By Megan Black. Last Updated 23rd January 2023. If you have fell through a ceiling at work, you may be wondering if you can make a personal injury claim. Working at heights could pose a risk to the safety of employees. Employers have a duty of care to address any hazards by taking reasonable steps to remove or reduce the risks they pose. However, if they fail to do so and you experience harm in a workplace accident, you may be able to seek compensation.
A guide on claiming after you fell through a ceiling at work
In this guide, we will look at how someone could sustain harm in an accident at work by providing examples of how an employer could act negligently.
Additionally, you may be wondering how much compensation you could receive following a successful claim. If so, this guide could help by exploring the two heads of claim that may make up your settlement and how each is calculated.
If you have any questions whilst or after reading, you can get in touch with our team. They can provide further clarification on anything of which you’re unsure. To get in touch you can:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Speak to an advisor via the live chat feature below
- Fill out our online contact form.
Select A Section
- Guidelines For Working At Heights Safely
- What Duty of Care Are Those Working At Height Owed?
- What Injuries Could You Sustain If You Fall Through A Ceiling At Work?
- How Could I Fall Through A Ceiling At Work?
- I Fell Through A Ceiling At Work, How Much Could I Claim?
- How To Claim If You Fell Through A Ceiling At Work
Guidelines For Working At Heights Safely
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), working at a height is one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. There are common causes such as falling from ladders or through surfaces that are fragile.
As such, your employer has a responsibility to take practical measures to reduce the risk of you experiencing harm when working at a height. These measures are set out in the The Work At Height Regulations 2005.
For example, employers should:
- Control measures by assessing risks and determining whether it’s necessary to conduct work at a height
- Ensure that the work carried out is properly planned beforehand and is supervised
- Ensure that any work is carried out by those with the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job
- Provide training to employees before instructing them to work from a height
These reasonable steps that an employer must take, are part of the duty of care they owe you. Find out more below.
What Duty Of Care Are Those Working At Height Owed?
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) is a piece of legislation in place to protect an employee’s health and safety in the workplace.
It outlines the reasonable safety measures that employers should put in place to prevent their employees from experiencing harm, as part of their duty of care. This could include:
- Providing adequate training
- Carrying out regular risk assessments of the workspace
- Carrying out regular checks on equipment
- Addressing any hazards that they have been made aware of
If you fell through a ceiling at work because your employer failed to uphold their duty of care, causing you to sustain physical or psychological harm, you may be eligible to claim.
Get in touch with us today for more information on whether you’re eligible to claim after you fell from a ceiling at work.
What Injuries Could You Sustain If You Fall Through A Ceiling At Work?
As we have stated, to be able to make an accident at work claim, you must prove that your injury was directly caused by your employer breaching their duty of care. If you were to fall through a ceiling whilst performing work-related duties, there are various injuries that you could suffer. Such as:
- Breaks and fractures – for example, you may suffer from a broken arm or a broken leg.
- Head injury – This could be a concussion or even brain damage depending on how hard the impact was and if any falling debris hit you.
- Cuts and lacerations caused by broken glass or falling debris.
- Back injury – depending on how severe, this could also potentially lead to paralysis.
In the next section, we will provide some examples of how you could fall through a ceiling at work. Additionally, later in this guide, we will share the compensation figures you could receive following a successful claim.
Contact our advisors today to receive free legal advice regarding your specific claim. They could also answer any questions you may have, such as, ‘I fell at work; could I make a personal injury claim?’.
How Could Someone Fall Through A Ceiling At Work?
There are various ways someone might fall through a ceiling at work. Some examples include:
- Overloading equipment: A worker may have been expected to carry an excessive weight while climbing up to work at a height. As a result, they may have fell through a ceiling at work causing them to sustain a broken arm.
- Faulty equipment: A ladder may be used to give someone access to a roof or loft ceiling. However, the ladder may not have been properly secured causing someone to fall and sustain a broken leg.
- Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE): Your employer should provide PPE where necessary, if they cannot completely remove the risk a hazard poses. However, they might fail to do so, causing someone to sustain a severe head injury due to not being given a hard hat to wear.
