Injured in a fall at work? See if you can claim compensation and how much

By Ian Morris | Updated June 22nd, 2023

332 questions have been answered on this subject - ask us your question

You are entitled to claim compensation if you have been injured by a slip, trip or fall at work as a result of employer negligence in providing a safe working environment. Here we look at what’s involved in making such a claim.

Can I make a claim if I fall at work and injure myself?
Employer responsibilities to prevent slips, trips and falls at work
Claims for slipping on a wet floor
Claims for tripping over
Claims for falls from height
Common work injury claims after a fall
Is it worth claiming compensation?
How much compensation can I claim for a fall?
What should I do after being injured at work?
What evidence do I need to win a claim?
How do I make a claim?
Comments – your questions answered

Can I make a claim if I fall at work and injure myself?

Simply being injured in a fall at work doesn’t mean you are eligible to claim compensation, the key to making a successful fall at work claim is being able to hold your employer responsible for your injuries, usually as a result of breaking health and safety rules.

You can make a personal injury claim if you fall at work because of your employer’s negligence rather than it being your own fault. This applies whether you are a full time, part time or temporary member of staff.

Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure a safe and secure working environment for staff and prevent foreseeable injuries. If your employer has failed to follow health and safety guidance to protect staff they can be held liable to pay compensation to anyone injured as a result.

The comments at the bottom of this article will further help you to understand the wide range of scenarios involved.

Employer responsibilities to prevent slips, trips and falls at work

Employers and contractors are responsible for their worker’s safety and injury claims will succeed if it can be proven they have been negligent and failed to comply with their statutory duties.

To reduce the risk of injury, employers must ensure:

That staff are given a safety induction relating to the workplace, made aware of accident risks and how to minimise them.
That staff are made aware as to how to deal with accidents and seek first aid.
That health and safety signage is properly and prominently displayed.
That all staff are provided with the correct PPE.
That staff are adequately qualified on any tools or machinery they use.
That faulty equipment is fixed asap and machinery regularly serviced.
That cleaners display hazard warning signs when making floors wet.
That any slip or trip hazards are identified and repaired or made safe.
That they follow working from height regulations

Claims for slipping on a wet floor

Slips at work are usually caused by wet floors and stairs. Employees can also slip if they are not provided with the correct footwear, or if a floor surface is not fit for purpose, such as no non-slip covering in potentially wet environments. Commonly we see slips caused by these workplace hazards:

Spillages of liquid or food
Recently cleaned floors
Rain, ice or snow
Leaking machinery, roofs and pipes

Employers should be prepared to do all that they can to minimise the chance of staff slipping and sustaining an injury. They must ensure that any wet floors are cleaned up and dry as soon as possible. If there is a spillage, water or other slipping risk present a wet floor sign should be erected to warn of the hazard. These should always be displayed when floors are being cleaned.

If your employer failed to display a hazard sign warning of a wet floor, you are likely to have a strong claim for slip and fall compensation if you’re injured as a result. Such an error confirms employer negligence and as such, it’s a valid claim. However, even if a hazard sign was erected, you could still be able to claim if it can be demonstrated that the sign was inadequately displayed – hidden or obscured from view, or located in the wrong place.

Claims for tripping over

Tripping accidents at work usually involve uneven floors and potholes in work areas and car parks. They can also arise as a result of a messy workplace, if wires or cables are not stored properly or if items are left in walkways or beside desks etc. We’ve dealt with claims arising from:

Rubbish and packaging on the floor
Broken steps and railings
Uneven floor surfaces
Loose wires and discarded items

Again, tripping hazards should be identified by your employer and action taken to warn staff and remove the risk in a reasonable time.

Claims for falls from height

Claims for falling from height at work often arise from ladder accidents, missing barriers, broken steps, guardrails or unmarked holes in the floor. We also see accidents involving falls from scaffolding, vehicle steps and tail lifts, forklift trucks and other plant machinery. Some claimants are injured because of insufficient training on equipment they’re tasked to use or because they were provided with the wrong equipment for the job.

