Slips and Trips at Work Claims

What You Need to Know If You Slipped or Tripped at Work

Does My Situation Actually Count?

Every workplace slip and trip is different. The floor was wet. A cable was trailing. The car park was icy. Something was left where it should not have been. The details change, but the question is usually the same: does what happened to me actually count?

It does. Here are the situations we handle most often. If yours is listed, we have either written a full guide for it or we can answer your question right here.

Your situation is not listed above? That does not mean you cannot claim. If your employer knew about the hazard, or should have known, and did nothing, you have a case. Call 0800 652 0586 and we will tell you where you stand.

I Slipped at Work. Do I Actually Have a Right to Claim?

You might be thinking it was your own fault. That you should have been looking where you were going. That everyone walks down that corridor and they do not fall over.

That thought is not yours. It belongs to your employer.

Research by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents found that 51% of UK employers believe slips and trips are simply inevitable. A third blame the worker for not paying attention. That attitude is not a defence. It is the reason the hazard was still there when you fell. Your employer decided it was not worth fixing. The law says otherwise.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, every employer has a general duty to protect the health and safety of their employees. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 go further: floors must be kept free from anything likely to cause a person to slip. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to carry out risk assessments and act on what they find.

Three regulations. Three specific duties. If the hazard that caused your fall was known, or should have been found by a reasonable risk assessment, your employer breached those duties. That is what a claim is built on.

If any of this sounds like your situation, call 0800 652 0586. Chris or David will tell you where you stand.

Is It Even Worth Claiming? What a Slip at Work Claim Is Actually Worth

Most people underestimate what their claim is worth. Sometimes by half.

Compensation for slips and trips at work is calculated in two parts. General damages cover the pain, the suffering, and the loss of the things you used to do without thinking. Special damages cover the money: lost earnings, medical costs, prescriptions, travel to appointments, care you needed at home, and any lasting effect on what you can earn in the future.

The Judicial College Guidelines set the brackets for general damages based on the type and severity of your injury. The amount varies widely. A minor soft tissue injury is worth less than a fracture. A fracture is worth less than a permanent spinal injury. Every claim is different, and the only way to know what yours is worth is to have it assessed by a solicitor who handles these claims regularly.

We assess every slip and trip claim for free and give you an honest estimate before you commit to anything. If we think your claim is worth less than you expect, we will tell you. If we think it is worth more, we will tell you that too.

The general damages are only part of it. The special damages often exceed them. If you were off work for three months earning £2,000 a month, that is £6,000 in lost earnings before you count anything else. Prescriptions. Taxis to the hospital. Someone helping around the house while you recovered. It adds up. Most people are surprised by what their claim is actually worth once everything is included.

Carter & Carter charges 10% of your compensation when your claim settles without court proceedings. Most firms charge 25% regardless. We publish our fees because you have the right to know what you will pay before you instruct anyone. Full details here.

The Floor Has Been Cleaned and Nobody Reported It. Is It Too Late?

Probably not. But the evidence is not going to wait for you.

The strongest evidence in a workplace slip or trip claim is usually evidence your employer already holds. Accident book entries. CCTV footage. Cleaning schedules. Maintenance logs. Risk assessments. Records of previous incidents in the same spot. Your employer is legally required to keep most of these. A solicitor’s letter requesting disclosure surfaces them.

That letter is often where the case turns. The cleaning schedule shows a two-hour gap. The risk assessment was last updated eighteen months ago. Three other people reported the same hazard and nothing was done. The pattern of neglect proves the claim.

But evidence decays.

And while you are deciding what to do, the insurer is not waiting. From the day of the accident, they are building their defence. Every day you delay is a day they gain.

The three-year limitation period under the Limitation Act 1980 is absolute. After three years, your right to claim is permanently lost. It does not matter how strong your case is, how serious your injury was, or how clearly your employer was at fault. The deadline does not bend.

The legal deadline is three years. The practical deadline is much sooner.

The HSE estimates that employers under-report non-fatal workplace injuries by around 50%. If your employer did not report your injury under RIDDOR, that does not mean the injury was not serious. It may mean they have a pattern of ignoring their reporting obligations. That itself can be evidence.

What Actually Happens If I Pick Up the Phone?

Most slips and trips at work claims settle within three to six months. 99% don’t proceed to a final court hearing. You speak to one of our two solicitors directly on day one.

Here is how it works.

Find out if you can claim. Call 0800 652 0586 or complete our free online assessment.

No Win No Fee Sounds Good. But What Is the Catch?

There is no catch.

No win, no fee means what it says. If your claim is unsuccessful, you pay nothing. No bill. No hidden charges. No financial risk to you.

If your claim settles without us needing to issue court proceedings, we charge 10% of your compensation. If we do need to issue proceedings, it is 25%. Most firms charge 25% regardless.

Most personal injury firms charge 25% regardless.

We publish our fees because we believe you have the right to know what you will pay before you instruct anyone. Most firms do not publish theirs. You can draw your own conclusion about why.

Full fee breakdown →

There Are Hundreds of Solicitors. Why Would I Pick a Two-Person Firm in Derbyshire?

Because you will not be passed around.

When you call Carter & Carter, you speak to the solicitor who will handle your claim. Chris Carter or David Healey. That is who picks up the phone. That is who writes the letter to the insurer. That is who negotiates your settlement. That is who calls you when there is news.

We do not handle hundreds of claims at once. We handle each claim as if it is the only one. For you, it is.

250 people have left us five-star reviews on Google. Not because we asked them to fill in a form. Because the experience was worth writing about. You can read every one of them..

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Slips and Trips at Work Solicitors Serving Clients Across England and Wales

Carter & Carter Solicitors is based in Whaley Bridge, a small town on the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire. We have been here since 2007. We handle slips and trips at work claims for clients across England and Wales, from London to Liverpool, from Bristol to Birmingham, from Manchester to Newcastle.

Everything is handled remotely. Phone, video call, email. Court hearings, when they happen, take place at the court nearest to you. For clients in the North West, that is usually Manchester County Court. But 99% of claims don’t proceed to a final court hearing.

Why Whaley Bridge?

We chose to stay in Whaley Bridge because it keeps our costs low and our fees low. A city-centre office would mean city-centre overheads, and those overheads get passed to clients. 33 years of doing four things properly, wherever you are based.

Your Solicitors

Chris Carter, Managing Solicitor (qualified 1993), and David Healey, Senior Solicitor (qualified 2005), handle every slips and trips at work claim personally. Two solicitors. Two direct phone lines. No switchboard. No call centre. No juniors.