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Compensation options for people
injured or made ill by their jobs
Compensation news
Top Stories
Britain Electrician
gets £250,000 for back injuries
Britain Nursery
nurse gets back payout
Britain Work asthma
caused mental problems
Britain £12,000
compensation for shoulder injury
Britain Wembley
horror witness denied payout
Britain Six
figure payout for drill injury
Britain £1
million payout for travel-to-work injuries
Britain Motor
firm pays for wrecked knee
Britain Port
worker gets payout at last
Britain Government
extends meso benefits
BritainGovernment
u-turn hits disease sufferers
Britain Six
figure settlement for crushed hand
Britain: Electrician
gets £250,000 for back injuries
A Unite member working as a contract electrician has been awarded £250,000
for the back injuries he sustained when he fell at a Tarmac site in 2003.
Union law firm Rowley Ashworth rejected the insurer’s offer of contributory
negligence to agree liability on a 75:25 split in favour of the member
and issued court proceedings; instead, a final settlement of £250,000
was achieved three weeks before the scheduled trial.
Risks
370
Hazards news, 23 August 2008
Britain: Nursery
nurse gets back payout
A nursery nurse from Newcastle has secured £75,000 damages following
a serious back injury at work. Gillian Scott, 42, a member of UNISON,
was working at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary when the contents
of a box slipped as she was placing it in a cupboard, causing her to fall
against the door which sprung back on her.
Risks
370
Hazards news, 23 August 2008
Britain: Work asthma
caused mental problems
Electrical engineer Mark Lawrence has been awarded £100,000 –
more than six times the original offer - after he developed occupational
asthma which led to a psychiatric disorder. The Unite member was working
for Lydmet Limited, now Federal Mogul Camshafts Limited, when he experienced
shortness of breath at work in April 2001.
Risks
370
Hazards news, 23 August 2008
Britain: £12,000
compensation for shoulder injury
Kitchen appliance manufacturer Indesit, has paid £12,000 compensation
to a factory Unite member injured at the firm's factory in Denbighshire,
North Wales. Richard Williams, 60, was attempting to manually pull down
a metal panel to secure it in place on a washing machine but the panel
didn't move because it hadn't been positioned correctly; as a result he
badly injured his left shoulder and his thumb.
Risks
369
Hazards news, 16 August 2008
Britain:
Wembley horror witness denied payout
A worker who suffered a serious psychiatric injury after he saw a workmate
die during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium has lost his claim
for damages. The judge concluded that 43-year-old Stephen Monk was not
a “primary victim” of the negligent conduct of the crane operator
for which PCH had admitted liability, because he did not satisfy the conditions
necessary to be regarded either as a rescuer or as an “unwilling
participant” in the accident.
Risks
368
Hazards news, 9 August 2008
Britain: Six figure
payout for drill injury
A production worker from Ashford has been awarded £220,000 compensation
after being injured by a defective drill. Unite member Caroline May, 47,
was working for Cohline (UK) Limited when she suffered serious arm injuries
in May 2003. She did not know the drill she was using was defective. When
she operated it, it kicked back striking her right arm.
Risks
366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008
Britain: £1
million payout for travel-to-work injuries
The value of union legal services inside and outside the workplace has
been starkly illustrated by a £1 million payout to a union member
seriously injured while cycling to work. The Unite member, whose identity
has not been revealed, has been awarded £1,123,676.98.
Risks
366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008
Britain: Motor firm
pays for wrecked knee
A Unite member from Maidstone has been paid £517,500 compensation
after suffering a serious workplace knee injury when using faulty equipment.
Glyn Davies, aged 62, was dismantling and re-erecting large industrial
racking systems at automotive manufacturer Intier when he sustained the
injury in November 2002.
Risks
366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008
Britain: Port worker
gets payout at last
A Felixstowe port worker has received a compensation payout nine years
after being seriously injured at a container terminal. Doctors said Alan
Thorne, 49, from Felixstowe, would never be able to work again because
of the back injuries he suffered.
