When is it possible to claim compensation for spills on office floor accidents?
Eoin P. Campbell, LL.B., Solicitor
Editor in Chief
A slip and fall at work on spilled liquid can certainly be grounds for making a claim for compensation for spills on office floor accidents; however a number of criteria must be met in order for compensation for spills on office floor accidents to be claimed against an employer.
Before considering the circumstances under which compensation for spills on office floor accidents can be awarded, it is important to consider the actions you took immediately after the accident and the injuries you have sustained. These can have a significant bearing on whether a claim for an office slip on spilt liquid will be possible.
A claim for an office slip will only be possible if the accident resulted in an injury being sustained that was treated by a doctor. Minor injuries can certainly result in office spills accident compensation being awarded, but only if medical treatment was sought.
If the injury was only treated by a first aider at work this is not sufficient by itself and the injury would not be considered to be severe enough to justify a claim for compensation for spills on office floor accidents. Getting professional medical attention for injuries should always the first priority after an accident, and while primary first aid treatment should be received where possible, it must be followed up by a visit to a doctor.
Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that the workplace is safe, clean and free from hazards. Any spilled liquid represents a slip hazard and could potentially be grounds for making a claim for compensation for spills on office floor accidents. However, an employer cannot be expected to constantly monitor the floor for spills and take immediate action to remove a hazard.
An employer must be given a reasonable time to identify a spill and arrange for it to be cleaned before you are eligible to claim injury compensation for spills on an office floor. Only when this has not occurred in a reasonable time frame will the employer be deemed to have been negligent and have failed in a duty of care.
If cleaners had been alerted and had failed to turn up, this too is an employer’s responsibility. An employer must implement the strategies to keep the workplace safe, but must also monitor staff to ensure that these policies are enforced. Establishing negligence is not always straightforward for a fall at work on spilled liquid, and in order to confirm eligibility to claim compensation for spills on office floor accidents you should speak with a personal injury solicitor about the individual circumstances of your accident.