I Slipped on a Wet Floor at Work, Can I File a Personal Injury Claim?

Accident At Work Claims AdviceEmployers must make sure that an environment is as safe as possible for employees and other staff to work in and this includes erecting appropriate signs in areas where a spillage has occurred or in areas like loading bays are frequently wet. Should you slip and injure yourself on a wet floor and there were no warning signs indicating the hazard, you may be able to seek compensation by filing an accident at work claim against your employer. To find out more about how to file a claim, the evidence that would be required to prove your case and your employer’s duty of care towards you, please read on.

Would My Wet Floor at Work Injury Claim be Valid?

When it comes to accidents in the workplace that involve wet floors, this type of incident accounts for approximately 90% of accidents that result in an employee and other workers sustaining some kind of injury whether minor or more severe. Should you have slipped on a wet floor in the workplace and you had to take time off work to recover from your injuries, you could be entitled to seek compensation from an employer. However, you would need to show employer negligence for a case against them to be valid and although in some instances this is obvious, in other instances proving liability can often be more challenging.

As such, if you feel you have grounds to seek compensation from an employer because you slipped on a wet floor at work, you should get in contact with a solicitor at www.accidentclaims.co.uk who would assess your claim in a no obligation, initial consultation over the phone which is typically free of charge.

Do I Have to Follow a Procedure If Injured at Work Due to a Wet Floor?

If you suffer an injury due to a slip on a wet floor at work, you should follow the procedure set out by an employer following an accident at work. You should also do the following even if you are not thinking about filing a case to begin with:

  • Seek medical attention straight away even if you believe your injuries are only minor. This is because your condition may worsen further down the line. Also having a medical report is an essential piece of evidence if you want to file an accident at work claim against your employer
  • Make sure the workplace accident and your injuries are reported to your employer or the person in charge of a work environment
  • Check to see that the incident is recorded in the work’s Accident Book and that the details are correct. If they are not, you have the right to correct the information before adding your signature to the record. Do not sign anything that you are not happy with
  • If you find there is no Accident Book, you should note all the details of the incident and your injuries down and send the information to your employer either via a personal email or in a letter sent registered, keeping a copy for yourself
  • Check if the incident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive if the accident was reportable
  • Take witness statements and their contact information
  • Take photos of where the incident occurred and check if there is any CCTV footage
  • Take photos of the workplace injuries you suffered

Contact a personal injury lawyer, which you have the right to do following an accident at work. The more information and evidence you can show them that an employer was negligent in their duty towards you, the stronger your case would be and the more chance there would be that the solicitor would offer to act on your behalf without requesting an upfront fee. This would be because the solicitor would offer you No Win No Fee terms when representing you.

Can I File a Wet Floor Injury Claim Against an Employer If I Am a Temporary Employee?

All workers whether permanent, temporary, agency or contractors who work under the control of an employer have the right to seek compensation if they are injured in an accident at work. Even if it is your first day on the job and you slip on a wet floor and injure yourself, you could be entitled to claim compensation from an employer providing you can prove they were negligent in their duty to keep you safe in the workplace.

Temporary staff and agency workers

If you are either an agency worker or employed as temporary staff and you slip on a wet floor at work injuring yourself, you could file a claim against the company/employer/organisation you are working for at the time of the incident rather than against the agency that got you the placement.

With this said, if an agency bears the responsibility of your role in a workplace and this includes having provided you with the required training, PPE and equipment to carry out a job, then the agency could be responsible. As such, you would be entitled to seek compensation from the agency by filing a work-related personal injury claim against them rather than the people you were working for when the accident occurred.

Self-employed workers

Many self-employed workers undertake jobs for employers who own a business, or other type of organisation which includes electricians, plumbers, landscapers as well as contractors who work on building sites. If you injure yourself because you slipped on a wet floor in the workplace and you are self-employed, you may be entitled to seek compensation because the employer could be held liable due to negligence or because an area was not kept safe for you to work in.

Are There Any Common Injuries Sustained When Slipping on a Wet Floor at Work?