Risks
364
Hazards news, 12 July 2008
Britain:
Government extends meso benefits
The government has closed a loophole in the disease benefits system that
meant that people developing mesothelioma but not exposed at work missed
out. On 7 July, the House of Lords approved The Mesothelioma Lump Sum
Payments (Conditions and Amounts) Regulations 2008 that mean from 1 October
those with non-occupational mesothelioma – for example, through
exposure to contamination on a relative’s work clothing –
will be entitled to a lump sum compensation payout, in the region of £10,000
per case.
House
of Lords report for 7 July 2008, Hansard • Risks
364
Hazards news, 12 July 2008
Britain: Government u-turn
hits disease sufferers
Workers developing occupational diseases could lose out as a result of
a government u-turn on retention of insurance records by employers. The
government is pressing ahead with a move to drop the requirement on firms
to keep their employers’ liability insurance records for 40 years
– despite opposition from workplace health groups, lawyers, unions
and insurers.
Asbestos Forum news release [pdf]
and briefing [pdf]
•
Employers’
Liability Compulsory Insurance, EDM 2010 • Has your MP
signed the EDM? If not, ask why not: you
can find out how to contact your MP here – all you need
is your postcode • Risks
364
Hazards news, 12 July 2008
Britain: Six
figure settlement for crushed hand
A factory worker whose hand was crushed at work and had to be rebuilt
by surgeons has received a £130,000 settlement. A pallet had jammed
in the machine Michael Pattison was operating at Carlisle firm Crown Bevcan.
Risks
364
Hazards news, 12 July 2008
Britain: Freelance
gets injury payout
A freelance screen engineer from Bradford who was injured by a crane at
Chester Race Course has secured £35,000 damages. Paul Bowling, a
member of the entertainment union BECTU, was dismantling large video screens
at the end of a race meeting when he was hit by a Crane Hire Direct Limited
crane being used to move the equipment.
Risks
364
Hazards news, 12 July 2008
Britain: Payout
from Boots for thigh injuries
Unite member Fred Stedham, 53, a Boots the Chemist warehouse worker who
was forced to do a job despite raising safety concerns has received £8,000
compensation after it resulted in him being injured.
Risks
363
Hazards news, 5 July 2008
Britain:
BP neglect caused asbestos cancer
BP Oil UK has been told it must pay compensation to the family of a former
worker who died from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. Unite member Wilf
Human worked at the firm’s refinery on the Isle of Grain from 1957
until 1979.
Risks
363
Hazards news, 5 July 2008
Britain: Injured
bus driver gets payout
A Newcastle bus driver who was medically retired following a vehicle smash
while working has secured significant damages with the support of the
GMB union’s Friends and Family scheme. Kenneth Lansley suffered
debilitating injuries when a BMW drove into the side of his vehicle.
Risks
363
Hazards news, 5 July 2008
Britain: Dangerous
plan to ditch insurance records
Workers who develop ‘long-tail’ diseases could miss out on
compensation as a result of government plans to axe the requirement on
firms to hold onto their insurance records for 40 years. The draft regulations
also seek to remove the requirement on businesses to display a current
employers’ liability insurance certificate.
DWP employers’ liability insurance proposals [pdf]
• Employers’
liability insurance, EDM 1839, David Taylor MP • Retention
of workplace insurance policies, EDM 1829, Andrew Dismore MP •
Risks 362
Hazards news, 28 June 2008
Britain: Union cover
protects injured cyclist
A former British Energy employee from Selby, who was knocked off
his bike on his journey home from work and suffered a stroke, has secured
over £200,000 in compensation.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
359
Hazards news, 7 June 2008
Britain: Paramedic
gets vehicle crash payout
A paramedic who was injured after a van driver overshot a red light and
collided with his ambulance has received a £62,856 payout. North
East Ambulance Service paramedic David Fenwick, 55, suffered a serious
shoulder injury that required two operations.
