Recovered £46,000 for a client whose bowel was damaged during routine surgery, and had to wear a colostomy bag for 12 months as a result before undergoing remedial surgery.
Industrial deafness victim seeks compensation from employer
July 7th, 2009
A man who claims he was exposed to excessive levels of noise during his time as a textile worker is seeking compensation from his former employer.
Peter Conroy, 70, worked for Robin Wools in Bradford from 1962 to 1967 and again between 1968 and 1989, the Bradford Telegraph and Argus reports.
He maintains that he never received any hearing protection while working with the noisy machinery and that he now needs a hearing aid.
"You do not realise how much your everyday life depends upon your hearing until you are affected by hearing loss," Mr Conroy commented.
He added that he is hoping more people who used to work for the company will come forward in order to launch large-scale legal action.
According to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive, some 21,000 people who worked in the last 12 months were suffering hearing problems which they believed to be work-related between 2007 and 2008.
£16k compensation for man with crushed hand
June 1st, 2009
A man whose hand was crushed in a piece of machinery has received £16,000 in compensation for his injuries.
Adam Cross, 21, was working at Intertissue in Neath in October 2007 when he was asked to help a colleague clear a paper jam.
Although he had not been trained to use the machinery, he held one end of the paper while the other man tried to activate the rollers.
The machine suddenly reactivated and Mr Cross’s hand was crushed.
He had to take 12 months off work due to the damage that was caused and says he still suffers from pain in cold weather.
"I had taken on this new job to help provide for my young family but I ended up being so injured that I couldn’t even hold my son," he commented.
Mr Cross eventually returned to Intertissue in a new role, but took legal action against the firm.
It has now agreed to pay £16,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, there were 180.8 major injuries per 100,000 employees in the manufacturing sector between 2007 and 2008.
Hospital trust pays £10,000 after admitting wrongful discharge
November 28th, 2008
Nottingham University Hospitals has paid £10,000 to the family of four-month-old Ellie Behan, who died from a rare bowel condition less than two weeks after being discharged from Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC).
The Nottingham Evening Post reports that Ellie had shown signs of being seriously ill when she vomited green liquid in front of nurses, but the information was not passed on to doctors and the family were told they could take her home later that day.
She then became critically ill and died nine days later.
Ellie had initially been admitted for vomiting green liquid, but she vomited clear liquid in front of the doctor who first saw her, which indicated that her ailment was not as serious. Her case was then passed on to another doctor.
"We are deeply sorry that there were shortcomings in the care she received," commented trust spokesman Stephen Fowlie.
"Ellie should not have been discharged when she first came to the QMC."
The news comes as the Southport Visitor revealed that medical payouts by Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust increased by 60 per cent over the last 12 months.
Company fined after worker falls from loft
July 14th, 2008A company has been fined £10,000 after one of its employees was seriously hurt after falling from a loft he was working in.
Homes for Haringey Ltd was also ordered to pay legal costs of £3,562 after being found guilty of breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at City of London Magistrates’ Court.
Following the verdict, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warned businesses to ensure they have adequate safety measures in place, reports Abeceder.co.uk.
HSE inspector John Crookes said that last year 45 people died and more than 3,000 suffered a serious injury as a result of a fall from height in the workplace.
Mr Crookes commented: "All companies must assess the risks from work that they are undertaking at height, ensuring that the work is planned properly and appropriate measures are taken so that workers are not exposed to risk of falling."
According to Contract Journal, the employee was unable to work for 12 months after the accident.
