Slips and Trips at Work Claims

How Do I Know If I Have a Slips and Trips at Work Claim?

An injured worker has a slips and trips at work claim if the employer failed to maintain a safe workplace and an injury resulted. Carter and Carter Solicitors handles these claims across England and Wales on a no win, no fee basis. The Health and Safety Executive recorded slips and trips as 30 per cent of all reported non-fatal workplace injuries in 2024/25, an estimated 204,000 incidents from a total of 680,000. The HSE itself estimates employers under-report workplace injuries by around 50 per cent, so the true scale is likely double.

For an injured worker, the practical position is straightforward: these are not rare events, the legal duties owed by employers are established under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the evidence patterns are documented across thousands of claims each year. The three-year limitation period under the Limitation Act 1980 runs from the date of the accident. The dedicated accident at work claims guide covers the wider duty framework.

Does My Situation Actually Count?

Yes – if your employer knew about the hazard, or should have known about it through a reasonable risk assessment, and failed to remove it. Every workplace slip and trip looks different on the surface. 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 legal question is consistent: was there a duty, was that duty breached, and did the breach cause your injury?

Below are the situations Carter and Carter Solicitors handles most often. Where a dedicated guide exists, the link will take you to the full page. Where the question is answered here on this hub, the card explains what you need to know.

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 Chris or David will tell you where you stand.

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

Yes, in almost every workplace scenario where a hazard caused the fall. Carter and Carter Solicitors handles these claims under three pieces of legislation that together establish the employer’s duty. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 sets the general duty of care owed by every employer in England and Wales. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Regulation 12, requires floors to be kept free from anything likely to cause a person to slip, trip or fall. 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 identified through a reasonable risk assessment, that is a breach. The “you should have been more careful” response is not a defence in law. The dedicated guide on your rights after a workplace accident covers contributory negligence.

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 the reason the hazard was still there when you fell – your employer decided it was not worth fixing. For an injured worker, that finding matters in a practical way: an employer’s casual attitude toward slip and trip risk is not a defence to a negligence claim; it is often the evidence that proves the breach.

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

How Much Is a Slips and Trips at Work Claim Worth?

Most injured workers underestimate what their claim is worth, sometimes by half. Carter and Carter Solicitors values every slips and trips at work claim as two elements combined: general damages for the injury and its impact, plus special damages for every financial loss the accident has caused. General damages alone start from around £1,500 and rise with the severity and duration of the injury, calculated against the Judicial College Guidelines 17th Edition (April 2024), the recognised reference used by solicitors, insurers, and the courts of England and Wales.

Most injured workers underestimate the total figure, sometimes by half. The general damages are only the first part. The financial losses, including lost earnings, prescription costs, hospital travel, and paid help at home, frequently exceed them, particularly where the injury kept the worker off work for weeks or months. The dedicated guide on how much you can claim for an accident at work sets out the valuation method in detail.

General Damages and Special Damages Explained

General damages cover the injury itself – the pain, the suffering, the loss of amenity, and any psychological distress. Loss of amenity means the everyday activities and ordinary pleasures you can no longer do as you did before the fall: walking the dog, lifting a grandchild, sleeping comfortably, returning confidently to the workplace. Psychological distress includes anxiety about the place where the accident happened, sleep disruption, and loss of confidence in moving around. The brackets used to value general damages come from the Judicial College Guidelines 17th Edition (April 2024), and the figure for any individual claim depends on the medical evidence and the documented impact on daily life.

Special damages cover the financial cost of the accident. Lost earnings during recovery, including overtime, bonuses, and pension contributions. Prescription costs for painkillers and replacement medication. Taxi fares and parking charges for hospital and physiotherapy appointments. Care provided by family members or paid carers while you were unable to manage at home. Loss of future earnings where the injury affects what you can earn going forward. Replacement of damaged clothing or personal items. Special damages are documented with receipts, payslips, and medical records, and where time off has been extended they frequently exceed the general damages figure.

Carter and Carter charges 10% of compensation when the claim settles without issuing court proceedings, and 25% if proceedings are issued. Most firms charge 25% regardless. Read the full no win no fee fee structure.