You could slip on a floor at work for a multitude of reasons with the most commonly reported injuries being as follows:

  • Bruising and soft tissue damage to an area of the body
  • Cuts and lacerations
  • Broken or fractured bones
  • Damage to tendons and ligaments
  • Injuries to the head

A slip on a wet surface could result in you suffering a minor injury but it could also lead to serious injuries which force you to take time off work. In short, during the time it takes you to recover, you would not bring in a normal wage which could mean financial hardship for you and your loved ones. If the incident was caused by the error or negligence of either your boss or a work colleague, you may be able to claim compensation not only for the injuries you suffered but also for the out of pocket expenses you incurred.

Would My Work-related Wet Floor Injury Claim be Successful?

For any work-related personal injury claim to be successful, you would need to show negligence on the part of a third party whether this is your employer or a fellow employee. It is worth noting that if you believe you could be partly responsible for the incident and your injuries, your employer could also be deemed partly responsible which is known as ‘contributory negligence’. Should this be the case, the amount of accident at work compensation awarded would reflect your level of liability. In short, you would receive less than if someone was responsible for the workplace injuries you suffered in a slip on a wet floor accident.

Accident At Work Claims AdviceWith this said, if you slip and injure yourself on a wet floor in the workplace, you must be able to show that the condition of the floor was ‘reasonably foreseeable’. In short, if it was impossible for your employer to foresee an incident happening, they may not be deemed liable because it would not have been possible to prevent it. As such, you may not be entitled to seek compensation from your employer. It is also worth noting that an employer or the person in charge of a work environment may not have had the time required to set up hazard warnings because a spillage just happened. However, should the signs have not been set in place in a reasonable time and this caused you to slip on a wet floor and injure yourself, you may be entitled to seek compensation from an employer by filing a personal injury claim. If you are unsure on how best to proceed, a personal injury solicitor at www.accidentclaims.co.uk can assist you by offering essential legal advice.

Is There a Deadline to filing Work-related Wet Floor Injury Claim?

If you want to file a slip on a wet floor at work claim because your injuries could have been avoided if the correct hazard signs had been erected warning you of the danger, you would have 3 years to do so. This statutory deadline, however, may begin at different times because it depends on several things which are outlined below:

  • The statutory time limit of 3 years would begin from the date you sustained an injury in a slip on wet floor at work accident
  • The statutory deadline to filing a work-related personal injury claim against a negligent employer would begin from the date a doctor diagnoses you as suffering from a health issue which can be directly linked to the injury sustained when you slipped on a wet floor in the workplace
  • The statutory 3 year time limit would start from the date of your 8th birthday should the accident at work have occurred before this time. As such, you have up till your 21st birthday to file a work-related personal injury claim against a negligent employer. However, it is far better to start a claim early when everything is still fresh in everyone’s minds and this includes anyone who witnessed the incident

Your employer has a duty of care towards you and your fellow employees and the law requires that a work environment is kept tidy, clean and safe for employees and other staff to work in. When employers fail in their duty and you suffer a workplace injury, it could give you grounds to sue for compensation. A failure to ensure that spillages are cleaned up promptly or a failure to erect hazard signs, could be deemed as your employer being in breach of their duty to keep you safe in the workplace.

Can I Claim a Work Colleague is Responsible for My Wet Floor Injury?

As previously touched upon, should the workplace accident that left you injured was caused by a fellow employee, your employer may be held liable because they are responsible for the actions of all staff whether permanent or temporary. This is known as ‘vicarious liability’. As such, you should get in touch with a personal injury lawyer who would assess your claim before offering essential advice on how best to pursue your personal injury claim which they could typically do over the phone in a no obligation consultation which is free of charge.

Can I Claim if I am Partly or Fully Responsible for My Wet Floor Injury?

