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Slip, trip and fall claims are 31% more expensive - here's why

Slip, trip and fall claims are costing UK businesses more. Learn why workplace injury compensation rose 31%, key hazards, and how to reduce claims and costs.
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By Paul Hutchinson , 

UK Commercial and Corporate Claims Leader

04/11/2026 · 11 minute read

If you manage a retail or logistics operation in the UK, your slip trip and fall claims are costing significantly more than they were in 2024. This is not inflation creeping up slowly. This is a sharp, measurable increase driven by changes in how UK courts now calculate personal injury compensation.

Over the past two years, the Judicial College has updated its Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages twice. Combined, these updates have increased damages awards by a cumulative 31%. This represents a fundamental structural shift in how courts value compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity.

This is directly affecting your bottom line. Courts now use these updated brackets as the primary reference point in settlement discussions and at trial. For employers, this means upward pressure on settlement values, larger reserves needed for open claims, higher settlement demands from claimants and expected premium renewals.

For UK small and medium-sized enterprises, this creates a wider financial risk. Even a relatively common slip and fall claim can lead to compensation, legal costs, investigation time and disruption.

The scale of the slip and fall problem

Slips trips and falls remain one of the leading causes of workplace injuries in Great Britain. According to the latest HSE data for 2024–25, slips and falls on the same level accounted for 30% of all non-fatal employee injuries reported under RIDDOR. HSE data recorded 18,051 such injuries during the year.

The HSE statistics cover Great Britain rather than the whole of the UK. Labour Force Survey data also estimates that an average of 133,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury caused by slipping, tripping or falling on the same level each year between 2022–23 and 2024–25.

In practical terms, slip and fall accidents often occur when someone loses traction on a surface. Trip and fall incidents happen when someone encounters an unexpected obstacle. Slips involve liquid spillages in many workplace incidents, although other causes include poor lighting, uneven surfaces and damaged workplace floors.

The cost to employers and society is substantial. HSE estimates the annual cost of slip and fall injuries to employers at £512 million in lost production and other costs. The total societal cost is approximately £800 million a year, including around £133 million for the health service.

These incidents can also lead to production delays, equipment damage and reduced quality when employees are absent or operations are interrupted.

The highest-risk sectors include accommodation and food services, retail, healthcare and public administration. However, underreporting is a significant issue. HSE data shows that only about 1 in 9 slip and fall injuries are formally reported by employers. Many incidents go unrecorded, which means organisations may not be capturing the true frequency of incidents or identifying opportunities for prevention.

The Judicial College Guidelines 18th Edition - April 2026

On 9 April 2026, the Judicial College published the 18th edition of its Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases. This edition introduced an uplift of approximately 8.2% to reflect inflation since the previous edition, published in April 2024.

When combined with the 22% uplift from the 17th edition, published in April 2024, the cumulative effect over the last two years is a 31% total increase in general damages awards.

The 18th edition also introduced substantive changes beyond inflation:

  • A new bracket specifically for miscarriage claims
  • Revised treatment of epilepsy-related injuries
  • Significant reassessment of awards for sexual and physical abuse
  • The top brackets for the most serious catastrophic injuries now exceed £500,000

These changes signal that courts are recognising both longer life expectancies and higher lifetime care costs for injured workers. For employers and insurers, this means upward pressure on settlement values, the need for larger reserves on existing claims, higher settlement demands from claimants and expected premium renewals going forward.

The value of a fall compensation claim will depend on the nature of the fall injury, the evidence available and the extent of the financial loss. A serious injury may involve head injuries, spinal damage or broken bones.

Rising care and NHS costs

When someone sustains a significant injury at work, they often need ongoing care – physiotherapy, home help, equipment or specialist nursing. The cost of this care is now being factored into compensation at a much higher level than previously.

NHS charges are calculated on a fixed tariff basis via the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU), which operates under the Department for Work and Pensions. For injuries sustained on or after 1 October 2026, the current tariffs are:

  • Outpatient treatment: £901
  • Inpatient treatment, daily charge: £1,107
  • Ambulance treatment: £272
  • Maximum charge per injury: £66,173

These figures are set out in the latest GOV.UK guidance and apply to the relevant injury dates.

The type and severity of the injury can affect the value of fall compensation. Common injuries caused by falls include sprains, strains, bruising, fractures and head injuries. The available UK sources do not support adding separate percentages for fractures, sprains or bruising to this article.

Labour shortages and slower claims resolution

There are fewer experienced health and safety professionals available in the UK labour market. This has two effects: more preventable incidents occur in the first place because health and safety expertise is stretched, and claims adjusters are stretched across larger workloads. This slows down the time it takes to settle claims.

The longer a claim remains open, the higher the overall cost becomes because of ongoing care expenses and interest.

The pressure may be greater where businesses rely on temporary labour, workers handling stock or workers climbing to reach items. Employers should make sure workers have appropriate equipment, training and supervision.

Social inflation and settlements

There has been a documented increase in fraudulent and exaggerated claims across the sector. Claimant solicitors routinely use lifestyle evidence and expert testimony to argue for higher compensation amounts. This has had a measurable effect on settlement values beyond the headline inflation figures.

