Tripping up is something that can happen almost anywhere, even if sometimes it may be a trip over our own feet rather than over a dangerously placed object. Most claims for tripping up arise out of trips out and about in a public place. Most trips occur outside in the high street and are caused by raised paving slabs, uncovered manholes, potholes etc…
If you trip and sustain injury in a public place then a claim would be made against the owner of the land in question. In terms of public places, the owner of the land would ordinarily be the local council. With private property such as in a shop or on a shop forecourt, the shop itself would be liable. This is because the owners of the land in question are under a duty to keep the land reasonably safe.
If you trip and sustain injury at work then you may be entitled to bring a claim against your employer. This may differ in circumstances where you are a contractor working on another company’s premises for example. In such a scenario a claim would most likely be brought against the company who owned the premises in which you were working. As with all tripping claims the court will look at various facts such as whether there was any warning of the danger, what precautions were taken, how long was the hazard left unattended etc…
In terms of tripping in a public place a lot depends on whether the respective council has an adequate system of inspection in place. If a council can show that an adequate system of inspection is in place, then it may be able to avoid liability. Each case is considered on its own unique facts. This is why it is important to seek professional advice from a Lawyer.
There are potential tripping hazards in most workplaces. In an office there are bags, chairs, desks, office equipment such as printers, copiers, stationary such as paper etc… If the office is left untidy and items are left lying around on the floor, trips are more likely to happen. Equally there can be tripping hazards in manual work from tools left on the floor for example. The most obvious way to avoid a tripping hazard in the workplace is to keep it clean and tidy.
As with all tripping accidents, it is best to obtain photographic evidence of what caused the trip or fall. In some cases this is more difficult, especially if you tripped over an easily movable object such as a bag. However accidents at work should be recorded in the company’s accident book and you should insist that this is the case. It is always useful to keep a record yourself as well. This can help in terms of recalling dates and details further down the line.
If you have tripped up at work and sustained injury, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Do not hesitate to contact The Injury Lawyers today. We deal with all types of personal injury claims.
