Cables At Work?
Your employer owes you a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This means they must take all reasonable actions to keep you and your fellow employees safe. For example:
- Providing necessary personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Carrying out risk assessments on the workspace and equipment
- Providing adequate training
However, in some cases, they could breach this duty of care. This is known as negligence. If your employer’s negligence causes you to sustain psychological or physical harm, you could be eligible to seek compensation.
For example, if your employer doesn’t regularly complete health and safety or maintenance checks or address any issues they find, it could lead to accidents causing harm in the workplace.
If your employer’s negligence led to you tripping over cables at work, call our team. They can advise whether you’re eligible to claim.
Figures For Trip Accidents
According to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in 2020/21, there were:
- 16,698 non-fatal slips, trips and falls
- 4,143 non-fatal falls from height
These are according to employer reports made under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Calculating Trip Accident Compensation Amounts
Your claim can be split into two heads. Special damages reimburse you for any financial losses sustained due to your injuries. Evidence is vital to claim for special damages and can include prescriptions and receipts. You should keep any evidence that may support your case.
General damages relate to the physical and psychological pain you suffered as a result of your injuries. In order to calculate the value of this head, solicitors and other legal professionals can refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them. They can use the guideline compensation brackets alongside medical evidence to accurately calculate the value of your claim.
We have created a table with figures from the most recent edition of the guidelines, published in April 2022. Due to the unique nature of each claim, the settlement you actually receive may differ from the figures listed in the table. As such, you should only use them as a guide.
| Injury | Compensation | Description of Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Very Severe Head Injury (a) | £282,010 - £403,990 | The person will need full time care. |
| Moderately Severe Head Injury (b) | £219,070 - £282,010 | The person has a very serious disability. |
| Very Severe Foot Injury (c) | £83,960 - £109,650 | Injury causes permanent and severe pain or a really serious disability. |
| Severe Foot Injury (d) | £41,970 - £70,030 | Fractures in both heels or feet with substantial restriction on mobility or considerable pain of a permanent nature. |
| Very Severe Ankle Injury (a) | £50,060 - £69,700 | Cases include transmalleolar fracture of the ankle with extensive soft tissue damage, resulting in deformity. |
| Severe Ankle Injury (b) | £31,310 - £50,060 | Injuries require extensive treatment period. |
| Wrist Injury (a) | £47,620 - £59,860 | Complete loss of function in the wrist. |
| Arm Injuries (d) | £6,610 - £19,200 | A simple forearm fracture. |
| Serious Toe Injuries (d) | £9,600 - £13,740 | This bracket includes multiple fractures of two or more toes. |
| Moderate Hand Injury (h) | £5,720 - £13,280 | Soft tissue type injuries are covered in this bracket. |
For more information on how much compensation for a workplace accident you could receive, get in touch.
What Causes Accidents That Involve Tripping Over Cables?
Accidents can occur in various workplaces. However, the hazards will vary depending on the nature of your environment. Some examples are listed below:
- Office accidents: Hazards could include cluttered workspaces and hallways if equipment isn’t stored away properly. There could also be wires that aren’t tidied away that could cause slips, trips and falls.
- Factory accident: There may be various machinery on the floor of the factory with wires trailing. If your employer fails to reduce the risk of these causing harm, an employee could trip and fall into another piece of machinery causing fatal accidents at work.
- Construction accident: There could be equipment that needs to be plugged in, leaving trailing wires across the construction site. If employees are not made aware of the hazard, they could trip and sustain a fatal injury.
Not all accidents at work could justify claims being made. In order to claim compensation for tripping over cables at work, you must be able to prove your employer was negligent.
What Evidence Supports A Trip Accident Claim?
In order to make a personal injury claim after tripping over cables at work, you must provide evidence to prove your employer breached their duty of care causing your injuries. Evidence can include the following:
- Medical records: It is important that you see a medical professional as soon as possible after the accident. After doing so, you could request a copy of your medical records to show the treatment and diagnosis you received. Also, you could provide copies of prescriptions, hospital records and doctor’s reports to strengthen your case.
- CCTV footage: Any video evidence of the accident taking place can be vital to proving what happened.
- Witnesses: You should collect the details of anyone who witnessed the accident occurring as a solicitor could collect a statement from them at a later stage.
- Pictures: Photographic evidence can include images of where the accident occurred and your injuries from the start and through recovery to show the severity and the length of recovery time.
As well as gathering evidence, you could seek legal advice. If you have a valid claim, a solicitor from our panel caould help you through the claims process and provide services such as gathering evidence to build your case.
They can also arrange for you to attend a medical appointment. This can produce an independent medical report on the full extent of your injuries, including details of the severity, nature and future prognosis. The report can be used as evidence to support your case and can also help solicitors accurately value your settlement.
How Do No Win No Fee Lawyers Work?
A No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel could represent your case under a Conditional Fee Agreement. As such, they won’t require upfront fees for their services or ongoing fees while your claim proceeds. Furthermore, there will be no payment for their services if your claim fails.
If your claim succeeds, you will pay a success fee from your compensation. However, this is legally capped.
If our advisors find that you have a valid claim after tripping over cables at work, they can connect you with a solicitor from our panel. Get in touch today.
Discuss Tripping Over Cables
To hear more information regarding tripping over cables at work and your right to claim, contact our team of advisors. You can get in touch by:
- Calling our team on the number at the top of the page
- Completing our contact form
- Connecting with an advisor through our live chat feature
Further Information About Tripping Over Cables
We’ve provided some links below that may be of use to you:
- For information on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) visit the government website.
- The NHS has advice on how to cope with a broken arm or wrist.
- For more health and safety at work statistics, visit the HSE website.
We hope this guide on claiming compensation for tripping over cables at work has been helpful. Thank you for reading.
Writer Jess Ash
Editor Meg Martin
