Slips, Trips and Falls

On Commercial Premises - eg. shops, restaurants, offices. Accidents may be caused by wet or slippery floors, worn floorcoverings, obstructions etc. The owners/occupiers of premises have a duty to keep their premises in a safe condition and a claim may lie against them if they fail to do so.

On Roads, Footpaths, Pavements etc. - thousands of accidents occur each year as a result of falls from this source. Floors may be uneven, pitted, worn or in a poor state of repair. As above, owners/occupiers of premises must keep them in a safe condition. However, many of these accidents occur in public areas, and in this case the responsibility normally lies with the Local Authority.

At Work - Many industrial accidents result from slips, trips or falls including falls from height. Causes can defective floor surfaces, obstructions, trailing cables, unsafe working practices. Employers have a duty both at Common Law and under Statute to maintain a safe working environment and may be liable to pay compensation to employees injured as a result of breach of this duty.