Any activity performed above floor level carries the risk of a fall. This would include using foot or kick stools within shops or factories, through to the use of ladders, scaffolding and even rope climbing. Obviously some jobs are more dangerous in this respect than others, but the same basic health and safety laws apply to all.

Usually, falls from height involve a fall from one level to a lower level, they don’t include a slip or a trip on the same level or falling down a staircase.

According to the Health and Safety Executive: Work at height means work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. You are working at height if you:

Work above ground/floor level
Could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface
Could fall from ground level into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground

Working at height regulations

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 were specifically created to protect those working at height, whether half a mile above the ground or simply standing on a chair. Regardless of the kind of workplace, If employers are tasking staff members to work at height, they must by law ensure:

That staff are adequately trained in how to access anything at a height above arms reach.
That staff understand what equipment they should use to safely access the height needed.
To provide the right equipment to access anything at height.
That equipment used to work at height is regularly maintained and repaired.
That such equipment found to be faulty or dangerous is removed from use.

Common work injury claims after a fall

Slips, trips and falls at work, accounted for 29% of all non-fatal work injuries in a 2019/20 survey by the HSE. While they may seem innocuous, the injuries suffered can have big implications for the injured persons’ future.

Common injury claims include slipped discs, fractures to the ankles, legs, arms and wrists, or to the coccyx area of the lower back. They can also cause people to suffer nasty soft tissue injuries with damage to the knees, hips and shoulders.

In most cases, people are left with mobility and independence impairments, whether temporary or permanent. In cases of severe injuries, such as an open fracture, we have also helped people who have suffered psychological trauma.

Is it worth claiming compensation?

If you’re injured after a slip, trip or fall at work, claiming accident at work compensation can help ease some of the problems you’ll experience in a number of ways:

Claiming injury compensation is a legal right, and if successful it fairly compensates you for injuries that were not your fault.
A successful claim can help to pay for private medical treatment and rehabilitation therapies to speed your recovery.
Claiming can recoup your expenses and make up for lost income now and in the future if you are prevented from working again.

As well as the pain and discomfort of an injury, it’s the stress of losing income that often forces workers to claim compensation. All employees are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they do not get full sickness pay, but this is often not enough to live on.

It’s worth noting that it’s absolutely possible to maintain a good relationship with your employer while making a claim, and you can’t be sacked for doing so. Furthermore, your employer’s liability insurance deals with the claim and pays the compensation, rather than the business itself, so you can be assured you’re not placing colleague’s jobs at risk.

Finally, as all claims are made on a No Win No Fee basis, you will never be charged if your claim does not succeed.

How much compensation can I claim for a fall?

A successful personal injury claim will ultimately see a claimant recover a settlement for their injuries, ongoing treatment and also for their special damages, which covers lost earnings.

How much you can claim for a fall at work is calculated from the severity of the injury, your financial losses and the impact on your quality of life. This would include:

The pain and distress caused to you by the injuries sustained
Psychological effects from the accident and/or injury
Associated costs and losses
Lost earnings if you have been away from work as a result of the accident
Medical treatments, rehabilitation therapies and post accident care
Restrictions on your ability to fulfil your usual activities and social life
Miscellaneous expenses (bus fares, painkillers etc)

Compensation amounts for injuries after a fall

There are guidelines issued by the courts for solicitors, but it’s impossible to say exactly how much you can expect as all cases vary. Some example values are listed in the table below for common fall injury claims, these are excluding special damages:

Type of injury	Compensation amount
Neck injury	£2,000 - £140,000
Minor brain or head injury	£2,070 - £11,980
Finger injury	£4,000 - £85,000
Wrist injury	£3,310 - £44,690
Hip or pelvis injury	£3,710 - £24,950
Fractured forearm	£6,190 - £18,020
Permanent back injury	£11,730 - £26,050
Serious shoulder injury	£11,980 - £18,020
Ankle injury	£12,900 - £46,980

What should I do after being injured at work?

