I was late for a football match and while running down the stairs at the back of my workplace I tripped and fell suffering knee ligament damage. Am I entitled to seek compensation for falling down poorly lit stairs in an office?
The circumstances surrounding your injury as well as the severity and impact the injuries sustained will have on your life are all factors that may affect any potential claim for compensation for falling down poorly lit stairs in an office. Your employer has a duty of care to provide staff with a safe work environment, you will need to prove that they failed to do this which resulted in you suffering knee ligament damage.
Successful claims for compensation for falling down poorly lit stairs in an office are generally supported by substantial evidence. Once you have received professional medical care, you are advised to speak with a personal injury solicitor as they will be able to advise on evidence that may be worthwhile gathering. Facts such as the voltage of the bulbs installed on the stairs, as well as the angle between the steps are important to your claim. According to the Building Regulations for Staircases Part K 1992 (which office steps come under for health and safety purposes) the angle between steps should not exceed 38º in offices.
The lighting on the stairs should have been checked as part of regular health and safety check in the building and if it was found it be inadequate, action should have been taken to resolve the issue.
However if the lighting was poor due to a bulb that had blown that day or some other temporary problem you may not be eligible to claim compensation for your injury. The fact that you were running down the stairs could also complicate matters as it could be deemed that by running you showed a disregard for your own well-being and in fact contributed to your accident. This in legal terms is known as ‘Contributory Negligence’, the amount of compensation you are entitled to claim could be adversely affected if it is determined that you contributed to your accident. To find out more you are advised to speak to a personal injury solicitor as they will be able to advise if it is worthwhile pursuing compensation for falling down poorly lit stairs in an office based on the circumstances surrounding your injury.