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

Probably not, but the evidence is degrading faster than the three-year legal deadline suggests. Carter and Carter Solicitors recovers slips and trips at work claims regularly because the strongest evidence is usually evidence the employer already holds: accident book entries, CCTV footage, cleaning schedules, maintenance logs, risk assessments, and records of previous incidents in the same spot. Employers are legally required to retain most of these records, and a solicitor’s letter requesting disclosure surfaces them.

That disclosure 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 breach. Evidence does not wait, and from the day of the accident the insurer is already building the defence. The dedicated guide on slipping at work with no witness explains how disclosure preserves the record.

The three-year limitation period under the Limitation Act 1980 is absolute. After three years the right to claim is permanently lost – irrespective of how strong the case is, how serious the injury was, or how clearly the 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 the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), that does not mean the injury was not serious – it may mean the employer has a pattern of ignoring their reporting obligations, and that itself can be evidence of negligence.

What Should I Do Immediately After Slipping at Work?

Take five specific actions in the hours and days after the accident. Each one preserves a different piece of the evidence that a claim depends on, and the order matters because some types of evidence (photographs, CCTV, witness recollection) degrade fastest.

What Actually Happens If I Pick Up the Phone?

Most slips and trips at work claims settle within three to six months, with 99% not proceeding to a final court hearing. Carter and Carter Solicitors handles every one personally: on the first call the claimant speaks directly to Chris Carter or David Healey, never a case handler or a paralegal, and an honest view on whether the claim is worth pursuing is given within 24 hours. That direct-solicitor approach is the same on every claim.

From that first call the work happens in four overlapping stages: free assessment and instruction; the letter of claim and evidence preservation; medical evidence and negotiation with the insurer; settlement and payment. The injured worker contributes evidence and attends a medical examination, but the legal work itself is handled by one of two named solicitors throughout. There is no handover, no team review, no rotating contact. The dedicated why work with us page sets out the firm’s approach in full.

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

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

There is no catch. No win, no fee means exactly that: if the claim is unsuccessful, the client pays nothing. No bill, no hidden charges, no financial risk. Carter and Carter charges 10% of recovered compensation when the claim settles without issuing court proceedings, and 25% if proceedings are issued. The reason this matters is that most personal injury firms publish a flat 25% cap regardless of how the claim is resolved.

Carter and Carter publishes the fee upfront because clients deserve a specific number before they instruct anyone. Most firms publish a 25% cap with hedged language. The Conditional Fee Agreements legislation under section 58 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 sets the 25% maximum; what differs between firms is what they actually charge within that cap.

Read the full no win no fee fee breakdown →

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

Because the claim will not be passed around. Carter and Carter Solicitors is a specialist firm of two solicitors – Chris Carter (Managing Solicitor, qualified 1993) and David Healey (Senior Solicitor, qualified 2005) – handling each claim personally from first call to final settlement. There is no paralegal handover, no team rotation, no call-centre triage. The solicitor who answers the first call is the solicitor who negotiates the settlement.

The firm has handled personal injury claims since 2007 and concentrates on four claim types only – no conveyancing, no family law, no commercial disputes. That specialisation is what allows the published 10% fee for claims settling without court proceedings, and it is what allows direct senior-solicitor contact throughout. 250 verified Google reviews record the outcome.

250 people have left five-star reviews on Google. Not because they were asked to fill in a form, but because the experience was worth writing about. Read all 250 verified Google reviews.

What Are the Most Common Questions About Slips and Trips at Work Claims?

Related Claims Guides

Do You Handle Slips and Trips at Work Claims Outside Derbyshire?

Yes – Carter and Carter Solicitors handles slips and trips at work claims for clients across England and Wales, from London to Liverpool, from Bristol to Birmingham, from Manchester to Newcastle. The firm is based in Whaley Bridge, a small town on the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire, and has handled personal injury claims from there since 2007.

Everything is handled remotely – phone, video call, email. Court hearings, when they happen, take place at the court nearest to the client. For clients in the North West, that is usually Manchester County Court. But 99% of claims do not proceed to a final court hearing.

Why Whaley Bridge?

Staying in Whaley Bridge keeps costs low and fees low. A city-centre office means city-centre overheads, and those overheads get passed to clients. 33 years of doing four things properly, wherever the client is 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.