If you slipped on ice at work, you may wonder if you are eligible for personal injury compensation. This article will look at whether you are entitled to make an accident at work claim.
In it, we examine the eligibility criteria you must satisfy in order to claim. We’ll also illustrate when a personal injury claim might be valid with a case study.
If you have a valid case, you may be interested in how much your settlement could be. We’ll explain how your compensation for a workplace injury could be awarded.
Should you have a good case, you may like to instruct a solicitor to support your claim. We conclude this guide with a look at how a No Win No Fee solicitor can help you.
Slipped On Ice At Work Claims Guide
You can direct your queries about accident at work claims to one of our team members.
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Select A Section
- Can I Claim If I Slipped On Ice At Work?
- What Could Cause You To Slip On Ice At Work?
- Learn How To Prove Workplace Injury Claims
- Estimated Payouts For Injuries Caused By Slipping On Ice At Work
- No Win No Fee Slipped On Ice At Work Claims
- Further Guidance On Work Injury Claims
Can I Claim If I Slipped On Ice At Work?
While you are at work, your employer owes you a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). As per this duty, your employer must take reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees. If they fail to comply with the health and safety legislation that applies to them and you suffer an injury due to this, you could claim personal injury compensation.
This means to make an injury claim after you slipped on ice at work, you will need to meet the personal injury case eligibility requirements. You must have evidence that shows:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care.
- They breached this duty.
- This breach caused your injuries.
How Long After Being Injured Could I Claim?
You need to initiate legal proceedings before the limitation period expires. For personal injury cases, this is usually 3 years and starts from the date of the incident as per the Limitation Act 1980.
However, particular circumstances suspend the time limits, including:
- Those without the mental capacity to launch their own case have this limitation period suspended for as long as they can’t start the legal process themselves. During this period, a litigation friend can be appointed to initiate the process for them. However, if they recover the capacity to claim and one was not made for them, the injured party will be given 3 years from this date to start proceedings.
- Children below the age of 18 have this limitation period frozen until they turn 18. Before then, a litigation friend can start the claims process for them. However, once they reach 18 years old, they have 3 years from their 18th birthday to bring forward a claim if a litigation friend has not done so already.
What Could Cause You To Slip On Ice At Work?
In the example case study below, we look at a situation where Ms A slipped on ice at work in a walk-in freezer.
Ms A works in an in-store butchers at a supermarket. As part of her job role, she needs to stack and load the walk-in freezer. Ms A’s employer had been aware that the freezer had been icing over, which caused the floor to become slippery with ice. Ms A asked could the floor be looked at and also if she could have some nonslip shoes. The employer failed to respond to either requests. Ms A suffered a nasty fall when she slipped on the freezer floor, causing a severe ankle injury along with damage to her elbow and hip.
Ms A was able to seek workplace accident compensation for her injuries. She was awarded a figure that reflected her injuries along with her expenses incurred due to being injured.
Learn How To Prove Workplace Injury Claims
All personal injury compensation claims must be supported with sufficient evidence that proves liability and what injuries you suffered.
Here are a few examples of evidence that you could submit to support a workplace injury claim:
- Copies of any medical letters from the hospital or GP with details of the injury.
- The contact information of anyone who saw what happened so they can provide a statement later on.
- Videos of the incident, such as from CCTV.
- A copy of the accident log book with the details of the incident. All workplaces with 10 or more staff members must have an accident book under the law.
Contact a team member to discuss what you could submit.
Estimated Payouts For Injuries Caused By Slipping On Ice At Work
If you are awarded damages for injuries suffered when you slipped on ice at work, your settlement could consist of two parts: general and special damages.
General damages payout for the mental suffering and physical pain caused by the accident. To help value general damages, legal professionals may refer to the compensation brackets found in a text called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). These compensation brackets are guideline figures for different injuries.
Our table underneath looks at a few of the compensation brackets from the JCG 16th edition. Due to the differences between claims, these figures do not represent your potential settlement.
Compensation Table
| Injury Type | Further Details | Compensation Guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Ankle Injuries | Injuries in this bracket have resulted in an extensive period of treatment and significant residual disability. | £31,310 to £50,060 |
| Moderate Injuries to the Pelvis and Hips (i) | Although the claimant has suffered a significant injury, they will not be left with a major permanent disability. | £26,590 to £39,170 |
| Lesser Severity Elbow Injuries | Injuries in this bracket have caused functioning impairments but don't involve major surgery or a significant disability. | £15,650 to £32,010 |
| Moderate Injuries to the Back (ii) | Injuries found in this bracket include backache related to ligament and muscle disturbance and injuries to the soft tissues causing a prolonged acceleration or exacerbation of a pre-existing back condition. | £12,510 to £27,760 |
| Moderate Neck Injuries (ii) | In these cases, the injured party suffered a soft tissue or wrenching injury and disc lesion resulting in movement limitations, permanent or recurring pain and possible need for further surgery. | £13,740 to £24,990 |
| Nose or Nasal Complex Fractures (i) | The claimant requires numerous operations and suffers permanent airway or nerve damage from serious or multiple fractures. | £10,640 to £23,130 |
| Arm Injuries (Simple Fracture) | The claimant has suffered a simple fracture to their forearm. | £6,610 to £19,200 |
| Leg Injuries - Less Serious (iii) | In these cases, the claimant experienced a simple fracture to their fibula or tibia or an injury to their soft tissues. | Up to £11,840 |
| Minor Wrist Injuries | These cases involve very minor undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures and soft tissue injuries with a full or virtual recovery within 12 months or so. | £3,530 to £4,740 |
Types Of Compensation You Could Also Be Awarded
Your settlement could also consist of compensation for expenses caused by your injury. This is under special damages. To recover this financial harm, you should submit proof of your expenses, such as receipts.
Here are a few examples of what could be claimed for under special damages:
- Medical costs, including medications and therapy.
- Loss of earnings for recovery time spent off work.
- Home help, such as costs towards childcare.
Contact a team member for a free claim valuation based on your injuries plus any special damages you could seek.
No Win No Fee Slipped On Ice At Work Claims
If you are eligible to seek compensation for injuries you suffered when you slipped on ice at work, you may like to do so with legal representation. If so, one of the personal injury solicitors from our panel could support your case. They generally work on your claim using a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee agreement.
When your solicitor provides their services under a CFA, they generally don’t request that you meet costs upfront or ask you to pay ongoing fees. Furthermore, they won’t ask you for payment for their services if you are not awarded compensation following an unsuccessful claim.
However, your solicitor will subtract a success fee from your settlement following a case with a positive outcome. The law caps this amount.
Start Your Claim
You can direct questions involving workplace injury claims to a member of the Legal Helpline team. They can check whether you have good grounds to seek compensation. Should it seem like you do, you could be connected to one of the workplace accident solicitors from our panel.
Talk to a team member today:
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Fill in our ‘contact us’ form, and a team member will call you back.
- Use our webchat feature below.
Further Guidance On Work Injury Claims
Here are a few more guides that might be useful:
- Information about an accident at work claim calculator.
- Guidance on whether you could still claim if you did not take time off work after a workplace accident.
- A guide about claiming for an accident at work as a part-time employee.
External links that might help you:
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – Employee Health and Safety Guide.
- National Health Service (NHS) – Guidance on when to use NHS 111 or call 111.
- Government (GOV.UK) – How to request CCTV footage of yourself.
Direct any queries about claiming for injuries suffered when you slipped on ice at work to a team member.