Making a Ladder Fall Injury Claim

The risk of falling from a ladder

There are certain jobs which carry a greater risk of injury than others. Clearly, working at a desk in an office can generally be considered pretty safe, give or take the risk of repetitive strain injury, whilst working on a building site presents a whole range of physical risks.

There are many different professions which require the use of ladders, however, and if something goes wrong when you’re using a ladder then it’s pretty certain that the fall from height is going to hurt you.

Following an accident like this, you may come to the conclusion that it was all your fault and could have been avoided if you’d simply taken more care, in which case there’s little more to do than learn your lessons and move forward.

On many other occasions, however, people fall from ladders because their employers were negligent in the way in which the ladder was used. If this has happened to you and you suffered injury as a result of the fall, then you may well be in a position to make a claim for compensation.

The laws covering the use of ladders at work

The fact that working on ladders is dangerous was recognised by the government in 2005 when the Work at Height Regulations were introduced. These regulations state that when an employee is sent up a ladder, the employer has a duty to assess the risks, draw up safe plans and supervise the work which takes place.

In summary, they must take all reasonable steps to ensure that working up a ladder is as safe as it possibly can be. Despite this law, in 2009/2010 more than 4,000 workers were injured in falls of this kind whilst 15 were actually killed.

Claiming compensation for ladder fall injuries

If your employer fails in this duty and you fall as a result then any injuries you receive have come about as a direct result of their negligence. In a case such as this, making a claim for compensation isn’t ‘cashing in’ as it’s sometimes portrayed, but rather an attempt to restore a sense of fair play and natural justice. A fall from a ladder may result from any of the following circumstances:

• The wrong type of ladder being given for the job
• The ladder used being too small, causing you to over reach
• A ladder which receives insufficient or non-existent support
• A ladder being put up at the wrong angle

No matter what the cause of the fall, your employer has a duty to make sure that you use the correct ladder, that it has been well maintained, and that you have been trained and advised in the correct usage, as well as being told how to check the ladder for factors such as wear and tear.

Start your claim today

If you feel you may have been injured in a fall of this kind then call a trained legal adviser free on 0800 234 6438. The more details you can gather of your accident, the fuller picture you’ll be able to paint, so note the time, place and circumstances and, if possible, the names of any witnesses and details of any medical help summoned such as an ambulance. If your legal adviser feels that you have a legitimate claim for compensation then they’ll put you in touch with an expert injury solicitor, who will work with you to build the strongest possible case, and will do so on a no win no fee basis.