After being injured at work it is important to understand your rights so that you can confidently manage your recovery and working future. Your employer has a duty of care to you if you’re injured, and there’s a lot you can do to help yourself after a work accident.

When a slip, trip or fall leads to injury you should record the details within your employer’s accident book. If they don’t have an accident book, or won’t let you have access to it, there are things you can do.

If you are receiving ongoing treatment for your injuries your employer MUST release you to attend appointments..

If your usual work involves aspects of hard physical labour such as heavy lifting, carrying, climbing or standing for long periods, your employer is duty bound to accommodate you (where possible) in returning to work on lighter duties whilst you complete your recovery.

What evidence do I need to win a claim?

A successful claim for a fall at work will need evidence to back up what happened and prove the accident was not your fault.

First and foremost, the incident should be recorded with the company in its accident book.

Witness statements are also admissible as evidence, so try to collect the names and contact details of anyone who saw your accident and is willing to back up your claim.

If you can take photos of what caused your accident it can be really useful in forcing your employer to admit liability. Try to show the size of any tripping hazards by using something like a coin for scale.

Medical evidence will be used to evaluate how much your injury claim is worth, so it’s important to seek professional medical treatment for your injuries at the earliest opportunity. Also, ensure that your GP is made aware of any ongoing problems with an injury to ensure a fair compensation amount. If your injuries don’t settle and you notice discomfort a few weeks or months later, or if you’re not sleeping or feeling depressed because of your injuries, make sure it’s on your medical records.

Keep a record of any lost wages and expenses you incur as a result of your injuries as you may be able to claim those costs back.

If all this seems a bit complicated, or you haven’t done any of the above, don’t worry – if you contact us we can talk you through it and help you to complete the necessary steps.

How do I make a claim?

You can start your claim online or , and one of our expert team will be in touch. Alternatively, call us on 01225 430285. We’ll only need a few minutes of your time to let you know if you can make a claim.

With over 20 years’ experience, you can use our knowledge and expertise to get your claim off to the best start. There is no charge for assessing your case, so you have nothing to lose and much to gain if you can make a successful claim.

332 questions have been answered on this subject - ask us your question

Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus fall at work claim examples...

Fell over milk cartons at work .. was left on the floor by milk delivery man who didn’t notify anyone he had left it there. Sustained backed fractures to foot been off work for 3 months and still off with symptoms .. do I have a case? Thank u

I fell into an empty swimming pool whilst working on the edge of the pool in a mini digger, me and the digger went head first. I had a two lacerations to my head that needed glueing and stiched, and a broken arm, the company health an safety info states work will not commence unless there is safety precautions in place to avoid injury, well there was nothing in place and I was injured, is there a claim to be made ?

I work as a teaching assistant at school. On our yard we have a climbing frame with artificial grass underneath. The artificial grass has not been maintained over the years and is now covered in moss. One lunch time I had to go and ask some pupils to come out from behind the brush and to come back on the yard. The pupils were not listening so I walked on to the artificial grass, I took two steps on and slipped backwards and landed on my ankle. I have fractured my ankle. In the day if the accident there was no cones or tape up to say that the area was unsafe. Since my accident the school has taped the area off and said the area is unsafe. So wondering if I have a case ?

It would appear that you should pursue a claim for compensation for the injuries you have sustained.

The lack of maintenance of the artificial grass prior to your accident may well be seen as employer negligence and although it is good that cones and tape have been erected since your accident, it would have prevented your accident from happening if you had been warned of the risk of slipping.

Had a fall at work, wet floor, no sign, wrist in cast 3 weeks, scans badly bruised or nerve damage, can I still claim if not broken?

Although you’ve no fracture, the severity of your injury certainly meets the required criteria to enable you to make a claim. Further, the fact that you slipped on a wet floor at work and there was no hazard warning in situ indicates that you have a good chance of succeeding with a claim for personal injury compensation. If you have not already done so, please ensure that there is a record of your accident within the employers accident book (or similar recording system).

