How To Make Workplace Ladder Accident Claims

Ladder Accident Claims

Workplace Ladder Accident Claims Guide

This guide will explain how to make ladder accident claims after an injury at work. When you are at work, your employer owes you a duty of care, which means they are responsible for your health and safety. In order to have an eligible personal injury claim following an accident at work, the incident must have been caused by negligence. This would mean proving your employer breached their duty of care.

Please get in touch with UK Law today to see if you can claim compensation for the injuries caused by your ladder accident. We work with a panel of skilled lawyers specialising in personal injury claims. If you meet the right criteria to claim compensation, we can assign a lawyer to work on your case and get you the right compensation.

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What Are Ladder Accident Claims?

Your employer must take reasonably practicable steps to ensure your health and safety at work, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have a duty of care towards their workforce. Implementing this duty of care means that employers must carry out regular risk assessments to identify health and safety hazards in the workplace. Afterwards, employers must apply control measures to mitigate the risk, such as repairing a faulty ladder.

When making a workplace accident claim following injury, negligence must be established. This means proving that:

  • Firstly, your employer at the time and place of the ladder accident owed you a duty of care,
  • Secondly, they failed to abide by health and safety legislation, therefore, breaching their duty of care,
  • And, finally, due to the breach, you were injured in the ladder accident.

The Health and Safety Executive provides information about how to safely use each type of ladder.

Safe Use Of Ladders In The Workplace

So employers are responsible for ensuring conditions are safe when workers use ladders. It could be negligent of an employer to require a worker to use a ladder at work without ensuring the following:

  • The ladder is fit for the purpose
  • The ladder is used under safe conditions
  • And the worker is properly trained or supervised

If a ladder accident causes injuries at work, the employer may be held liable if this is proven to be negligence. So the worker could sue their employer for any work-related injuries incurred. Please contact UK Law today to discuss with an advisor if you have grounds to claim.

Laws That Apply When Working With Ladders?

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (also known as PUWER) require that equipment used in the workplace, such as ladders, be suitable for its intended use and maintained to a safe standard. Furthermore, workplaces must carry out regular equipment inspections to ensure safety.

Moreover, The Work at Height Regulations 2005 requires employers to take the following responsibilities when working at height. Firstly, tasks taking place off the ground must be properly planned, managed and supervised. What’s more, only trained people should carry out the tasks.

Employers are legally obliged to comply with the above regulations.

Why Do Ladder Accidents Happen?

Claimants may make ladder accident claims for injuries caused by the following accidents.

  • The ladder has a broken rung and breaks underfoot, causing a worker to fall.
  • The ladder was faulty, causing it to break under a worker’s weight.
  • Or the worker has received no training to use the ladder and makes an error which causes a fall.

Workers falling from a ladder may experience severe head injuries, which can cause permanent brain damage. On the other hand, the worker may suffer a broken back and become paralysed. Sadly, a worker could potentially suffer a fatal accident if the fall is great.

How Many People Are Injured In Ladder Accidents?

Every year the Health and Safety Executive publishes statistics about the causes of accidents in the workplace. These statistics are based on reports made under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). Unfortunately, falls from a height cause fatal and non-fatal accidents.

  • Under RIDDOR, the HSE received reports of 61,713 non-fatal injuries at work in 2021/22. Falls from a height caused 8% of these injuries.
  • Likewise, under RIDDOR, the HSE received reports of 123 work-related fatal injuries in 2021/22. Falls from a height were the number one cause of these injuries, accounting for 29 deaths.

Is There A Time Limit For Ladder Accident Claims?

Under the Limitation Act 1980, claimants have three years to begin a personal injury claim for an accident at work. The limitation period will normally begin on one of the following dates:

  • The date the accident took place
  • The date you became aware of negligence

Please contact UK Law to enquire about making a workplace injury claim.

What Is The Average Settlement For Ladder Accident Claims?

Employees hurt on a ladder because your employer acted negligently could make ladder accident claims for compensation. Injured workers can receive the following types of compensation:

  • General damage payments compensate them for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity their workplace injuries caused.
  • Special damage payments, which compensate them for expenses their injuries caused. For example, reimbursement for travel-related expenses.

How Much Compensation Could Receive For Ladder Accident Claims?

The table contains guideline amounts for general damages. Special damages are not included in the table.

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Injury Type And Severity Notes Payout Guidelines
Head Injury – Moderately Severe B Involving serious disability and leaving the person requiring professional care. £219,070 to £282,010
Neck Injury – Severe A (ii) A serious neck fracture and cervical spinal disc damage. £65,740 to £130,930
Leg Injury – Severe B (ii) Permanent mobility problems requiring mobility aids. £54,830 to £87,890
Arm Injury – Serious B Injuries leading to permanent and substantial disability. There could be a serious fracture. £39,170 to £59,860
Hip Or Pelvic Injury – Moderate B (i) Significant hip or pelvic injury. If the person does have a permanent disability, it will not be major. £26,590 to £39,170
Wrist Injury B A wrist injury which causes significant permanent disability. £24,500 to £39,170
Back Injury – Moderate B (i) Involving crush or compression fractures. There is the risk of osteoarthritis. £27,760 to £38,780
Elbow Injury – Less Severe B Injuries impairing the joint’s function but which do not require major surgery. £15,650 to £32,010
Knee Injury – Moderate B (i) A dislocation of the knee joint, cartilage tears or similar degrees of injury leading to instability. £14,840 to £26,190
Shoulder Injury – Serious B Dislocated shoulder injuries with sensory symptoms through the hands and forearms. £12,770 to £19,200

The payment amounts in the table are based on the latest edition of the Judicial College guidelines.

Your circumstances will affect your claim. Please call our helpline; an advisor can value your compensation claim.

Why Choose UK Law?

UK Law could help with your ladder accident claim. A solicitor from our panel can help you under the terms of a No Win No Fee Agreement:

  • The solicitor will have solid experience handling claims for accidents at work
  • Moreover, the panel of solicitors work with claimants based anywhere in the country.

No Win No Fee can be beneficial if you feel reluctant to pay a solicitors fee upfront. Instead, you fund the services you receive by paying a success fee on the condition that you receive compensation for your claim. Moreover, the success fee is proportionate to your compensation payout. So, you keep the majority of the compensation.

Learn More About Accident At Work Claims

If you want to learn more about making a ladder injury compensation claim, these guides may be helpful.

How To Claim For An Injury Caused By No Safety Shoes At Work

How To Make A Building And Construction Site Accident Claim

What Damages Could You Be Awarded For A Warehouse Accident Claim?

How do you inspect a ladder before use? – an HSE guide

An HSE guide to working at height safely

Severe head injury – an NHS inform guide

If you would like to know more about making ladder accident claims, please call UK Law’s helpline to speak to an advisor.