Thompson
Solicitors news release • Risks
358
Hazards news, 31 May 2008
Britain: Payouts
for stone dust disease
Two foundry workers who developed silicosis, one of the longest recognised
occupational lung diseases, have received compensation. The Unite members,
who both worked in the melting department of Federal Mogul’s Southwick
factory on Wearside, have received “substantial” payouts in
an out of court settlement.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Sunderland
Echo • Risks
358
Hazards news, 31 May 2008
Britain: Rubbish
slip leads to rail payout
A train driver has secured nearly £6,000 compensation from Northern
Rail following a serious back injury caused as he stepped onto discarded
rubbish. As ASLEF member Peter Kelly, from Selby, North Yorkshire, boarded
a train, he stepped on rubbish that had been thrown onto the train but
not cleaned up; the 49-year-old fell backwards onto the platform and badly
injured his lower back.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
356
Hazards news, 17 May 2008
Britain: Widow gets
six figure asbestos payout
The widow of a Unite member has secured £120,000 in an out of court
compensation settlement after her husband died from the asbestos related
cancer, mesothelioma. The unnamed 71-year-old from Mold in Wales was exposed
to asbestos while working for the Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company
in Trafford Park, Manchester, now known as AEI.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
354
Hazards news, 3 May 2008
Britain:
Payout deal for stressed teacher
A teacher who said his job ruined his health has been paid a “substantial”
sum as compensation for his ordeal. NUT member Andrew Massey, 54, has
been unable to work since going sick with stress from New College in Leicester.
BBC
News Online • Leicester
Mercury • Hazards
suicide report • Risks
353
Hazards news, 26 April 2008
Britain: Six
figure settlement for explosion stresses
A gas worker whose career was wrecked when he was traumatised by an explosion
has received a £230,000 payout. GMB member Danny McLoed, 50, a Transco
employee, received the payout from Schememade Limited, which admitted
liability for cutting through the gas pipe when laying cable.
GMB
news release • Risks
352
Hazards news, 19 April 2008
Britain: Lung
cancer survivor gets payout
A man who developed lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos in the
workplace has been compensated by his former employers. Widower, Joseph
Douglas, 66, from Ellesmere Port has received £65,000 in damages
after he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
351
Hazards news, 12 April 2008
Britain: MoD ignored
work injury warnings
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) stores assistant who suffered a serious back
injury due to continuous heavy lifting and whose employer then failed
to shift her to lighter work has received £60,000 in compensation.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
351
Hazards news, 12 April 2008
Britain: Hit-and-run
firefighter gets £280k damages
A firefighter knocked from his bike on his journey home from work has
received over £280,000 in damages. David Frith, a member of the
firefighters’ union FBU from Leicester, received the award via the
Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) untraced drivers scheme after the hit-and-run
incident.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
350
Hazards news, 5 April 2008
Britain: Six figure
payout for asbestos death
A Yorkshire widow has received a six-figure compensation payout after
her husband died of an asbestos cancer. Sylvia Worth, 54, was awarded
£122,000 in damages.
Thompsons Solicitors news
release • Find
your local asbestos group on the Asbestos Forum website • Risks
349
Hazards news, 29 March 2008
Britain: Death
threat kitchen assistant gets payout
A kitchen assistant who was eventually forced to leave her job following
a violent incident has been awarded £40,000 compensation. Diana
Gruber, 60, received the payout from Leicestershire County Council after
a verbal attack at Coalville Resource Centre.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
349
Hazards news, 29 March 2008
Britain: Latex payout
but no job for young nurse
A young nurse who had to give up the profession after developing a potentially
deadly latex allergy has received a six figure payout. UNISON member Tanya
Dodd, 25, was a trainee nurse at Scarborough General Hospital when she
developed type 1 latex allergy from gloves she wore routinely as part
of her job.
UNISON
news release • BBC
News Online • Risks
348
Hazards news, 22 March 2008
Britain: Injury
destroys young worker’s dream
A construction site injury has crushed the dreams of a Barnsley man who
has lost the opportunity to play semi-professional football. James Smith
was 20 and working as a steel fixer for Century Reinforcement Services
when he was injured in 2004.
