Can I Claim For Injuries Caused By A Broken Handrail At Work?

By Danielle Graves. Last Updated 16th May 2023. A broken handrail at work can lead to employees sustaining different types of injuries. In this guide, we will discuss when you could claim compensation for an injury in the workplace, and how long you might have to start your claim.

We will also discuss the responsibilities your employer has in regard to keeping you safe in the workplace, and the legislation that outlines this duty of care. Following this, we will touch on compensation in accident at work claims, and how solicitors and other legal professionals calculate personal injury settlements.

If you would like to learn more about making an accident at work claim, contact our team of advisors today. When you speak to a member of our team, they can provide assistance through a free consultation, in which they can evaluate your claim, answer any questions you may have, and provide free legal advice. To learn more:

Broken handrail at work

Broken handrail at work claims guide

Select A Section

  1. Can I Claim For An Injury Caused By A Broken Handrail At Work?
  2. Why Do Broken Handrail Accidents Happen?
  3. Injuries That Could Be Sustained From A Broken Handrail At Work
  4. What Evidence Do You Need To Claim For Injuries Caused By An Accident At Work?
  5. I Was Injured By A Broken Handrail At Work, What Compensation Payout Could I Get?
  6. How To Get Help From Legal Helpline

Can I Claim For An Injury Caused By A Broken Handrail At Work?

If you are injured due to a broken handrail in the workplace, you may be able to make a personal injury claim. However, you must prove that you sustained harm due to an employer breaching the duty of care they owed you. This is known as negligence for which you could make a workplace accident claim.

All employers owe their employees a duty of care according to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). Under this legislation, your employer must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure your safety in the workplace and while carrying out your work duties.

This includes taking steps like carrying out risk assessments to identify and mitigate workplace hazards and ensuring that handrails, stairwells, and floors are adequately maintained. If your employer fails to take these steps, and this results in an injury, you may be able to make a claim.

How Long Do I Have To Make A Personal Injury Claim?

You may be wondering how long you have to claim for an accident at work. According to the Limitation Act 1980, you generally have three years to start a claim. This can begin on the date of your accident or the date on which you connected your injuries with negligence. However, there are some exceptions to the time limits.

For more information, you can get in touch with our team to discuss the exceptions to the time limit and whether they apply to your specific circumstances.

Why Do Broken Handrail Accidents Happen?

An accident involving a broken handrail at work could happen for a number of reasons, including:

  • Your employer has failed to carry out regular risk assessments meaning hazards have been left.
  • Your employer failed to address hazards of which they were aware.

Handrails often run alongside staircases, which means a broken handrail could result in a fall down stairs. Similarly, handrails can be used to help people walk across surfaces that could become slippery, such as hospital hallways. In this case, a broken handrail could result in a slip, trip, or fall on the same level.

What Other Factors Could Cause Falls On Stairs At Work?

Various other instances could cause you to fall at work. However, to be eligible for trip and fall compensation, you will need to prove that negligence occurred.

Some examples of how you could fall down the stairs at work include:

  • Insufficient lighting – If your employer fails to ensure that stairwells have sufficient lighting, this could cause you to fall down the stairs due to being unable to see.
  • Walkway obstructions – For example, if any boxes or cable wires have been left on the stairwell, these could cause someone to trip and fall down the stairs. Your employer should ensure that all walkways and stairwells in your workplace are clear of any obstructions and hazards.
  • Spillages – If there is a spillage on the stairs that has not been clearly sign-posted or cleaned, this could cause someone to slip and fall down the stairs.

Contact our advisors today to see whether you could make an accident at work claim if you fell down the stairs due to a broken handrail. Our friendly team are available 24/7 to help you.

Injuries That Could Be Sustained From A Broken Handrail At Work

A broken handrail accident can result in a number of different injuries varying in type and severity. For example:

A successful personal injury claim will result in a compensation award intended to address the ways in which your injuries have affected your life. Contact our team today to learn whether you’re eligible to claim compensation for your injuries.

What Evidence Do You Need To Claim For Injuries Caused By An Accident At Work?

