Fall From Height Claims

Fall From Height Claims

Possibly the most dangerous work activity is being required to work from a height. This could include working on a ladder, scaffold or other type of platform, and unfortunately fall from height accidents account for 25% of all fatal accidents.

Even if a fall is not fatal, and the worker survives, the injuries sustained are often very serious. They may face tough challenges in the future due to their injuries, such as loss of wages, permanent disability and restrictions on their earning capacity.

These risks mean that employers should take extra care and impose additional safety measures in order to reduce the risk as much as possible. If this is not done, then they may be responsible for the accident that occurs and be liable to a fall from height claim for compensation from the injured worker.

Fall from height statistics

• In 2015/16, 18 people were killed in fall from height accidents in the construction sector
• In 2015/16, 7 people lost their lives in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors
• In 2015/16, 4 workers lost their lives in the manufacturing industry due to falling from a height
• In 2015/16, 37,000 workers were injured due to falling from heights
• On average, each worker that falls from a height loses almost 10 working days

Common causes of falling from height

• An employer instructs a ladder to be used to access a job, when a safer cherry picker or scaffold could have been used
• The scaffold upon which the work was being carried out was weak or insecure
• The equipment has faults or malfunctions during use
• The worker is hit by a falling object, which should have been secured or held safe by a coworker
• The proper protective equipment – such as a hard hat or harness – has not been issued
• The workplace contains unprotected sides or wall openings