Irwin
Mitchell news release • Risks
347
Hazards news, 15 March 2008
Britain: Union pushes
for slipped disc payout
A support worker who slipped a disc while pushing a client in a wheelchair,
and subsequently had his employment terminated, has secured damages from
his former employer. UNISON member Malcolm Herbert from Croydon secured
a one off settlement of £15,500 from Choice Support, which provides
services for adults with learning disabilities.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
347
Hazards news, 15 March 2008
Britain: Firm pays
£25,000 for broken arm
A Telford confectionery company has been fined after a Polish worker's
arm was broken when it became trapped in a conveyor system. Magna Specialist
Confectioners Ltd (MSC) was fined a total of £25,000 and ordered
to pay costs of £4,928 at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
HSE
news release • Risks
346
Hazards news, 8 March 2008
Britain: Attacked
journalist wins police payout
Photojournalist and NUJ member Marc Vallée has accepted an apology
and out-of-court settlement from the Metropolitan Police. The union had
issued proceedings against commissioner of police Sir Ian Blair for “battery”
(assault) and breaches of the Human Rights Act, relating to freedom of
expression and assembly.
NUJ
news release • Risks
346
Hazards news, 8 March 2008
Britain: Labourer
gets payout after face injury
A Sheffield labourer has been awarded compensation of £19,000 after
being injured at work when a piece of scaffolding fell three storeys,
hitting him in the face. Neil Ringrose, 42, was working for Rowland Scaffold
Company Ltd at a Woolworths Store in Redcar when the incident occurred.
Risks
345
Hazards news, 1 March 2008
Britain: Hot oil burns
firm to pay £8,750
A teenager was left badly scarred after slipping into a pan of extremely
hot oil left on the floor of a busy restaurant. A year later Claire Swainger
can still not stand for prolonged periods because of injuries sustained
in the accident at Hull restaurant The Omelette.
Risks
345
Hazards news, 1 March 2008
Britain: Bus
driver attacked and sacked
Bus driver Robert Latimer, 63, attacked by a drunken passenger then sacked
for taking time off while injured has been awarded £75,000 in compensation.
Tommy Brennan, GMB Northern secretary, said: “He was a victim of
a serious crime and yet not only did they try to paint him as the aggressor,
they refused to talk to the GMB or to give our member the right of a grievance
hearing and to appeal against his sacking.”
Thompsons
Solicitors news release •
Risks
345
Hazards news, 1 March 2008
Britain: Payout
after oven cleaner attack
A residential social worker who was sprayed in the face with oven cleaner
has received thousands of pounds in compensation from Newport City Council.
Miss Rudi Meszaros, 33, suffered long term chemical damage to her eyes
after being attacked by a young person in her care.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain: Insurers press
for low payouts
The conduct of insurers who deal directly with accident victims will be
investigated following accusations they put pressure on victims to waive
their right to compensation or to settle claims for less than the proper
rate. Trade unions and claimant lawyers have handed a dossier of evidence
against the insurers to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for investigation.
Risks 344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain: Dock leap wore
out man’s knee
A boatman whose right knee was wrecked by jumping on and off boats for
two decades has received undisclosed damages in an out-of-court settlement.
GMB member William Lively, 55, worked as a boatman on the Norman Forster
passenger boat in Tyne Dock.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain: Tube driver
gets RSI compo go-ahead
A Tube driver has been granted permission to sue London Underground (LUL)
after developing a debilitating wrist injury. RMT member Latona Allison
developed the repetitive strain injury tenosynovitis in her right wrist
and now cannot work as a driver.
Ms
Latona Allison (Appellant) and London Underground Ltd, [2008] EWCA
Civ 71, Case No: B3/2007/0536, 13 February 2008 • Risks
343
Hazards news, 16 February 2008
Britain: Man
loses fingers and wins compensation
A Coventry man whose hand was crushed in an inadequately guarded machine
has been awarded more than £40,000 in damages. Parlvin Moyo, 37,
who had to have two fingers amputated as a result of his injuries, was
employed as a machine operative for Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Ltd in Warwick.
Risks
341
Hazards news, 2 February 2008
Britain: Engineer
ousted after rupturing bicep
An engineer from Cumbria who rupturing the bicep in his right arm at work
has received compensation, but has lost the job he loved. Unite member
Geoffrey Loftus, 63, secured £95,000 compensation after being forced
to retire on medical grounds as a result of the injury, sustained as the
blow moulding engineer tightened a bolt.