Our Solicitors can help you to make a claim on a No Win No Fee basis if you call us on 01225430285.

I fell at work, stood on some metal, which was left on the floor outside my stores. This shouldn’t have been there. The ground is also uneven where I fell also.

I sprained my ankle and broke my elbow. My ankle was injured in June whilst playing football, so I do have a weakness.

I am on getting paid ssp & have been told at least 6 weeks to recover.

I am very concerned about a claim not going through or not being worth it.

I have no doubt they would force me out if I claim.

Any advice would be great.

Your employer cannot discriminate against you for making a claim and you can’t be legally dismissed for making an honest claim – such as the one you would make in this case. Of course, there is no guarantee of success in any claim but given your initial description of the incident in which you were injured, it would appear that it should be possible to attach negligence as the metal was left outside your stores (where it shouldn’t be) and the surface is uneven. With that in mind, your claim would succeed if this can be evidenced.

Any claim would be against the mandatory insurance cover that your employer is obliged to have in place rather than against the company or owner directly.

The only way you can recover the loss of income you have incurred is by pursuing a claim for personal injury compensation. If you were to succeed with a claim, you would receive compensation for your injury (and the impact that such an injury will have on you for the coming months) and also special damages to cover your lost income or incurred costs.

I had a slip at work a few years back as a supermarket delivery driver.
Employer hadn’t gone out to the property and done a risk assessment even tho they had been told several times about a very slippery path. I had concussion, vertigo, whiplash, cut nose, bruises all over my arm and went down on knees so couldn’t walk. My head wasn’t right after and I then suffered panic attacks for weeks after so had to be medicated. Can I still Claim?

If more than 3 years has passed since your accident, you will be unable to pursue a claim as you have not done so within the 3 year time limit.

I briefly worked in an office this summer 2021 and lost the job due to poor mental health. Whilst in training fell to the floor having tripped on bump in the carpet , there was no sign or warning , I fell strongly and hurt both my knees and ribcage and even my dress ripped and mug i was holding smashed. At the time I didnt want to claim but I now have pain in my ribcage daily and even at night. This was in june 2021 is it too late to claim? They should have cctv evidence of that fall, thanks

It is not too late to claim and we can still have our Solicitors act for you in this matter.

I was at work unloading a sofa out of the back of a van when I fell out of the back and twisted both my ankles, I’ve been off work now for three weeks and I still get pain when I walk, what can I do about work as I can’t go?

Make sure that the incident is recorded properly with the employer – in an accident book or in some other written record. You may well have a valid claim for personal injury compensation and we can look at whether the appropriate training was provided or whether the employer hadn’t provided the correct equipment to enable you to work safely.

Had a 15ft fall from scaffold, was taken by ambulance to a&e. Had to have ct scan, nothing broken just SEVERE bruising and pain. I’ve taken photos of injuries, been off work a week now, should I claim?

You absolutely have a right to pursue a claim and doing so will be the only way you can recover any loss of income or costs you have incurred because of your injury at work.

Whether or not you do claim is a decision only you can make, but you do have a legal right to do so and cannot be dismissed from work, have your hours reduced or face any discrimination for making a legitimate claim such as this. We would certainly be very happy to help you make your claim.

Hi I just want to know where I stand with being paid while I am off sick due to an accident at work. I was working nights in a care home with an agency staff and she had mopped a hall floor and not put a wet floor sign out. I walked over the floor and proceeded to go down the stone cellar steps ( our laundry room is down there ) I didn’t realise the bottom of my shoe was wet and I slipped and fell on my back and elbow causing significant bruising. I attended the hospital and they confirmed nothing was broken but I can’t work as I am in a lot of pain.

Your employer is not obliged to pay your salary – despite the fact that you are off work through an injury caused by negligence at work – unless your contract includes a clause that affords you sick pay. As such, your only way to recover any lost pay or costs that you incur through your injury and not being able to work is by pursuing a claim for personal injury compensation.

