A wet floor, a trailing cable or a damaged step at work can lead to a fall and a broken wrist, ankle or hip. This page explains your employer's duties on floors and walkways and how a claim works.
A slip or trip at work claim is a personal injury claim against your employer where a hazard in your place of work, such as a spill, a loose mat, an uneven floor or poor lighting, caused you to fall.
The Health and Safety Authority says seven people are hurt in work slips, trips and falls every working day.
If you fell in a shop, a public building or on a footpath while not at work, different rules apply. See our page on slips, trips and falls.
Part 2, Chapter 1 of the General Application Regulations 2007 sets the standard:
A fall from a ladder, platform or roof is covered by the work at height rules in Part 4.
Everything after the first item is claimed as "special damages" in addition to the injury award, so keep every receipt.
Contact us through our enquiry form, phone, or email. We’ll review your situation, answer your questions, and explain what to expect next. There’s no upfront fee to begin your claim.
Your case will be carefully reviewed by our legal team.
We assess the strength of your claim, advise on the documentation needed, and guide you through key steps such as attending an independent medical examination and preparing the information required for the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB).
Once you decide to move forward, we take care of everything. This includes gathering evidence, contacting the other party or their insurer, submitting your claim to the IRB, managing settlement discussions, and handling any court proceedings if needed.
Paul Kearney founded the practice and leads its personal injury work in Ireland. He is regulated by the Law Society of Ireland. Read Paul's profile.
We prepare your application to the Injuries Resolution Board, including the medical evidence, and advise you on any assessment before you decide whether to accept it.
You can meet us at any of our four offices, or deal with us by phone, email or video, wherever you live in Ireland.
There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we set out in writing how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. No Win No Fee explained.
A sign does not end the question.
Regulation 9 requires floors that, so far as is reasonably practicable, are not slippery, so the focus is on why the floor was wet, how long it had been that way, and whether it could have been cleaned or the area closed off.
The answer depends on the facts and the cleaning records.
Your employer. Regulation 14 requires traffic routes that give safe access, and section 8 of the 2005 Act requires a safe place of work.
Stock or equipment regularly left in walkways points to a problem with how the workplace is organised, not to the person who tripped.
It can. Slip-resistant footwear is personal protective equipment, and Regulation 62 requires your employer to provide it where the slip risk cannot be controlled by other means.
The HSA's guidance explains how footwear should be matched to the floor and the work. Keep the shoes as evidence.
It can be. The 2005 Act requires your employer to provide safe access to and from the place of work, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Whether that covers a particular car park depends on who controls it, so the letter of claim may need to go to the landlord or site manager as well.
You can still claim. If a court finds you were partly at fault, for example by rushing or looking at your phone, compensation is reduced in proportion under section 34 of the Civil Liability Act 1961.
2 years from the date of the accident, or from the date you knew about the injury if that is later, under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991. Separately, the letter of claim must go out within one month of the accident.
Most do. You apply with the application form, a medical report from the doctor who treated you and a fee of €45 online or €90 by post.
Your employer then has 90 days to agree to an assessment or to mediation. Read how the Injuries Resolution Board works.
We can't give a figure until we have the medical evidence. The amount for the injury itself is set by the Personal Injuries Guidelines, adopted by the Judicial Council and in force since 24 April 2021. Lost earnings and treatment costs are claimed in addition.
Workplace claims are run by Paul Kearney, who founded the firm and is regulated by the Law Society of Ireland, with trainee solicitor John Deeney. We have offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Letterkenny.
No. There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we give you clear written terms explaining how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. Read No Win No Fee explained.
Regulated by the Law Society of Ireland
Kearney Law handles only personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
We act for clients across Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Letterkenny. See all the areas we cover.
Contact us to talk to a solicitor about your claim, or request a case review.
Email: [email protected]
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday 8am – 8pm
Friday 9am – 5pm