Risks
341
Hazards news, 2 February 2008
Britain: Six figure
miner payout but no job
Negligence at a Welsh mine has led to a £105,000 pay out for a collier
who had to be medically retired after a falling stone broke a vertebrae
in his neck. NUM member Alun Finney, 55, worked as a collier for Energybuild
Limited at their
Risks
341
Hazards news, 2 February 2008
Britain:
Strain injury leads to forced retirement
A factory worker from Port Talbot who was medically retired after suffering
a repetitive strain injury (RSI) has received almost £17,000 in
compensation. Unite member Barbara Newall’s job was to bag the accessories
that accompanied a DVD player; this included a remote control, a battery
pack, an RF cable and, in some cases, an additional RF lead - she would
pack approximately 4,500 bags per day.
Thompsons
Solicitors new release
RSI Action Day, Friday 29 February: Unions can order a special 'Repeat
after me' RSI day poster from the Hazards Campaign • 'Repeat
after me' poster • Email
the Hazards Campaign for poster order details
• Risks
341
Hazards news, 2 February 2008
Britain:
Vibration ruling fails injured miners
A High Court ruling has shattered hopes of compensation for many miners
with the debilitating occupational disease vibration white finger (VWF).
Roger Maddocks of law firm Irwin Mitchell said the way the government
handles some claims under the British Coal VWF Claims Handling Arrangement
(CHA) has meant miners are routinely missing out on compensation, and
criticised claim processing company Capita, “who have assumed the
role of judge and jury on the claims.”
Risks
340
Hazards news, 26 January 2008
Britain:
Shoulder injury forces retirement
A GMB union member from Gloucestershire has secured “substantial”
damages after he fractured his shoulder, forcing his medical retirement
from his maintenance job. Former Transco employee Kevin Meek from Cinderford,
Gloucestershire was employed as a maintenance worker by Wales & West
Utilities Limited, (WWU) - formerly part of National Grid Transco.
Risks
340
Hazards news, 26 January 2008
Britain:
Welder gets lung cancer payout
A former welder diagnosed with lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos
has been paid provisional compensation. The unnamed former welder, 73,
received the £20,000 payout after being diagnosed with lung cancer
in August 2006.
Global unions
zero work cancer campaign • Risks
340
Hazards news, 26 January 2008
Britain:
UNISON wins asbestosis payout
A retired member of the union UNISON has been awarded a £25,000
payout after contracting the lung scarring disease asbestos. Albert Flood,
a 79-year-old former joiner, worked for a number of different firms during
the 1950s and early 1960s and was regularly exposed to asbestos without
warning or breathing protection.
Risks 340
Hazards news, 26 January 2008
Britain:
Miners hit by compensation failures
Sick miners and their families have lost out on compensation because of
administrative failures, according to an official report. Legal Services
Complaints Commissioner Zahida Manzoor said different awards were being
made depending on a “bewildering array” of circumstances,
such as support from a local MP and conduct of solicitors involved in
taking claims under the government scheme for miners’ respiratory
diseases and vibration white finger.
OLSCC news release [pdf]
and special report [pdf]
• Risks
339
Hazards news, 19 January 2008
Britain:
Collapsing chair cost train driver his job
A train driver who was forced to give up work after falling off a chair
at a station has been awarded nearly £80,000 compensation. ASLEF
member Martin Syms, 51, from Porth, Rhondda, was sitting in a plastic
chair in the mess room at Cardiff Central Station when it collapsed and
he fell.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release •
Risks
339
Hazards news, 19 January 2008
Britain:
Slip up costs bus firm £14,000
A bus driver from St Albans has been awarded £14,000 compensation
after suffering a back injury in a workplace slip. Unite member Douglas
Peacock was leaving the office at Metroline’s Potters Bar bus garage
when he slipped on a spillage on the garage floor.
Pattinson
& Brewer news release •
Risks
339
Hazards news, 19 January 2008
Britain:
Hand injury caused mental injuries
A Preston man who suffered severe physical and psychological injuries
after his hand was trapped in a machine at work has secured a six figure
payout from his former employer. The unnamed Unite member, aged 47, trapped
his hand in an unguarded slitting machine and sustained a serious ‘degloving’
injury, where the skin is stripped from the hand.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
339
Hazards news, 19 January 2008
Britain:
Five years to deafen a worker
A 40-year-old Lancashire man has been deafened by just five years of periodic
exposure to excessive workplace noise. Mark Bulcock received £5,000
in damages after he lost his hearing because of the noisy machines at
the sock manufacturer where he worked.
