Ladder Accident Claims & Compensation | Osbornes Law

Ladder accidents are among the most common workplace injury claims we handle. Falls from height are the single biggest cause of death in the workplace and a leading cause of serious and fatal injury. If your employer failed in their duty to keep you safe, our personal injury lawyers can help. Recent ladder fall compensation we have recovered for clients ranges from £30,000 to over £75,000.

Ladders are popular with employers because they are cheap. They cost little and can be used by one person without help, so they are often handed to workers for jobs they are not suited to.

A ladder should only be used where a risk assessment has shown that scaffolding, a mobile platform or another safer method is not appropriate. It should be footed by a second person and tied securely at the top. These measures cost time and money, so workers are frequently sent out with nothing more than a job sheet and a standard ladder.

The result is predictable. The ladder slips away at the bottom because it was not footed, or it falls sideways because it was not tied at the top, and a worker is badly hurt.

Common ladder fall injuries

Falls from ladders rarely cause minor injuries. The combination of height, hard landing surfaces and the ladder coming down on top of the worker produces a recognisable set of serious injury patterns.

Wrist, arm and shoulder fractures. Workers who put out a hand to break a fall suffer Colles’ and scaphoid wrist fractures, elbow dislocations and torn rotator cuffs. Recovery is rarely complete, and many clients lose long-term grip strength or shoulder movement.

Hip fractures from sideways falls. A ladder that falls sideways tips the worker onto one side, fracturing the hip on impact. In older workers these fractures often need a hip replacement and can end a manual career.

Ankle and foot injuries from feet-first landings. Workers who land feet-first on hard ground suffer trimalleolar ankle fractures, calcaneal heel fractures and foot crush injuries. These often lead to osteoarthritis and the need for an ankle fusion years later.

Spinal and back injuries. Compression fractures of the lower and middle spine are typical of vertical falls. A worse fall onto the back can cause a spinal cord injury with permanent paralysis. Even where the cord is intact, soft tissue back damage can be career-ending for manual workers.

Head and brain injuries. Falls onto the head, or where the head strikes the ladder on the way down, cause head injuries and brain injury, from concussion through to permanent cognitive problems. A hard hat reduces the risk but does not remove it.

Falls through fragile roofs and skylights. Workers using ladders to reach fragile asbestos cement roofs, plastic skylights or rotten timber regularly fall through, sometimes several storeys. This produces some of the most catastrophic spinal, head and multiple-injury cases we deal with.

Crush injuries when the ladder falls. Aluminium and timber ladders weigh enough to cause serious harm when they fall onto a worker below. Heads, shoulders and necks take the impact.

Electrocution from metal ladders. A metal ladder raised near overhead power lines, or touching a live circuit during electrical work, can cause electrocution, deep burns, heart problems and a secondary fall from height. Fibreglass ladders are required for electrical work.

How much compensation can you claim for a ladder accident?

Your compensation has two parts. General damages cover the injury itself, the pain and the effect on your life. Special damages cover your financial losses, including lost earnings, treatment, care and the cost of adapting your home.

As a guide to general damages, the brackets below come from the Judicial College Guidelines, which the courts use to value injuries. They cover the injuries we see most often after a ladder fall.

• Moderate back injury: £15,260 to £47,320. Severe back injury: £47,320 to £196,450.
• Serious wrist injury: £15,370 to £29,900. Severe wrist injury: £29,900 to £47,810.
• Moderate ankle injury: £16,770 to £32,450. Severe ankle injury: £38,210 to £61,090.
• Moderate hip or pelvis injury: £15,370 to £47,810. Serious hip or pelvis injury: £47,810 to £64,070.
• Moderate brain injury: £18,700 to £110,720. Severe leg injury: £117,460 to £165,860.

Figures are from the 17th edition Judicial College Guidelines (April 2024). The current 18th edition (April 2026) figures are around 8% higher, and your final compensation will also reflect your financial losses and the long-term effect on your work and independence.

Your employer’s duties under the Work at Height Regulations 2005

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply wherever there is a risk of someone falling and being injured. They cover not just construction sites but offices, shops and any other workplace.

The duties are widely drawn. Work at height must be assessed and, if possible, avoided. Where it cannot be avoided, your employer must take steps to prevent a fall or reduce the distance and consequences of one.

In practice this means proper planning, the right equipment and proper training. Safety equipment such as guard rails, harnesses, working platforms and netting must be inspected, maintained and kept in good repair, and workers must be trained to use it.

