There are tasks and responsibilities we all have to contend with at work, but if your work involves using a ladder or working from a height, you should know that your employer has responsibilities to ensure your safety. However, accidents do occur, and if you fall from a ladder at work, what should you do? Here is what you should know regarding fall-from-ladder accidents – and how to claim compensation.
Falling from a Ladder at Work
Falling from a ladder entitles you to compensation if you can prove that your employer is at fault. Your compensation can include whatever expenses you have incurred, including loss of income and medical bills, and compensation for your pain, inconvenience, and suffering because of the injury you have sustained.
Your Employer’s Duties and Responsibilities
If you work from a height, there are specific laws and regulations for this as stipulated by the government. Your employer has duties and responsibilities to follow, such as making sure the ladder is used only when absolutely necessary, and making sure that there is a proper risk assessment that has been performed before the ladder is used. The ladder should also be placed only on a surface that allows the steps and rungs to be at a horizontal level – so this means that the surface where the ladder is placed must always be stable as well as able to carry the weight of not only the ladder, but the individual using it as well.
If the ladder used is mobile or portable, ample support should be used to secure it – either by tying it at the foot so it will not slip or move, or having another employee hold and secure it. If the ladder used will be primarily to gain access to a place above ground, the ladder should extend more than the place where you will step or land so the chances of slipping will become minimal. If this is not the case, the employer should provide rails or grips which you can hold on to.
A ladder used at work should also not extend over nine metres without the use of landings or flat surfaces or platforms at certain intervals. When using a ladder at work, you should be able to use it with secure holds for your hands, or if you cannot hold on to something, then the ladder must be assessed for risk so you can be sure that it is safe to use.
Compensation experts such as http://shireslaw.com know all too well that falling off a ladder is certainly no joke – it could result in serious injury to your body as well as pain, discomfort, and suffering, loss of income, and more. As compensation specialists like http://shireslaw.com will tell you, you are fully entitled to claim compensation from your employer if it can be proven that they are at fault.
