Fall from height claims

Yes. Mark Reynolds Solicitors can assess your claim if you were injured in a workplace fall and another person or organisation may have been negligent. We investigate whether they owed you a duty of care, failed to take reasonable precautions and caused or contributed to your injury.

Working at height is not limited to tall buildings. A fall from a short ladder, a platform edge or through an opening can cause serious harm. There is no minimum fall height that automatically determines whether you can claim.

Employers and others controlling the work must consider avoiding work at height where reasonably practicable. Where it is necessary, they must take suitable measures to prevent falls and minimise any remaining risk. Planning, supervision and competent workers matter alongside suitable equipment.

We assess the evidence against those responsibilities. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 help explain the expected safety standard, while a compensation claim will generally require proof of negligence. You do not need an HSE prosecution before seeking advice about your options.

Yes. We can investigate falls involving ladders, stepladders, scaffolding and access platforms. Relevant issues include whether the equipment suited the task, was properly maintained and positioned, and had appropriate safeguards. We also consider whether you received suitable instructions, training and supervision before starting the work.

A ladder is not automatically unsafe or prohibited. However, it may be inappropriate for a task requiring prolonged work, heavy equipment or both hands. A ladder accident claim might involve damaged rungs, insecure positioning, unsuitable ground or instructions that required unsafe reaching.

For a scaffolding accident claim, we examine matters such as missing guardrails, incomplete platforms, unsafe access, alterations and inspection arrangements. Responsibility may involve whoever erected or controlled the scaffold as well as the business directing your work.

Our construction accident claims service considers these relationships between different businesses. Tell us what you were asked to do and who supplied the equipment. Photographs and witness details can help, but you should never return to an unsafe area to collect evidence.

Yes. Mark Reynolds Solicitors can consider claims following falls from roof edges or through rooflights, roofing sheets and other fragile surfaces. We investigate whether the danger was identified, whether safer access or working methods were available, and whether suitable protection and instructions were provided for the task.

Fragile surfaces may fail under a person’s weight even when they appear solid. Rooflights can be difficult to distinguish from surrounding materials, while deterioration can weaken roofing sheets. Maintenance, cleaning and inspection work need appropriate precautions even when the task is brief.

Depending on the circumstances, precautions may include avoiding access to the surface, working from below, suitable platforms, barriers or appropriately designed fall protection. A warning alone does not necessarily make the working arrangements safe.

We also consider falls through unprotected openings inside buildings. Our article on a construction fall causing serious spinal injuries explains why secure protection around openings matters. We assess your own accident on its evidence, including who controlled access and what protection was actually in place.

Yes. Agency workers, subcontractors and self-employed people may have a claim if another party’s negligence caused their injuries. Your employment label does not decide the outcome. Mark Reynolds Solicitors examines who organised the work, controlled the relevant risk and had responsibility for the equipment or premises.

On a construction project, your direct employer may not be the only organisation involved. A principal contractor might coordinate site safety, another contractor might erect scaffolding, and a separate business might direct the task. Each party’s responsibilities need to be assessed individually.

We may ask for contracts, agency assignment details, invoices, messages containing instructions and information about who supervised you. These help establish the actual working arrangements rather than relying only on a job title.

Using your own tools or invoicing for your work does not automatically prevent a claim. Equally, another business being present does not automatically make it liable. We investigate the connection between its actions or omissions and your injuries, including whether responsibility should be shared between several parties.

Potentially, yes. Remaining employed does not prevent a claim, and being partly responsible does not automatically rule compensation out. We assess the employer’s actions and your own conduct. If contributory negligence is established, compensation may be reduced to reflect your share of responsibility for the injury.

For example, an allegation that you chose the ladder or failed to use a harness needs context. We consider what equipment was available, whether the instructions were realistic, what training you received and whether the proposed safety system could actually be used.

Most employers must hold employers’ liability insurance, subject to limited exemptions. This insurance generally meets covered compensation claims, so a claim is usually handled through the insurer rather than paid personally by a manager.

If you are threatened with dismissal or treated badly after raising concerns or pursuing a claim, obtain prompt advice. The employment law position depends on the circumstances and is separate from your injury claim. We cannot promise that a workplace dispute will not arise, but we can explain the injury claim process.

Useful evidence includes the accident book entry, photographs, witness details, CCTV, medical records and documents about the work and equipment. Mark Reynolds Solicitors can identify what is relevant and seek further material during the investigation. You do not need to collect every document before contacting us.

Your health comes first. Once it is safe and practical, report the accident and check that the account is accurate. Keep copies of messages, instructions and correspondence. Ask for relevant CCTV to be preserved promptly because recordings may be overwritten.

Equipment inspection records, scaffold handover documents, risk assessments, method statements and training records can help establish what precautions were planned and whether they were followed. Do not alter or dispose of relevant equipment yourself.

Certain incidents must be reported under RIDDOR by the responsible person. A report can assist the investigation, but its absence does not automatically prevent a claim. Keep receipts and records of missed work as well. These help establish your financial losses alongside the evidence about how the accident happened.

We assess the effect of your injuries and the financial losses they cause, using medical and other relevant evidence. Compensation may include pain, suffering and loss of amenity, lost earnings, treatment, rehabilitation and care. Serious injuries may also require funding for future equipment, accommodation and support.

The same diagnosis can affect people differently. A fracture may prevent a roofer from returning to physical work even where another person can resume a desk job. We consider your occupation, prognosis, existing health and the additional difficulties caused by the fall.

A head or brain injury may require assessment of cognitive difficulties, decision-making capacity and case management. Severe limb injuries may involve prosthetics and replacement costs, alongside other rehabilitation needs.

We also consider reasonable care provided by family members, including additional help with washing, dressing and household tasks. Care diaries and financial records can support that assessment. There is no standard payout based on fall height, and we avoid treating another person’s settlement as a prediction of your claim.

Where appropriate, we can seek rehabilitation funding and interim payments while your claim continues. These may help with treatment, care, equipment or immediate financial pressures. Availability depends on the evidence and the defendant’s position, or the relevant court requirements. Neither funding nor an interim payment is automatic.

An interim payment is an advance towards compensation, not an additional award. It is accounted for when the final balance is calculated. We consider what support is needed now while continuing to investigate the full extent of your losses.

A serious injury may require time for doctors to assess recovery and for experts to identify future care or accommodation needs. Agreeing a final settlement too early could leave important needs unaccounted for.

Our guide explains why serious injury claims can take longer to settle. Many claims resolve through negotiation, although court proceedings or a trial may be necessary where issues remain disputed. We explain the likely steps and keep you informed as the evidence develops.

In England and Wales, court proceedings usually need to begin within three years of the accident or, where applicable, a later date of knowledge. Mark Reynolds Solicitors can check the deadline for your circumstances. Contacting a solicitor or reporting the accident does not, by itself, protect that deadline.

For a child, the usual three-year period generally starts on their 18th birthday, although a claim can be brought earlier through a litigation friend. Different rules apply where someone lacked capacity to conduct proceedings when the claim arose, and time may not run while that incapacity continues.

Other circumstances can affect the deadline, including fatal accidents and incidents outside England and Wales. Do not assume the same rules apply to every case or that a court will extend time.

Early advice also helps preserve evidence while equipment, records and witnesses remain available. If time has already passed, contact our team with the accident date and a brief account of what happened so we can assess the position.

To discuss your fall from height claim, call 0800 002 9577 for a free initial consultation with Mark Reynolds Solicitors.