Leeds City Council Pays Compensation for Accident at Workplace
Faulty equipments at the workplace can cause accidents, risking the health and lives of employees. In one such incident an employee working at a day centre for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients had to undergo a long session of physiotherapy after she met with an accident while bathing one of the inmates.
The facts suggest that the seat of the bath was faulty and when the employee tried pulling it up for the patient to come out, the seat collided with a broken bath panel. This caused a sudden jerk that resulted in whiplash injuries to the worker. It took almost 12 weeks for her to recover.
GMB, the union to which the employee belonged, took instant action and hired Thompsons Solicitors to file a suit for compensation against the employers, the Leeds City Council. The council accepted its liability and paid a compensation of £4,000 after an out of court settlement was reached. However, the GMB spokesperson said that it was deplorable that the council waited for legal action to fix the equipments.
It is almost certain that the accident would not have occurred had the council been diligent in health and safety and the maintenance of the equipment. According to Kevin Hughes from Thompsons Solicitors the nature of the accident might have been harmless, but the injury it caused was very serious. . For advice on the needs of a particular organisation – click NEBOSH General Certificate – for courses to help Management manage safety and learn how to promote a positive health and safety attitude in the workplace.
