What is a Retail Claim?
Retail workplace accident claims cover injuries sustained by staff in shops, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, and customer-facing businesses. Common incidents include falls from ladders or step stools, manual handling injuries from stock replenishment, back strains from long shifts without breaks, burns and scalds in food preparation, and injuries from customer assaults.
Am I Entitled to Claim?
You can claim if your employer breached their duty of care. Typical claims involve failure to provide correct ladders or step stools, failure to train in manual handling, requiring unreasonable lifting, inadequate staffing during peak times, unsafe back-of-house areas, and failure to protect staff from known customer aggression.
Step-by-Step Process
Report on the Day
Ensure your manager completes the accident book and you have a signed copy.
Seek Medical Care
Attend GP or A&E. Retail injuries frequently involve back, neck, and soft tissue damage.
Document the Scene
Photograph any equipment, stock, or layout involved in the accident.
Contact Keans
Free consultation. We request training records and risk assessments.
Evidence Gathering
CCTV preservation request, witness statements from colleagues and customers.
Resolution
Usually through the IRB. Retail claims tend to settle well once liability is clear.
Evidence That Strengthens Your Claim
The stronger the evidence, the more straightforward the claim. Where possible, gather the following:
- Your employer’s accident report book entry
- Names of colleagues who witnessed the accident
- Photos of the unsafe equipment, surface, or condition
- Copies of relevant risk assessments and safe systems of work
- Your training records and any inductions received
- Medical records and certificates from GP, A&E, or consultants
- Payslips showing lost earnings during your recovery
- Manual handling training records
- Roster showing staffing levels at time of incident
- CCTV preservation request
Compensation Ranges
Based on the Judicial Council’s Personal Injury Guidelines 2021. Awards may also include special damages for lost earnings, medical costs, and future care needs. Exact value depends on your specific injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
Possibly, yes. Retail manual handling claims succeed where the employer failed to assess the task, train you, provide lifting aids, or ensure adequate staffing. The Manual Handling Regulations apply equally to retail as to heavy industry.
Usually your employer’s, if the ladder was inappropriate or you had no training. Retail employers often expect staff to reach high shelves with inadequate equipment. Provision of the right platform or step ladder is the employer’s duty.
Yes. You can claim from the employer if they failed to protect you from foreseeable customer aggression, and you can claim from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal against the State if the assailant cannot be traced or lacks assets. Both can apply.
Yes. Employment status matters less for personal injury than for employment rights. Most workplace safety duties apply to anyone working at the premises, whatever the contract type.
Two years from the date of the accident or the date you first became aware of the injury. Miss it and your claim is statute barred, so contact a solicitor early.
No. The initial consultation at Keans is free. For personal injury cases we discuss all fees in writing before work begins. In contentious business, Irish law prevents solicitors from calculating fees as a percentage of your award or settlement.