March 4th, 2009
A man who injured his heel after slipping on a wet ladder has been awarded £120,000 in compensation.
The unnamed 60-year-old from Gateshead was using a ladder to access his van’s roof rack in February 2007. However, the ladder was slippery and he fell off it, breaking his heel.
He was in a plaster cast for four months after the accident and took legal action against his employer with help from the trade union Unite.
The Newcastle-based company admitted liability for failing to provide safe access to their vehicles in wet weather and agreed to the out-of-court settlement.
A Unite spokesperson said: "If the ladder had been fitted with anti-slip runs then this accident may have been avoidable."
All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. The primary responsibility for this is down to the employer.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents claims it has the responsibility for reducing the 36 million working days lost to work-related accidents and ill health each year.
Tags: Court Settlement, Employee Compensation, Four Months, Health And Safety, Ill Health, Ladder, Newcastle, Plaster Cast, Prevention, Roof Rack, Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents, Spokesperson, Wet Weather
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January 5th, 2009
A man who suffered chemical burns to his eye has been awarded damages from his employer.
Paul Thomas, 34, was fitting sound-proof doors at the BBC buildings in Glasgow when he began drilling into concrete above his head.
However, dust fell through the goggles he was wearing, which had ventilation holes, causing alkali burns to his right eye.
Mr Thomas had to have four months off work and his eye swelled significantly.
His union representative Tom Brennan said Mr Thomas’s injury would not have occurred had his employer provided the correct safety glasses for the task being undertaken.
Clark Door of Carlisle admitted liability and has now settled a £5,000 payout in an out-of-court settlement.
Under the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations 1992, issued by the Health and Safety Executive, protective equipment is to be supplied and used at work wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways.
Employers must assess the risks to decide which type of PPE to use.
Tags: Alkali, Bbc, Carlisle, Chemical Burns, Court Settlement, Four Months, Glasgow, Goggles, Health And Safety, Mr Thomas, Paul Thomas, Personal Protective Equipment, Personal Protective Equipment Ppe, Representative Tom, Safety Glasses, Sound Proof Doors, Tom Brennan, Union Representative, Ventilation Holes
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October 7th, 2008
A compensation payout has been awarded to a widow who lost her husband when an operation he was due to have was delayed.
John Hodges, 70, was told in 2005 that he would have to have surgery to repair an aneurysm in his abdomen, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Doctors said he would have the procedure within two months; however, his operation was not scheduled until four months later.
During this time, Mr Hodges became severely ill and was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery, which he did not survive.
His widow Ann said she believes Mr Hodges would have survived had he been admitted to hospital sooner and hospital bosses admitted the delay was a contributing factor to his death.
Ms Hodges has now been paid £40,000 for her loss, but said no amount of money would compensate her for his death.
A hospital spokesperson said: "We have expressed our sincere apologies to the family of Mr Hodges as the care provided in 2005 fell below the standard he was entitled to expect."
Clinical negligence occurs when a professional in the health service provides care that is deemed to be below standard and this causes physical injury, death or distress.
Tags: Abdomen, Amount Of Money, Aneurysm, Clinical Negligence, Doctors, Emergency Surgery, Four Months, Health Service, Hospital Spokesperson, Injury Death, John Hodges, Manchester Evening News, Sincere Apologies, Widow Ann
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September 22nd, 2008
A widow has been given £205,000 in compensation after the death of her husband from asbestos-related cancer.
The unnamed man worked at the Bolton Manual Exchange during the 1950s for a company that later became part of BT, the Workplace Law Network reports.
He was responsible for laying telephone cables which had to be sprayed with asbestos to prevent fire, but inhaled deadly particles of the material while doing so.
The man was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2007 and died only four months later.
His widow took legal action and BT has now agreed to an out of court settlement, paying the family compensation.
"We had never heard of mesothelioma before and when we were told we could not believe it. He was exposed to asbestos 50 years before he became ill," his widow commented.
If a person can prove they were exposed to asbestos at their place of work, they may be able to make a claim for compensation as a result.
In the UK, a personal injury compensation claim for an asbestos-related disease or asbestos-related illness has to be started within three years of the date a person is informed of their condition by an appropriately qualified doctor.
Tags: 1950s, Asbestos Related Disease, Bolton, Cancer, Court Settlement, Deadly Particles, Four Months, Manual Exchange, Mesothelioma, Personal Injury Compensation, Personal Injury Compensation Claim, Telephone Cables, Unnamed Man, Workplace Law
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June 6th, 2008
A woman who became pregnant despite being sterilised has won a substantial compensation payout.
In an out-of-court settlement, Milton Keynes Hospital agreed to pay Mirella De Maio £20,000.
Ms De Maio already had five children when she learnt she was expecting another child, despite having undergone the procedure.
She had decided against having more children after her youngest son, Gaetano, was born with a hole in his heart. She wanted to return to work, reports Milton Keynes Today.
Doctors discovered Ms De Maio, 39, was pregnant after she went to her local GP complaining of felling unwell.
Four months later, baby Nunzio was born. His other siblings are Gaetano, Francesco, Pasquale, Anna and Teresa.
A spokesman for the law firm representing Ms De Maio commented: "The case was won by clinical negligence lawyers who obtained expert evident to prove the failure of the sterilisation was due to a substandard operation rather than natural causes."
Tags: Clinical Negligence Lawyers, Court Settlement, De Maio, Doctors, Failure, Four Months, Gaetano, Gp, Heart, Milton Keynes, Nunzio, Pasquale, Pregnant, Siblings, Spokesman, Sterilisation, Substantial Compensation, Woman, Youngest Son
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