A Guide To Making A Fall At Work Claim

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This is a guide on the process of making a fall at work claim. It will detail the eligibility criteria you need to meet, the steps you can take to support your case and the compensation you could receive if your claim succeeds.

It will also discuss the duty of care your employer owes you and how you could be injured if this is not upheld. For example, your employer could have failed to ensure equipment such as ladders or scaffolding were safe to use.

fall at work claim

A guide to making a fall at work claim

A fall can impact a person in different ways, including physically and psychologically. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), working at a height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries.

In some cases, a claim could be made for injuries sustained in a fall at work. If you succeed, the compensation awarded can address the ways in which you have been physically or psychologically impacted by your injuries.

To learn more about the accident at work claims process, please get in touch with our team. To reach them, you can:

Choose A Section

  1. How Do You Make A Fall At Work Claim? – A Guide
  2. When Are You Eligible To Claim For A Workplace Accident?
  3. Top Tips When Making A Fall At Work Claim
  4. What Compensation Could Be Received From A Work Injury Claim?
  5. Why Use Our No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors?
  6. Learn More About How To Claim For A Fall At Work

How Do You Make A Fall At Work Claim? – A Guide

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 outlines the duty of care employers have to their employees. This duty of care means they have to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of employees sustaining harm in the workplace. The steps they can take might include:

  • Training and supervising people properly
  • Carrying out a risk assessment prior to any working at a height
  • Regularly maintaining equipment such as ladders and scaffolding so that any hazards or faults can be addressed.

If you were injured because of your employer’s failure to uphold their duty of care, you could look to seek compensation. However, there are certain requirements that must be met in order to make a fall at work claim. We have explored eligibility in the section below so you can read on for more information.

When Are You Eligible To Claim For A Workplace Accident?

There are three criteria that must be met in order for you to be eligible to start a fall at work claim. These include proving:

  • An employer had a duty of care at the time and place of the accident
  • They breached this duty of care
  • You suffered harm as a result of the breach. This is known as negligence.

There are several ways an employer could breach their duty of care causing you to slip, trip or fall at work and sustain harm. For example:

  • Your employer might fail to ensure the equipment is safe to use causing you to fall from a faulty ladder and sustain a leg injury.
  • Faulty handrails that have not been addressed contribute to a fall on the stairs.
  • Hazards involved with working at a height are not addressed causing a fall in which a person sustains multiple injuries.

To be eligible to make a claim you must prove that negligence occurred. The process of doing so can involve taking several steps to support your potential claim. We have explored these further in the section below.

Top Tips When Making A Fall At Work Claim

It is not a legal requirement to use the services of a personal injury solicitor when making a fall at work claim. However, if they have experience handling claims similar to your own, this can enable you to put forward a strong case.

They can also offer help to collect the necessary evidence to prove you were harmed due to employer negligence. As such, seeking legal representation could benefit you in several ways.

In addition to seeking legal advice, you could gather evidence to support your case, including:

  • Photographs of the accident or injury
  • A copy of the incident report in the accident report book at work
  • The contact information of any witnesses
  • Medical records

Furthermore, you should be aware of the general three-year time limit for making a personal injury claim as outlined by the Limitation Act 1980.

This timescale can start from either the date of the accident itself or the date you became aware of a breach of duty causing your injuries. Exceptions can apply to this time limit in certain cases, such as for children and those who lack the mental capacity to claim.

For more information on the steps you can take as part of the claims process, please get in touch on the number above. An advisor can also discuss the exceptions to the time limit and whether they could apply to your case.

What Compensation Could Be Received From A Work Injury Claim?

Two potential heads of claim can be looked at when calculating compensation for a fall at work claim. General damages compensate for the pain and suffering of the physical and psychological injuries caused.

A personal injury solicitor can arrange for you to sit for an independent medical assessment. A report can be generated and used to help solicitors value this head of claim.

They can also use the compensation brackets for different injuries in the Judicial College Guidelines. We have included examples of these guideline amounts in the table below. However, they are not guaranteed as each settlement is unique.

InjuryGuideline AmountDescription
Brain Damage£282,010 to £403,990(a) Very Severe: Full-time care will be required.
Arm Amputations£96,160 to £109,650


(b) (iii) One arm is lost below the elbow.
Chest Injury£65,740 to £100,670(b) A traumatic chest, lung or heart injury causing permanent damage and a reduced life expectancy.
Ankle Injury£50,060 to £69,700(a) Very Severe: Bilateral ankle fracture cases are included in this bracket.
Injuries Affecting Sight£54,830 to £65,710(d) One eye is totally lost.
Deafness/ Tinnitus£31,310 to £45,540(c) Complete loss of hearing in one ear.
Other Arm Injury£19,200 to £39,170(c) Less Severe: A substantial recovery from significant disabilities.
Neck Injury£24,990 to £38,490
(b) Moderate (i) Chronic conditions or serious soft tissue injuries affecting both the neck and back are included in this bracket.
Shoulder Injury£12,770 to £19,200


(b) Serious: A rotator cuff injury with ongoing symptoms after surgery.
Leg Injury£9,110 to £14,080


(c) Less Serious (ii) Femur fracture of a simple nature with no articular surface damage.

When Can Special Damages Make Up Part Of My Accident At Work Compensation?

Special damages compensate for the financial losses caused by your injuries. You can prove these by collecting documents such as invoices and statements that show the out-of-pocket costs. Examples of the costs you could claim back include:

  • Loss of earnings
  • Medical costs
  • Care costs
  • Travel costs

To learn more about the compensation you could receive after a successful fall at work claim, get in touch on the number above.

Why Use Our No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors?

You may benefit from working with a solicitor offering a No Win No Fee contract such as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) when making a fall at work claim.

This can allow you to access solicitor’s services without being required to pay upfront or while the claim proceeds. Generally, you also won’t pay for these services if the claim fails.

A personal injury claim that is successful requires a legally capped percentage to be deducted from the payout as a success fee.

The solicitors from our panel can represent your claim on this basis, provided it’s valid and has a chance of success. To find out more, get in touch using the details provided below.

Contact Us Today For Free About Making A Fall At Work Claim

Whilst we have aimed to cover the information you need to start a fall at work claim, we understand you may have questions. If you have any other questions on work-related claims, please get in touch with an advisor. They could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel. To reach them, you can:

Learn More About How To Claim For A Fall At Work

Below, we have provided links to a selection of our other guides:

Additionally, find further external resources below:

If you have any more questions regarding how to make a fall at work claim, please get in touch on the number above.

Writer Jeff Wynch

Editor Meg Moot