Working in a warehouse or manufacturing environment can often mean a lot of packaging is opened up and storage or work spaces can become cluttered and untidy. Cardboard is a primary culprit for causing slipping accidents; you step on a piece of it and you can easily end up slipping and falling down.
So what are your rights when it comes to making a work injury claim for slipping on cardboard in the workplace?
The Law
Under The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, there is a specific section dedicated to floors that states the following:
12 (3) So far as is reasonably practicable, every floor in a workplace and the surface of every traffic route in a workplace shall be kept free from obstructions and from any article or substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall. (source)
The above regulation puts a duty on your employer to ensure that floors are not slippery because of debris or articles like cardboard boxes that pose a slipping risk. So to achieve this, employers should have things like the following:
- Procedures and training for employees to know to place waste in dedicated receptacles.
- Clean as you go policies so employees are vigilant or removing cardboard from the floor.
- Systems of inspection to ensure that cardboard is not accumulating in areas.
If an employer fails to have such reasonable practices, training, and policies, they may be liable to compensate you if you slip and injure yourself due to cardboard on the floor.
Another important thing to know is this – what if you slip because a colleague has ignored training and procedures? Can you still claim?
The good news is that you can – and you don’t have to worry about suing your workmate either. Under the concept of “vicarious liability” the negligence of an employee falls on the employer. As such, we can still claim from your employer’s insurance if you are injured because a colleague has been negligent. So you’re still covered.
Insurance and 100% Compensation
Employers must have specialist insurance to cover employees for workers compensation claims, so it’s a normal process to claim from the insurance and it’s not anything that’s particularly “personal” against your employer. The insurance is there to be used and you are protected by law to claim form it.
For work claims we can still offer 100% compensation even though most other law firms can’t. So call us now on 0800 634 75 75 for advice today.