Evidence can be a helpful way to strengthen your claim. Some examples of evidence that you could collect can include:

  • Accident book logs: Any workplace with ten or more employees must have an accident book.
  • Photographs: Pictures of your injuries can help document the harm caused by the accident.
  • CCTV footage: If your place of work has CCTV installed, you may be able to request footage of the accident.
  • Witness contact details: This allows any witnesses to have their statements taken at a later date.

A solicitor from our panel may be able to help you gather evidence to help support a claim for injuries caused by a broken handrail at work. Get in touch today to learn more.

I Was Injured By A Broken Handrail At Work, What Compensation Payout Could I Get?

If you have suffered an injury as a result of a broken handrail at work, you may be wondering how much compensation you could claim. When you make a successful accident at work claim, you could receive both general damages and special damages.

General damages is the head of claim that provides compensation for the pain and suffering your injuries have caused. When calculating settlement amounts under this head, solicitors may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).  This is a document that provides guideline compensation amounts for different kinds of injuries. You can find some examples of these below.

Injury TypeCompensation BracketNotes
Moderate Brain Damage (c) (i)£150,110 to £219,070An intellectual deficit at a moderate to severe level with a change in personality, and an effect on sight, speech, and senses. There is also a risk of epilepsy and no prospect of employment.
Severe Back Injuries (a) (iii)£38,780 to £69,730Disc lesions, soft tissue injuries, or fractures of discs or vertebral bodies lead to chronic conditions and remaining disability even after treatment.
Very Severe Ankle Injuries (a)£50,060 to £69,700
A bilateral ankle fracture that causes joint degeneration at a young age.
Wrist Injuries (a)£47,620 to £59,860Function is completely lost in the wrist.
Moderate Neck Injuries (b) (i)£24,990 to £38,490
Spinal fusion is necessitated by fractures or dislocations that cause severe and immediate symptoms, chronic conditions, and serious soft tissue injuries.
Skeletal Injuries (a)£23,810 to £36,740Le Fort Fractures of the frontal facial bones.
Arm Injuries (d)£6,610 to £19,200Simple forearm fractures.
Serious Shoulder Injuries (b)£12,770 to £19,200Dislocation and damage to the brachial plexus which leads to pain, sensory issues, and weakness of grip.
Shoulder Injuries (e)£5,150 to £12,240Fractured clavicle.
Less Serious Leg Injuries (c) (iii)Up to £11,840
Soft tissue injuries or simple fractures to the fibula or tibia.

These amounts are not guaranteed, as settlements are awarded on a case-by-case basis.

Special Damages

Special damages is the head of claim that provides compensation for the financial losses you sustain due to your injuries. For example, if you suffer a broken leg in an accident at work, you may have to take a taxi to work instead of driving. Similarly, a broken finger may mean you are no longer able to type, which could lead to a loss of earnings if typing is an important part of your job.

You should provide evidence of any monetary losses in the form of payslips, receipts and invoices.

To learn more about accident at work payouts, get in touch with our team today.

How To Get Help From Legal Helpline

If you are eligible to make a claim after being injured due to a broken handrail at work, our panel of solicitors may be able to help. With a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a kind of No Win No Fee contract, you can access their services, without having to pay an upfront fee. Likewise, your solicitor typically won’t ask for any fees for their services while your case is ongoing or if it fails.

Should your claim succeed, you will pay a success fee to your solicitor. This is taken as a percentage of your award, but is capped by legislation to help ensure you get the majority of your compensation.

Our panel of solicitors could help you through the claims process provided your case is valid and has a chance of success. To find out if your case is eligible, get in touch with our team of advisors. They can offer free legal advice through a free consultation, and if your claim could be valid, they may connect you with a solicitor from our panel.

To learn more:

Related Workplace Injury Claim Guides

For more helpful guides on workplace injury claims:

Alternatively, for more resources:

Get in touch with our team today if you have been injured as a result of a broken handrail at work. They can help you understand whether you’re eligible to seek compensation.

Written by CH

Edited by MMI