Irwin
Mitchell news release • Risks
338
Hazards news,12 January 2008
Britain:
More vibration, more payouts
A boilermaker from Port Talbot whose hands have been permanently damaged
from regular use of vibrating tools has been paid compensation from four
employers with the support of his trade union GMB. The man, aged 50, whose
name has not been released, has been employed by four different companies
during his working life and has been regularly exposed to excessive vibration
from tools such as grinders, pistol drills, large drills, needle guns
and impact wrenches.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
338
Hazards news,12 January 2008
Britain:
Rise in Scottish teacher compo payouts
Scotland's schools and colleges spent more than £250,000 on compensation
payments to teachers last year, figures from the union EIS have revealed.
Claims ranged from £38,000 for distress caused by a wrongful prosecution
based on false allegations to £750 for a teacher who slipped on
a stairwell.
EIS
news release • BBC
News Online • Risks
338
Hazards news,12 January 2008
Britain:
Another Corus worker gets deafness payout
A factory foreman who was exposed to excessive noise at work which left
him with severe hearing difficulties has been awarded undisclosed compensation
by his former employer, Corus. GMB member Martin Bourne, 70, was employed
as a mechanical foreman at the Corus UK Llanwern Works in Newport, Gwent.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 22 December 2007
Britain:
More time plea for compensation cases
The Scottish Law Commission is calling for people who are injured in accidents
to be given more time to claim compensation. The commission recommended
a five-year window of opportunity instead of the current three-year limit
in place throughout the UK.
Scottish Law Commission news release [pdf]
and report 207 [pdf]
• BBC
News Online
Hazards news, 15 December 2007
Britain:
Dawson’s driver develops diesel dermatitis
A delivery driver who developed irritant contact dermatitis when diesel
splashed on his hand is to receive £1,800 compensation. Dawson Holdings
plc employee William Smith, 54, was filling his work van with diesel using
a hand held nozzle, when diesel blew back from the tank of the van and
went directly onto his hands.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 15 December 2007
Britain:
Vibration permanently harms man’s hands
A 24-year-old crack tester from Doncaster who says he was forced out of
his job after vibrating tools permanently damaged his hands has received
a £30,000 compensation settlement. Unite member Dean Grice was employed
by MSI Forks Ltd, a firm making forks for forklift trucks, and developed
vibration white finger and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 15 December 2007
Britain:
Hub floors cement mill worker
A Unite member received compensation of £50,000 when he was struck
on the leg by a coupling hub. The 53-year-old member, identified as Mr
Earney, was employed as a mechanical craft worker for Blue Circle Industries
plc at their factory premises in Westbury, Wiltshire.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 15 December 2007
Britain:
Payout for security officer injured in burglary
A University of Manchester security guard who suffered a broken collar
bone and finger during a burglary in a campus launderette, has received
a compensation payout of over £13,000. UNISON member Gerard Darlington,
48, was working the night shift when a report came in that there were
noises heard in the launderette.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 15 December 2007
Britain:
Unions make unsafe employers pay
Trade union legal services continues to provide crucial support for injured
workers.
Pattinson and Brewer news releases on lorry
driver, home
carer and panel
beater settlements Thompsons Solicitors news releases on tomato
slip and hernia
settlements
Hazards news, 8 December 2007
Britain:
Six figure payout for job ending injury
A Merseyside man whose life has been seriously impaired as a result of
a serious back injury at work has received a 250,000 payout from Glen
Dimplex Cooking. The 61-year-old Unite member from Prescot, worked as
a facilities engineer for the firm and sustained a serious back injury
when he fell down a damp sloping grass verge whilst reading meters at
one of the firm’s factory buildings.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Britain:
Drivers get slip up payouts
A bus driver and a lorry driver, both members of the union Unite, have
received compensation after slipping at work. London bus driver Stephen
Jacobs received £6,000 compensation after falling on a wet floor
after leaving a toilet at a terminus and Simon Omer, an HGV driver with
supermarket chain Sainsbury’s received £5,250 after slipping
and injuring his left knee.