Please note, it may not always be possible to claim for an accident at work if you can’t prove negligence. If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible to seek compensation after you fell through a ceiling at work, get in touch with our team.
I Fell Through A Ceiling At Work, How Much Could I Claim?
Generally, each settlement is comprised of general damages and special damages. Each of these aims to compensate for the different ways in which your injuries have impacted your life.
General damages compensate for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. To accurately value this head of claim, solicitors may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines which comprise a set of bracket compensation amounts corresponding to different injuries. This can help solicitors assess the value of your injuries alongside other evidence.
We have used figures from the sixteenth edition of the guidelines, published in April 2022, to create the table below. Please only use the figures as a guide.
| Injury | Description of injuries. | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brain Damage: Moderately Severe | The person will experience several issues, including disabilities such as paralysis of the limbs or cognitive impairment. | £219,070 to £282,010 |
| Back Injuries: Severe (i) | Injuries in this bracket may involve spinal cord damage and damage to the nerve roots causing severe issues. | £91,090 to £160,980 |
| Neck Injuries: Severe (i) | Cases include injuries to the neck that are associated with incomplete paraplegia. | In the region of £148,330 |
| Injuries to the Pelvis and Hips: Severe (i) | Examples of injuries include pelvis fractures that are extensive causing a low back joint dislocation and a ruptured bladder. | £78,400 to £130,930 |
| Foot Injuries: Severe | Injuries in this bracket might include fractures affecting both heels or feet and will result in permanent pain. | £41,970 to £70,030 |
| Arm Injuries (b) | Injuries that cause a disability that’s permanent and substantial, such as serious fractures to one or both forearms. | £39,170 to £59,860 |
| Ankle Injuries: Severe | Examples of injuries include those that require a long period of treatment or time in plaster. | £31,310 to £50,060 |
| Shoulder Injuries: Severe | Injuries in this bracket are often associated with damage to the neck and brachial plexus. | £19,200 to £48,030 |
| Wrist Injuries (e) | A Colle’s fracture that is uncomplicated in nature. | In the region of £7,430 |
| Chest Injuries (g) | Soft tissue injuries or rib fractures that cause serious pain. | Up to £3,950 |
As an alternative to the table, you may find it helpful to use our compensation calculator to get an estimate of how much you could receive in compensation.
However, you should also only use the figure from the compensation calculator as a guide. This is due to the several factors that are taken into account when valuing claims, such as the severity of your injuries and the overall impact the injury has had on your life.
What Are Special damages?
The head of claim that awards compensation for the financial losses incurred as a result of your injuries, is known as special damages. Examples of the losses you could claim back include:
- Travel expenses
- Loss of earnings
- Cost of medication
- Childcare costs
In order to claim for special damages, you would need to show evidence of any losses. This could include receipts or pay slips.
For more information on what you could claim if you fell through a ceiling at work, call our team.
How To Claim If You Fell Through A Ceiling At Work
If you want to make a claim after you fell through a ceiling at work, you can contact our advisors today. They can provide further clarification on the personal injury claims process. Additionally, they can provide information on the No Win No Fee services our solicitors offer.
Our solicitors operate claims under a Conditional Fee Agreements (CFA). As such, you won’t need to pay an upfront fee for the services they provide. Additionally, if your claim fails, you won’t need to pay them for their services.
For claims that succeed, you will pay a success fee from your compensation. However, further details of this fee will be outlined in the agreement you sign prior to your claim starting.
For more information, you can:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Speak to an advisor via the live chat feature below
- Fill out our online contact form.
Trip And Fall Accident Resources
Below, we have included some additional resources that you may find helpful.
- £200,000 Compensation Payout For Falling Off A Barstool
- Could I Make A Claim For Slip And Fall Head Injury Settlements?
- £10,000 Compensation For A Broken Wrist
- NHS – Head Injury And Concussion
- HSE – Employer’s Responsibilities
- HSE – Reportable Incidents
- Learn how to make heavy furniture lifting injury compensation claims with our helpful guide.
- Learn more about making a jet ski injury or jet ski death claim with our helpful guide.
If you have fell through a ceiling at work and need any more information about making a claim, get in touch with our team on the number above.
