Does your work involve dealing with heights? Did you know that if you fall while working at height for a reason that was not your fault, you might be entitled to compensation?
Falls from height are one of the main types of accident to occur in the workplace, and can have a considerable impact on those who suffer injury as a result. At Kerr Brown, our accident claims lawyers provide specialist legal advice and representation for personal injury claims arising from accidents involving working at height.
Compensation for falls from height
Depending on the kind of work that you do, there will be an increased risk of your suffering an injury. This risk is particularly high for those whose work environments present opportunities to suffer a fall, for example:
- Ladders – most organisations have at least one set of ladders, and you may be called upon to make use of them at some point, e.g. every day if working in the building industry, or irregularly if working in an office based environment. Falls can occur if the ladders are not fit for use, or have been poorly maintained. Furthermore, it is important that the ladder is capable of being safely anchored so to allow its use, and that its steps are coated with an anti-slip formula;
- Scaffolding – if these are not properly erected or inspected, they can come apart causing people to fall and injure themselves, and others as a result;
- Open edges – any drop of significance that does not have a barrier could cause people to misjudge the space, and could cause them to suffer a major injury.
Working at Height Regulations & Accident Claims
If you are involved in working at height at work, there is a particular set of rules that will apply to you. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 were specifically created in order to protect those working at height, whether hundreds of feet above the ground or merely standing on a chair to attach a ceiling fitting.
It is your employer’s responsibility to observe the Work at Height Regulations, and to protect you from suffering an injury while doing your job. While they are not expected to remove all risk of injury, employers are expected to act reasonably in providing for your safety. This will normally involve their carrying out a risk assessment in terms of the work that you will do – before you do it – or will be doing for them, the identification of any risks of injury that you are exposed to, and taking steps to reduce this risk. This should come in the form of safe working practices that you should be introduced to, and encouraged to follow in your activities.
Furthermore, particularly where working at height is concerned, employers must ensure that the equipment that they provide you with is fit for use. Moreover, they should also take steps to reduce any damage that you could suffer, if they are unable to completely remove the risk of your falling while doing your job.
Kerr Brown Glasgow Solicitors - Claiming Work Accident Compensation for You.
Kerr Brown specialise in providing expert personal injury law advice. Our team take pride in offering legal advice and support to clients, helping them to secure the financial compensation they are entitled to as well as rehabilitation costs where appropriate. If you have been injured after having fallen at work while working at height, speak to our team and learn more about whether or not your employer has failed in their duty to you. Our solicitors are a friendly and experienced team of personal injury law specialists, who place our clients’ interests at the heart of their work. Call us now on 01412214880 or via our online contact form. We look forward to hearing from you.