Employers have a legal responsibility to protect employees from the risk of falls at work. If a fall does happen, there are also legal duties to make sure the employee receives prompt medical attention and that the incident is properly recorded and, where required, reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
According to HSE’s most recent figures for 2024/25, an estimated 680,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury at work, while employers formally reported 59,219 injuries under RIDDOR. Of those RIDDOR reports, 4,684 involved a fall from height, accounting for 8% of all reported workplace accidents. Falls from height also remained the single leading cause of workplace fatalities in 2024/25, with 35 deaths, a position they have held in almost every year since 2001.
While no substitute for an official health and safety assessment or training, here is what employers need to know about what to do if an employee has a fall at work.
Tending To The Employee And Their Injuries
The first priority when someone has sustained a fall is to make sure they receive a prompt assessment by a first aider. Caution should still apply even if the fall looks minor, since this is no guarantee a more serious injury hasn’t occurred.
More severe injuries such as sprains, slipped discs, lacerations, broken bones or head injuries will need urgent medical attention. It’s advised that the first aider stays with the employee while 999 is called, so any instructions on caring for them and avoiding further injury can be followed.
Employees have the right to:
- Seek medical attention for injuries sustained at work
- Claim compensation if they’ve sustained an injury at work that wasn’t their fault, including a claim for contributory negligence against their employer
- Leave a work environment they believe to be unsafe due to a lack of health and safety measures, or where their wellbeing is at risk
As an employer, you cannot legally stop employees exercising any of the above rights. It’s also good practice to make sure employees are aware of them, especially following an injury at work.
Recording The Accident
Every workplace injury, including falls, needs to be recorded in an accident book. Depending on the severity, it may also be a legal requirement to report it to the HSE under RIDDOR, the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
What Is A RIDDOR Report?
A RIDDOR report is a legal notification made to the HSE for certain categories of workplace incident. Employers, known as the “responsible person” under the regulations, must report:
- Work-related deaths and specified injuries, such as fractures, amputations or loss of consciousness, without delay and followed by a written report within 10 days
- Incidents that leave an employee unable to carry out their normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days, reported within 15 days
- Certain occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences
Records must be kept for at least 3 years, and failing to report a qualifying incident is a criminal offence under RIDDOR Regulation 14. The HSE has proposed changes to RIDDOR, including extending near-miss reporting to cover unplanned fall arrest activations on scaffolding and rope access systems, so employers working at height should keep an eye on how the regulations develop.
When recording or reporting an accident, note down the full details, including:
- Employee name and job title
- Date and time the incident occurred
- Injuries sustained
- How the incident happened
- Documentation of who reported the incident and who responded to it
Preventing Falls At Work
As an employer, the best time to come across this post is before an accident such as a slip, trip or fall takes place in your workplace, since that’s when there’s still time to put the right measures in place.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health and safety of all employees and anyone who may be affected by their work, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Some of the top steps involved in preventing falls at work include:
- Conducting risk assessments as and when necessary
- Avoiding working at height unless no suitable alternative exists
- Making sure workers are using the correct fall protection or fall arrest equipment
- Inspecting fall protection or fall arrest equipment before every use
- Reporting and remedying potential safety hazards without delay
- Using signage to warn employees of potential dangers
- Wearing the correct PPE, including footwear, to prevent slips and trips
- Keeping the workplace neat and tidy
Fall protection isn’t one-size-fits-all. Fall restraint equipment is designed to stop a worker reaching a fall hazard in the first place, while fall arrest equipment is designed to safely stop a fall that’s already happening. Which one is right for a job depends on the layout of the work area and the nature of the task, so it’s worth getting this assessed properly rather than assuming one type covers every scenario.
It’s also worth putting measures in place based on previous incidents, including minor falls, alongside employee training and awareness so similar incidents are less likely to happen again.
Metreel – Help Prevent Falls In Your Workplace With Our Leading Fall Protection Equipment
The best action any responsible employer can take is to do everything possible to maintain a safe workplace, including preventing the risk of falls.
Metreel is a leading UK supplier of fall protection equipment, including abseil equipment, access ladders, building maintenance equipment, and fall arrest and fall restraint systems.
If your team needs fall protection equipment to keep them safe, Metreel can advise on the most suitable solution based on the type of work your team carries out.
View our full product range by downloading the free Metreel brochure. Or to speak to our team directly, call 0115 647 0157 or email us.