Claimants may gather evidence such as photographs, witness statements, incident reports and medical records. Documenting injuries and treatment is essential when seeking to claim compensation.

Employees who are injured at work may also have legal protections against retaliation for making an injury claim. Contributory negligence may reduce the amount of compensation where a claimant’s own actions contributed to the incident.

Your highest risk areas

Slip and fall claims are most common in accommodation and food service operations, retail, healthcare and public administration sectors. In all these sectors, the specific fall hazards are well known:

  • Wet floors and liquid spillages
  • Poor lighting or inadequate lighting
  • Uneven surfaces and damaged workplace floors
  • Stock falling from heights
  • Manual handling in high-volume environments
  • Electrical wires or telephone cables
  • Poor housekeeping
  • Unsafe use of step ladders
  • Workers climbing without appropriate equipment

Simple controls can help prevent such accidents. These include regular floor checks, prompt removal of spillages, effective signage, adequate lighting, suitable footwear and clear housekeeping procedures.

A UK NHS study found that slip-resistant footwear reduced slip injuries by 67% among the workers included in the study. This figure should not be treated as a guarantee for every workplace, but it supports the use of suitable slip resistant footwear as part of a wider risk-control programme.

Employers should also assess slip and fall hazards and take reasonably practicable steps to control them. HSE guidance recommends keeping floors in good condition, dealing promptly with spillages, keeping walkways clear and maintaining suitable lighting.

What has changed is not the frequency of these incident types. What has changed is the cost when they occur, driven by the Judicial College updates and rising healthcare costs.

The fact that falls happen regularly does not make them unavoidable. Regularly checking floors, maintaining safe access routes and dealing with each potential hazard can reduce the number of accidents.

What can support a claim?

A person seeking to claim compensation after an incident may bring a compensation claim, such as a personal injury claim, where there is evidence that a breach of duty caused the injury and financial loss.

To establish a fall claim, a claimant will generally need to show:

  • That the other party owed them a duty of care
  • That the duty was breached
  • That the breach caused the injury
  • That the injury resulted in financial loss

Negligence must be proven for a successful slip or fall claim. Depending on the circumstances, the party responsible may be an employer, business, property owner, landlord or local council.

Property owners and occupiers may owe visitors a duty to take reasonable care in maintaining safe environments. Landlords have responsibilities relating to the safety of rented accommodation, while local authorities may have responsibilities for public spaces and roads.

Potential hazards may include:

  • a wet or uneven floor;
  • damaged pavement;
  • electrical wires or telephone cables;
  • a tripping hazard;
  • step ladders;
  • or another hazard left in a hazardous condition.

The same principles may apply whether the incident is a slip trip or fall, a slip trip incident or one of many fall accidents in a public building.

Claimants may ask personal injury solicitors or expert solicitors for advice about how much compensation they might receive. Expert lawyers can provide more detail about the evidence required, applicable time limits and the person or organisation responsible.

For most personal injury claims, the general limitation period is three years. This is not a general five year period. Exceptions may apply to claims involving children, people who lack mental capacity and some types of injury. Anyone considering a claim should obtain advice promptly.

Claimants may also have the right to access medical assessments and legal representation. They should keep records of their injuries, treatment, financial losses and any time away from work.

What you should do now

You cannot change the Judicial College Guidelines or NHS tariffs. You can address the preventable incidents that are costing you money.

Pull your incident reports from the past two years. Are you capturing all near misses? Given that only about 1 in 9 slip and fall injuries are formally reported by employers, you may have significant unreported incidents. Near misses are your early warning system. If you are not recording them, you are missing opportunities to prevent serious incidents.

Review both workplace slips and trip claims. A claim may relate to a same level fall, a fall from height or another type of fall accident. Clear records will help you understand where many accidents occur and whether particular hazards are recurring.

Do your current protocols specifically address slips and trips? Do they address the specific hazards in your operation? Generic health and safety approaches do not address the specific risks you face.

Check whether your procedures cover wet floor warnings, adequate cleaning, suitable slip resistant footwear, appropriate equipment, safe storage and good lighting. Employers should also consider the risks linked to same level falls, manual handling and access to stock.

These controls should support compliance with relevant UK health and safety law, including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

How does your experience compare to similar operations? If your slip and fall claims are significantly higher than your peer group, this tells you where to focus your prevention efforts. If they are lower, this tells you what you are doing right.

If you are unsure whether someone else's negligence may have contributed to an incident, obtain appropriate advice rather than assuming that the answer is clear. The same applies where a claim involves a landlord, property owner, local council or another party responsible for the area.

You do not need to fix everything at once. You need to understand where your specific risks lie and address them systematically. The organisations that are managing costs effectively in this environment are those that have moved from reactive claims management to proactive prevention.

They are also more likely to understand the difference between managing risks and simply responding after accidents have happened.

Our team at Marsh has worked with hundreds of retail and logistics operations through this transition. We know what works in your sector because we see the data from across the market.

Get in touch with one of our experts today. We will help you understand your exposure and show you how to reduce it.

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