Pattinson & Brewer news releases on the Jacobs
and the Omer
cases
Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Britain:
Port worker receives asbestos settlement
A retired Port of London Authority (PLA) worker has received £23,500
compensation after being diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural thickening.
Unite secured the compensation for Terence O’Connell, 84, who worked
for the PLA from 1937 until 1975, save for the wartime years when he served
in the RAF.
Pattinson
& Brewer news release
Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Britain:
UK gripped by ‘no compensation’ culture
The number of workplace personal injury claims are low and falling fast,
new research for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has found. The
study by researchers from the University of Warwick’s School of
Law has undermined the popular view that UK citizens are engaging in a
spiralling ‘compensation culture’ with ever increasing claims
against allegedly negligent companies and organisations.
University
of Warwick news release • A survey of changes in the volume
and composition of claims for damages for occupational injury or ill health
resulting from the Management of Health and Safety at Work and Fire Precautions
(Workplace) (Amendment) Regulations 2003, RR593, HSE, 2007 [pdf]
Hazards news, 17 November 2007
Britain:
Settlement For severed finger
A Kent warehouse worker has received over £4,000 compensation after
losing the tip of his finger in an incident at work. Unite member Keith
Deehy was working for MBL Thamesmead when as he attempted to close the
roller shutter door of a vehicle it moved forward, trapping his fingers
and slicing off the top of his left middle finger.
Pattinson
& Brewer Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 10 November 2007
Britain:
Rigger gets broken wrist payout
A ship’s rigger from Plymouth has been awarded £12,000 damages
after breaking his wrist helping HMS Somerset to dock. The Ministry of
Defence (MoD) and Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd agreed the payment to Unite
member Kevin Renyard, 44.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 10 November 2007
Britain:
Union delivers knock out service
A worker knocked out by a flying crate has been awarded £9,500 compensation.
Unite member Roger Loughran, 37, was employed as a sweeper/driver by Onyx.
He was loading bread crates, which were left on a pavement, on to an open
caged lorry when he was hit in the face by a crate thrown by his work
colleague.
Pattinson
& Brewer Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 10 November 2007
Britain:
Six figure payout for devastating injuries
A painter and decorator has received a settlement worth up to £5m
after safety failings led to an incident that left him with brain damage.
The High Court in London heard how Alan Miah, 45, from Luton, was left
seriously injured after he fell through scaffolding in October 2003.
BBC
News Online
Hazards news, 3 November 2007
Britain:
Metal firm pays for deafness
A worker who suffered serious hearing loss as a result of exposure to
noise in a metal extrusion firm has received a compensation payout. GMB
member Stuart Capell, aged 61, brought his claim after realising that
his hearing had become impaired after working at Alcoa Extruded Products
(UK) Ltd, of Banbury and received a £3,500 settlement.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 3 November 2007
Britain:
Workplace visit leads to costly slip up
A Birmingham woman who injured her back and knee after slipping on vomit
on the floor of a college nursery has received damages of £8,500.
The woman was on maternity leave from Birmingham’s City College
and was visiting her manager to finalise her return to work.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 27 October 2007
Britain:
Grass cutting caused vibration injury
A council gardener has developed debilitating vibration white finger (VWF)
as a result of cutting grass with strimmers and mowers. GMB member Robert
Llewellyn received £3,000 compensation from Cardiff County Council.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 27 October 2007
Britain:
Health workers may be due extra payouts
The British Medical Association (BMA) says an NHS work-related injury
and ill-health compensation scheme has been under-paying some claimants.
It is advising any member who has received compensation for an injury
at work since 1972 to check they are receiving their full entitlement.
BMA news release • Guide
to the NHS Industry Benefits Scheme [pdf]
Hazards news, 20 October 2007
Britain:
Pleural plaques ruling “a disgrace”
Thousands of workers with an asbestos-related condition will not be able
to claim compensation following a ruling by Law Lords. Union leaders and
lawyers attacked the decision to end claims for pleural plaques, usually
caused by exposure to asbestos.