In your case, it would seem that you have a strong claim due to the lack of hazard signage and this is likely to be seen as negligence. Your claim is certainly a matter that we would very much like to help you with. Please call us on 01225430285 or provide more details via the ‘start your claim‘ page of our website and we’ll have your claim placed with one of our specialist Personal Injury Solicitors to act for you on a No Win No Fee basis.

I tripped at work on uneven shabby groundworks impacting in to metal lamp post. I have pain to the shoulder, wrist & my knee is also badly bruised. I have had 8 days of bruising and still quite severe discomfort to the shoulder shoulder. My knee is painful to bend with a crunching sound with the slightest movement.

I have spoken to my GP today who is putting me on anti inflammatories. This has also caused a flare up of my fibromyalgia with pain in the joints heightened. The GP prescribed tramadol for the pain but I cannot take them due to them making me drowsy and feel really sick. I am currently signed off work.

We would like to speak with you as it would seem that you have valid grounds to pursue a claim after you tripped on uneven ground at work. If you haven’t already done so, make sure that an accident report has been passed to your employer – if the accident book wasn’t completed at the time, simply send an email to the employer outlining what happened, when and where and the symptoms you have. This will ensure that the details of your accident at work have been reported to the right people and give strong supporting evidence to your claim.

If you can obtain photographs of the accident site, please do as that would be extremely useful evidence in support of any claim.

I fell over a pile of brochures at work being used to prop open a security door, went face first into a brick wall. (Have a brain tumour, company aware of this), ended up in hospital, having cat scan, mri, ecg etc.. in the end I had shock and concussion. Can I claim?

The stack of brochures may well be seen as a hazard obstructing a walkway and this should allow you to pursue a claim against the employer for negligence and for the concussion and distress caused to you.

My wife fell at work and suffered damaged tendons in her ankle. Her work said that she was not covered, so if she needed to take time off, that she would have to take it out of her annual leave.

She was in pain with a very swollen ankle and when it happened there was no first aider. The supervisor was called in & he is supposed to have to attend within 30 minutes, but it was almost 4 hrs later when he came. The employer did not take her to hospital and just sent her home 7 hours after the incident.

I’ve called her work cover and they said that she is covered?! She has had an X-ray but no bones were broken but the scan shows ligament damage. Work have paid her using all her holiday pay. It was very poorly handled by the whole management team. What are her rights?

If your wife can attribute her injury (the cause of her fall) to employer negligence or due to a faulty piece of equipment or lack of training, she has a right to pursue a claim against the employers mandatory insurance cover for personal injury and loss of income. Although she has been paid, this has caused her the loss of her annual leave entitlement, so a successful claim would see that re-instated.

I fell off the office chair at work because of the flooring. The flooring is slippery and the chair moved from underneath me and I fell onto my back. I am on regular medication for the last year, are my employees responsible to pay for my medication?

The only way to compel your employers to pay for your medical costs is to pursue a claim for personal injury compensation against them. If successful with your claim, you can recover compensation for your injuries, medical costs and associated losses including loss of income.

My daughter had an accident at work, she slipped on water. Her accident was never recorded in the accident book and her manager still hasn’t looked through the CCTV to see if a sign was out. She fractured her arm and was given strong painkillers, but still her manager has not followed through to find out what happened and has still asked her to come in and work, my daughter is a young woman and this is her first job and she has bills to pay so she feels that she has to still go to work with her arm which is not in a cast as of yet, could you please help me on what I should do?

You should make a written report to the employer (signed by your Daughter) outlining the accident so that a report is made. Please ensure that the date, time and location of the incident are noted along with the cause of the fall and the injuries sustained.

Your Daughter has a right to make a claim for personal injury compensation and recovery of lost wages from the employers insurers and we can help her to do so on a No Win No Fee basis.

I suffered a back injury 8 months ago. I’ve had an MRI that has revealed to disc bulges pressing on my nerves causing friction, pain and limited mobility. I’m told that this is close to being herniated discs if the treatment doesn’t work and I’m only 20.