The regulations also govern the use of ladders at work. A ladder should only be used for low-risk, short-duration tasks where a safer option is not justified, and it must be the right ladder, in good condition, on stable ground and secured against slipping.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of fatal injury to workers in Britain, and ladders are involved in a large share of work-at-height accidents, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Where an employer ignores these duties and a worker is hurt, that worker is usually entitled to compensation.

What if the accident was partly my fault?

Many people worry they cannot claim because they were using the ladder themselves, or because they feel they should have been more careful. You can still claim in most of these cases.

Your employer is responsible for providing a safe system of work, the right equipment and proper training. If they failed to do so, they remain liable even if you made a mistake.

Where you were partly responsible, the law calls this contributory negligence. Your compensation may be reduced by a percentage to reflect your share of the blame, but you are not prevented from claiming. We see this often and will advise you honestly on how it might affect your case.

How to make a ladder accident claim

We keep the process simple and guide you through it.

1. Get medical help and report the accident. Your health comes first. Make sure the accident is recorded in your employer’s accident book, as this creates an early written record.
2. Speak to our team. Tell us what happened. We will give you an honest view of whether you have a claim, usually at no cost and with no obligation.
3. We investigate liability. We gather evidence, including the accident report, witness accounts, photographs and your employer’s risk assessments and training records.
4. We arrange support. For serious injuries we can secure interim payments and early rehabilitation, so your recovery does not have to wait for the claim to finish.
5. We value your claim. We obtain medical evidence and work out the full value of your injuries and financial losses.
6. We negotiate a settlement. Most ladder accident claims settle without going to court. If a fair offer cannot be reached, we are ready to issue proceedings.

Ladder fall compensation case studies

£75,000 payout for a labourer

Mr M, a 30-year-old labourer, fell through a glass atrium on the roof of the building where he was working and landed on his feet, sustaining serious “trimalleolar” fractures of the ankle. Because the fractures extended through the joints, they caused osteoarthritis, and Mr M was disabled by pain and unable to work for many months.

As the arthritis progressed his mobility worsened, and after two years he needed surgery to fuse the ankle joint. This improved the pain but not his mobility. He could no longer do heavy manual work that involved standing for long periods or walking over uneven ground, so he retrained for less physical, lower-paid work.

Mr M was self-employed with a patchy work history, so there was a negotiation over his level of earnings and his future loss. The case settled after court proceedings for £75,000, reflecting the seriousness of the injury and its effect on his ability to earn.

£30,000 to settle a claim for a labourer and handyman

Mr O was a labourer and handyman whose work included painting, decorating and maintenance. His employer assessed and priced the job on site, then gave Mr O a job sheet. He used one of the client’s ladders to reach an elevated walkway from the ground. He had nobody to foot the ladder at the bottom, even though the ground was smooth, and no way of fixing it at the top.

His employer knew the job required work at height but provided no equipment and no safe method of doing it.

Mr O was near the top of the ladder when, as he shifted position, it suddenly slipped away at the bottom and he fell around eight feet. He broke his hip and wrist and suffered soft tissue damage that took months to heal. The employer’s insurers defended the claim at first but paid over £30,000 to settle before it reached court, covering his injuries, lost earnings, care and expenses, along with his legal costs.

“We found our solicitor to be caring from the start. She helped us through a very traumatic time, covering every possible aspect of the accident. She guided us through two and a half years to a very satisfactory settlement. Many thanks.” Osbornes client, Trustpilot review (5 stars)

Why choose Osbornes

We have dealt with many cases of workers falling from, or through, the roofs of buildings because their employer did not take the basic steps needed to prevent the accident. Our personal injury team is ranked by the Legal 500 and Chambers UK, and we have over 50 years of experience helping injured people win compensation.

When you instruct us, you get a solicitor who understands the long-term effect of a serious injury on your health, your work and your family. We work with a network of medical experts, charities and support groups, and we focus on securing the best medical, care and financial outcome for you. Most claims are funded on a no win no fee basis, so you pay no upfront fees and nothing at all if your claim does not succeed.

Speak to a ladder accident solicitor

If you were injured in a fall from a ladder that was not your fault, our solicitors can tell you where you stand. Most ladder accident claims are handled on a no win no fee basis.

Call us on 020 7485 8811 or fill in the contact form below.