I've had a slip or trip accident at work – What happens now?

A number of people contact us because they have had a slip or trip at work, have received an injury and want to know what happens next or if they are eligible for compensation. The following outlines what happens when you are injured at work or similar and what the HSE and Local Authority inspectors can do?

The HSE and Local Authority Environmental Health Department are unable to assist you or advise you about making a personal injury claim; you will need specialist legal advice. The Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to help or you could go to a local solicitor.

The role of the HSE and Local Authority in the event of an accident is as follows: -

If you are an employee

Depending on the severity of the accident or the amount of time you are off work, your employer may need to report the details to us or the Local Authority via the incident contact centre.

More information on whether an accident is reportable

If you are a member of the public injured in someone else's premises

Depending on the severity of the accident the person responsible for the premises in which you fell, or the person ultimately responsible for the work activity which caused you to fall, may need to report the details to us or the Local Authority via the incident contact centre.

More information on whether an accident is reportable

All fatal accidents and a proportion of the most serious reported accidents are investigated by us or the Local Authority Environmental Health Department. Not all accidents are investigated and we cannot conduct personal investigations on your behalf. If an investigation is required to assist you with a personal claim it will fall to your legal representative to undertake.

Accident investigations are carried out in order to establish if health and safety laws have been followed or broken, and if any action needs to be taken in order to prevent any similar incidents from happening in the future. Actions might include, giving verbal advice, sending a letter of advice, serving an official notice or prosecuting.

Some of the information gathered during an investigation may be open to the public, to obtain it you will need to follow the procedures outlined by the Freedom of Information Act.