Tripped Over a Loose Wire at Work

Can You Claim If You Tripped Over a Loose Wire at Work?

Key Facts: Tripping Over a Loose Wire at Work

It Was Just a Wire on the Floor. How Can That Be My Employer’s Fault?

Most people who trip over a wire at work think the same thing. It was just a wire. I should have seen it. Everyone trips over cables. It feels too ordinary to be someone else’s fault.

That instinct is wrong. And the reason comes down to one regulation most people have never heard of.

A wire trailing across a walkway is an obstruction. An extension lead running from a desk to a socket across a corridor is an obstruction. An ethernet cable looped across a doorway is an obstruction. Cable covers, trunking along walls, floor-level sockets, rerouting of cables. These are not optional improvements. They are the legal minimum.

Think about what happened after you reported the trip. Your employer probably said it was an accident. Asked whether you were really hurt. Fixed the wire and moved on.

What they did not do matters more.

They did not show you a risk assessment identifying the cable as a hazard. They did not produce a maintenance log proving the walkway had been inspected. If you were off work for more than seven days, they were legally required to report the incident to the HSE under RIDDOR 2013. Most employers do not.

The Wire Was Tidied Away Within Minutes. So Where’s My Evidence?

This is the problem specific to wire trip claims.

Someone trips. A colleague picks up the cable. A manager tapes it down or moves the extension lead to a different position. By the time the injured person starts thinking about what happened, the wire is gone. The floor looks exactly as it should have looked all along.

Most people stop there. The wire is gone. The evidence is gone. Nothing to be done.

Wrong.

The wire is not the evidence. The wire is what caused the injury. The evidence is everything surrounding it.

Your employer is required to conduct risk assessments that identify cable hazards in every room, every corridor, every workspace. If the wire that tripped you was not identified, the assessment was inadequate. If no assessment exists at all, that is a more serious failure.

Your employer must maintain an accident book under the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979. Your trip must be recorded. If your employer discouraged you from recording it, or wrote it up as something less than it was, that is a separate compliance failure. And it strengthens your position.

I Didn’t Take a Photo of the Wire. Is It Too Late?

If you photographed the wire before it was moved, that is valuable. But if you did not, your claim is not over.

Most people who trip over a wire at work do not stop to take photographs. They are in pain. They are embarrassed. Someone is helping them up. Evidence is the last thing on their mind.

The employer holds most of this evidence. Pre-action disclosure is the legal mechanism that compels them to hand it over. That is one of the first things we do after instruction.

Is It Even Worth Claiming for Tripping Over a Wire?

Tripping over a wire feels ordinary. The injury might feel “not bad enough.” The instinct to minimise it is strong. Most people who call us about a wire trip start the conversation with some version of “I’m not sure this is worth bothering with.”

It usually is.

Compensation is assessed by the severity of the injury, not by how dramatic the cause was. A fractured wrist from tripping over a cable is valued identically to a fractured wrist from any other workplace accident. The Judicial College Guidelines do not distinguish between causes. They measure impact.

We publish our fees at why-work-with-us before anyone picks up the phone. 10% of compensation when the claim settles without court proceedings. The industry standard is 25%. That difference stays in your pocket. 

What Actually Happens If I Pick Up the Phone?

The first call takes about 15 minutes. You speak to Chris Carter or David Healey directly. Not a call handler. Not a junior. One of the two solicitors who will handle your claim from start to finish.

We will ask what happened, when it happened, and what injury you sustained. We will tell you honestly whether you have a viable claim. If you do not, we will say so. That conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

You get your solicitor’s direct phone number and direct email from day one. No chasing. No call centres. No being passed between departments.

Read more real client experiences at our client testimonial hub.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tripping Over a Wire at Work

Carter & Carter Solicitors is a specialist personal injury firm based in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, handling workplace accident claims, including tripping and slipping claims, across England and Wales. Founded in 2007, the firm handles four claim types through two senior solicitors: Chris Carter (Managing Solicitor, qualified 1993, 33 years’ experience) and David Healey (Senior Solicitor, qualified 2005, 21 years’ experience). Carter & Carter publishes its fees upfront (10% without court proceedings) and holds 250 verified five-star Google reviews. All claims are handled on a No Win No Fee basis under a Conditional Fee Agreement.

Last updated: April 2026. Related: Slipped at work with no witness | Slips and trips at work claims