So what are you rights if you’re at work and suddenly the ladders provided to you collapse beneath you? Can you make a workplace claim for personal injury compensation?
As with most types of accident claims, it’s all circumstantial. We need to investigate how this has happened and what your employer could have done to have prevented the accident from occurring. If the ladders were faulty or unsuitable, or if the system of work was unsafe, you may be able to make a claim.
The Law
There are actually several rules and regulations that can apply to this kind of situation, such as:
- The Work at Height Regulations 2005 – as working on ladders is likely to be at a height and as such work needs to be carried out safely due to the risk of a fall.
- The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 – because ladders are classed as work equipment and as such these very important rules apply.
- The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 – because safe systems of work need to be in place to ensure that any work carried out is done so safely.
These regulations put a duty on your employer to risk assess tasks that require ladders, provide suitable training for the use of ladders, and provide suitable ladders (as work equipment) that are suitable for the task at hand and are maintained to a safe standard.
Some classic examples where you may be able to make a claim for compensation include:
- Ladders being defective and breaking due to poor maintenance or poor inspection.
- Ladders being unsuitable for the job – as specific jobs may require a certain type of ladder so you are not having to overstretch or face the ladders being unsuitable and collapsing.
- Ladders not being stable due to the ground being uneven or rough, or the absence of colleagues to stabilise the ladders.
There can be many more examples – but whether you can make a claim or not is down to whether there was more your employer could have done to have prevented the accident from happening. Because of the extent of the regulations they have to adhere to, it’s always worth contacting us and making a claim as we can more than likely investigate a case for you on a No Win, No Fee basis.
For work accident compensation claims we still offer 100% compensation agreements as well. For help and advice, call us now on 0800 634 75 75.