My injury was caused by a wet floor – there was no wet floor sign and no-one informed me & it seems that nobody knew even when I told them after it happened. The staff neglected proper procedure by continuously putting it off for documenting in the accident book so was never done in the end. When I fell my back clicked loudly. My doctor has told me this click was my discs in my lower vertebrae shifting out of place and they are still out of place even now as I have a long recovery, although I am now receiving pain meds which helps a little.

Please can you help me claim compensation from McDonalds. I’m also in the middle of an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal, but was told to pursue a claim with you guys for the pain I’m in daily. Please let me know as soon as possible preferably over email. As my voice is coarse.

We can help you with your claim and look forward to doing so. We’ll email you directly, but you can always call us on 01225430285 or if you can access further help on the ‘start your claim for compensation‘ page of our website.

My sister tripped over a pot hole on her works grounds and after a week of plodding on, found that she has fractured it. This isn’t the first incident in which someone has tripped over this pot hole on the same grounds.
Is it worth looking into?

This is absolutely worth pursuing further. As the employer appears to be aware of this pothole due to other staff members having tripped in the pothole, the employer was on notice of a risk to health and has been negligent in not repairing the pothole or at least placing a warning or barrier around it. As with all accidents, it is vital that the details of the accident are recorded in the employers accident book and it is also important, if possible, to document the pothole with some photographs – ideally with a measurement visible to show the depth at the edge of the pothole.

In this scenario, if successful, a claimant will be compensated for the injury to their foot and the impact that the injury has on their independence, mobility and day-to-day life. The value of the settlement will be decided on the basis of a medical experts report and the prognosis of recovery. The claimant will also be able to recover loss of income or other costs incurred due to the injury sustained.

I broke my arm at work after falling from a hatch in the floor in the loft, I was never told not to go up there or that it’s off limits. There’s no signage saying do not go up there, there is even a ladder that is fully accessible for anyone to go up. I was doing my daily duties as a labourer cleaning up and i went up there to clean like I do every day, as there was a bend in the corner the lights were off and i fell through to the floor below and broke my arm.

We would be very happy to help you pursue your claim for compensation for the pain and discomfort of your broken arm and to recover any lost income or other costs caused by your accident at work.

The lack of signage, no lighting and no barrier around the hatch is likely to be seen as employer negligence and this should enable our Solicitors to succeed with your claim.

I am a 7.5 tonne lorry delivery driver. I was delivering a pallet and accidentally fell off the tail lift at full hight and passed out, a member of the public rang me an ambulance. I have had head stapled and am black and blue all over.

Do you know what caused you to fall from the tail lift? Can you attribute the fall to a lack of training or due to a tripping hazard that caught your foot? If so, we may well be able to establish that you were not at fault and succeed with a claim for compensation for you.

It would be prudent for us to talk with you about the incident in order that we can then ascertain whether or not we can pursue this for you. Please use the start your claim form on our website to make further contact and we’ll be happy to discuss your situation with you.

I am a shop supervisor and during my shift i was taking things off a pallet to put onto a trolley ready to go on to shop floor.
I picked up a box of containing 12 bottles of comfort, i didn’t realise something had leaked onto the box so as i went to put it on to my trolley the box broke so as a natural response i tried to stop comfort dropping on floor.
Next thing i know i had fallen on my right side onto the warehouse floor as my right foot had got stuck around the shrink wrap that was around the the bottom of the pallet.
I was helped up by the store manager and 2 other colleagues and felt excruciating pain. My daughter picked me up from work as i was unable to drive. Ambulance was called to my address later on in the evening and they thought my injury was possibly a muscle injury.
I was taken by ambulance to hosp and after xrays it was found I had 2 fractures on my pelvis.
Is this reason for a claim?

We feel that you have a valid claim for your pelvis injury and that this is a matter that warrants pursuit. You have sustained serious injuries and by succeeding with a claim, you can recover compensation for the injuries sustained and recover any lost income or other costs incurred.