Even if you are partly responsible for the injury you suffered in a slip on a wet floor accident at work, you could be entitled to seek compensation from an employer. As mentioned previously, it could be a case of ‘contributory negligence’ on the part of your employer as well. A court may rule that an employer failed in some way to ensure that a environment was safe, clean and tidy for you to work in, and therefore both you and your employer are deemed to have a split liability. The court may rule you are awarded an amount that reflects your level of responsibility. If you are unsure about the law relating to contributory negligence, a personal injury solicitor at www.accidentclaims.co.uk would establish whether this applies to your case against your employer.

Do I Have Rights Following a Wet Floor Injury at Work?

Under UK law, you have worker’s rights and these are highly protected. If you slip on a wet floor at work and injure yourself, you have the right to seek compensation providing you can show employer negligence caused you to suffer injuries in the workplace. Your rights allow you to do the following:

  • Seek compensation for the pain, suffering, distress and loss of amenity
  • Know that your job is secure and that an employer cannot sack you because you file a personal injury claim against them without having a good and valid reason for doing so

Your employer is legally bound to do the following to reduce the risk of a workplace accident from happening:

  • Employers must make sure that regular risk assessments are carried out in a workplace so that hazards may be identified and reasonable measures set in place to reduce the risk of harm and injuries to employees and people visiting a work environment

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 covers spillages and/or slippery debris of another nature must be cleaned up promptly to reduce the risk of a slip and trip. Should you have been injured because of a slip on a wet floor at work, you may be able to seek compensation from an employer by pursuing a personal injury claim.

The same applies if your work involves carrying out jobs on a slippery surface and your employer failed to provide the right sort of non-slip footwear or they failed to provide any footwear at all and as consequence you were injured when you slipped. To discuss whether you have a strong case against an employer, you should get in touch with a lawyer at www.accidentclaims.co.uk.

Are There Any Statistics Involving Wet Floor Injuries at Work?

A report published by the Health and Safety Executive which covers the years from 2016 to 2017 showed that 600,000 employees and other workers suffered some kind of injury or illness in the workplace with slipping and tripping being the most common reason for people suffering a major workplace injury. More recent government statistics established that slip, trips and falls account for 29% of all workplace injuries that employees sustain during the years from 2018 to 2019.

Can I Claim Damages and Losses in My Claim for a Wet Floor Injury?

When you file an accident at work claim, you would be entitled to seek both damages and losses. Personal injury compensation is calculated in two separate parts. The first being general damages which are awarded to an injured party as a way of compensating them for the pain, suffering and any loss of amenity they suffered due to being injured in the workplace. The second part of the compensation is special damages which are awarded to reimburse an injured party for their out of pocket expenses.

Should I Sue My Employer for Wet Floor Injury?

You may feel that it would be wrong to sue an employer for an injury you sustained when slipping on a wet floor. However, it is compulsory for all UK employers to have liability insurance and the cover must meet the legal requirement which is set at £5 million. When you file a claim for compensation against your employer, whether they admit liability or not, it is the insurance company that deals with every aspect of your case. This includes investigating your claim, negotiating with a personal injury solicitor and settling the compensation before your claim goes to court if it is felt that you would win should it go before a judge.

Can I Seek Legal Advice for a Wet Floor Injury Claim?

You have the ‘right’ to seek compensation from an employer if they could be held liable for the injury you suffered when you slipped on a wet floor at work. Your employer cannot stop you from filing an accident at work claim against them, and if they do, you should seek advice from a legal expert because your employer would be acting unlawfully.

If you feel that the incident that left you suffering from some sort of injury could have been avoided had your employer respected Health and Safety regulations and other laws that protect you at work, you have the right to file an accident at work claim against them. If you are unsure of what to do, you should discuss your concerns with a solicitor at www.accidentclaims.co.uk who would provide you with valuable legal advice on how best to pursue your accident at work claim against a negligent employer.

Accident At Work Claims Advice

Informative Links

If you would like more information about your worker’s rights following an accident that left you suffering from an injury, please click on the link provided below:

Your workers rights

For more information about the law regarding your safety in the workplace, please click on the link below:

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

For more information regarding compulsory employer’s liability insurance, please click on the link below:

More information regarding liability insurance in the workplace