November 5th, 2009
A food manufacturing company has been ordered to pay out £94,523 in fines and court costs after a worker suffered a severe injury to his hand.
Ludmila Jurkevica, 27, from King’s Lynn, was attempting to clear a blockage in a packaging machine when three of his fingers got crushed.
Tulip Packaging of Warwick was fined £65,000 and ordered to pay costs of £29,523 over the injury, which occurred in November 2007.
Speaking after the verdict at Norwich Crown Court, Health and Safety Executive inspector Steven Gill said: "This was a nasty incident which could have been avoided had the company checked how safe the machinery was and taken precautions to protect staff.
"Machines like these can be incredibly dangerous and cause serious injury."
In a similar incident heard in court last month, Orica UK of Wigan was fined £10,000 after an employee lost two fingers when trying to remove a blockage from a machine.
Tags: Food Manufacturer, Food Manufacturing, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Lost, Manufacturing Company, Norwich Crown Court, Packaging Machine, Two Fingers, Warwick, Wigan
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October 5th, 2009
A woman is seeking compensation from her employers after an accident in which she lost the tops of two fingers.
Paulina Lleshi, 24, had been cleaning an icing machine at Spread Newco Four in January when her hand slipped into the working parts, the Mirror reports.
The machine had to remain switched on while being cleaned, but no guards were in place while the task was carried out.
Managers at the firm admitted that they had failed to keep the machine in a safe state and that guards had only been fitted after the incident.
The firm was ordered to pay £9,000 in fines and Ms Lleshi is now seeking compensation for her injuries and for lost earnings after being off work for four months.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, there were 1,236 injuries per 100,000 employees in the food and drink sector in 2007-08, with moving machinery causing 7.4 per cent of these.
Tags: Bakery, Earnings, Food And Drink, Four Months, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Lost, Mirror, Moving Machinery, Tops, Two Fingers, Woman, Worker Compensation
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August 11th, 2009
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has agreed to a compensation payout of £30,000 for a former soldier who was almost deafened in a training exercise.
Charles Bradlaugh, 22, was ordered to take off his ear defenders during a live firing task in November 2004. His supervisors told him to run to a trench and put on the ear plugs there and to then begin firing back.
Although it was claimed this would make the training more "battle realistic", Mr Bradlaugh was unable to find any ear plugs and his colleagues began firing before he could let them know he had no protection.
He was discharged from the army on medical grounds in 2007 due to the damage he sustained to his ears and decided to take legal action against the MoD.
The £328,941 payout was agreed this week to compensate him for lost earnings and general damages.
Earlier this month, it was revealed by the Derby Telegraph that former Royal Marine Tom Birch is seeking compensation from the MoD after the Land Rover he was driving in Afghanistan plunged 100 feet off a cliff.
Tags: 30k, Afghanistan, Army, Charles Bradlaugh, Colleagues, Derby Telegraph, Ear Defenders, Ear Plugs, Earnings, Ears, Exercise, General Damages, Hearing Loss, Land Rover, Lost, Medical Grounds, Ministry Of Defence, Soldier, Tom Birch
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June 2nd, 2009
A caretaker who broke her ankle when she fell in a school dining room has been awarded compensation from the council that employed her.
Jean Simpson, 58, slipped on a patch of spilt liquid as she walked through the dining area and fractured her ankle.
She had to have it put into a cast and was unable to work for five months, as well as having to cancel a holiday that she had already booked.
Ms Simpson took legal action against the council, claiming that it had not ensured the health and safety of its staff.
Although it initially denied the allegations, claiming that the caretaker had slipped on a non-slip piece of flooring, it was later proved that she had fallen on thermoplastic tiles and her complaint was upheld.
The council has now agreed to pay the caretaker £6,700 in damages for her lost earnings and the pain she was caused.
According to the union TSSA, slips and trips are the most common cause of non-fatal major injuries in both manufacturing and service industries and make up more than half of all reported injuries to members of the public.
Tags: Allegations, Damages, Dining Area, Dining Room, Earnings, Five Months, Flooring, Health And Safety, Jean Simpson, Lost, Ms Simpson, School Caretaker, Slips, Thermoplastic Tiles
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May 14th, 2009
A woman is considering taking legal action on behalf of her father after he fell down a hospital escalator while visiting his wife.
Len Conway, 84, had been to an osteoarthritis clinic and had visited his wife at Barnsley Hospital when he stepped onto the escalator, the Yorkshire Post reports.
He slipped and fell, causing severe cuts to his face, ear, hands and legs. He also broke his cheekbone.
Carole Conway said her father had lost his independence and said the hospital should not have dangerous facilities on the premises.
"It doesn’t make sense to have people who are already ill trying to use this escalator. It’s just too dangerous," she commented, adding that she is thinking of suing the hospital for the injuries her father sustained.
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating.
Figures published by the HSE show that fatalities and serious injuries arising from slips, trips and fall incidents cost British society an estimated £700 million last year.
Tags: Cheekbone, Conway, Dangerous Facilities, Fall Incidents, Foundation Trust, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hse, Legs, Len, Lost, Nhs Trust, Osteoarthritis, Premises, Slips, Woman, Yorkshire, Yorkshire Post
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