Unite
news release • Prospect
news release • Asbestos
Victims Support Groups Forum news release • House
of Lords appeal judgment, 17 October 2007
Hazards news, 20 October 2007
Britain:
Payouts only ease financial misery
Construction union UCATT has secured six figure
payouts on behalf of the families of two workers killed at work, but says
cash is no real recompense and can only ease the financial misery. In
May 2002 the two steeplejacks, Paul Wakefield and Craig Whelan, were killed
in a chimney fireball at the Metal Box plant in Bolton.
UCATT
news release
Hazards news, 20 October 2007
Britain:
Attacked healthcare assistant gets payout
A healthcare assistant injured trying to assist a colleague who was being
attacked by a patient, has received almost £5,000 in compensation.
The unnamed UNISON member, aged 53, received the payout from Dorset Healthcare
NHS Trust as a result of the thumb injury sustained in the incident at
Kings Park Community Hospital.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 13 October 2007
Britain:
Golf clubbed worker get crime payout
A council driver has received an £8,575 criminal injuries payout
after being attacked with a golf club. The award made to Calderdale council
worker William Roberts, a member of the union Unite, was almost seven
times the amount originally offered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation
Authority (CICA).
John
Pickering and Partners news release
Hazards news, 13 October 2007
Britain: Mum wants
action not compensation
The daughter and girlfriend of a steeplejack killed by a fireball as he
worked demolishing a 60-metre high chimney have received £335,000
compensation in a UCATT-backed case. Father-of-one Craig Whelan –
whose mother, Linda, is a founder member of Families Against Corporate
Killers (FACK) - was just 23 when he died while working on the chimney
at Carnaud Metal Box Plc's Bolton factory in May 2002.
FACK
news release
Hazards news, 13 October 2007
Britain: Worker
floored by rubber door
A hospital clerical officer who was injured when a large, heavy door fell
on top of her has been awarded damages of £5,350. UNISON member
Amy Whitcombe, 26, was working at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend
when the incident occurred.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 6 October 2007
Britain: Collapsing
cab seat compo payout
London Underground is to pay damages to a train driver who was injured
when his cab seat collapsed. Train drivers’ union ASLEF secured
the compensation for the unnamed member.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 29 September 2007
Britain: Six
figure payout for dental nurse allergy
A dental nurse who had to pack in work after developing occupational dermatitis
has received a £200,000 payout. The 50-year-old UNISON member, who
has not been named, worked for the Central Manchester Primary Care Trust
and developed the debilitating skin condition as a result of using latex
gloves between 1980 and 2004.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 29 September 2007
Australia:
Work rights attack is hurting safety
There has been an alarming growth in the number of workers whose health
and safety rights are at risk as a result of reforms introduced by the
Australian federal government, unions have warned. National union federation
ACTU says the Howard government’s poorly resourced workers’
compensation and inspection scheme, Comcare, it being pushed as a cut
price, second class alternative to much more comprehensive state-based
systems.
ACTU
news release
Hazards news, 22 September 2007
Britain: Finger injury
leads to payout
A poorly training packaging worker who suffered a serious finger injury
has been awarded a £5,500 payout in a union backed case. Unite member
Ian Brown, 25, suffered the injury when his finger became trapped in a
machine that had no protective guard in place.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 22 September 2007
Britain: Injured
jockey gets £85k compensation
Jockey Andrew Ball has won an £85,000 payout for an injury sustained
when he was kicked y a horse and that put an end to his career.
Wiltshire
Gazette and Herald • Hazards
compensation webpages
Hazards news, 15 September 2007
Britain: Tesco pays
out to injured employees
Supermarket giant Tesco has had its safety approach called into question
after two workers were compensated for workplace injury. The Unite members
worked at a Tesco Distribution Centre in Purfleet, Essex.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 18 August 2007
Britain:
Attacked nurse gets £21,500 compensation
A staff nurse at Broadmoor Hospital has received a £21,500 payout
following two assaults by a patient. Trade union UNISON secured the compensation
for Lucia Johnson, after she was assaulted in December 2002 and July 2003.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 18 August 2007
Britain:
Upped work rate caused clerk's strain injury
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has paid out almost £500,000 after
an RAF computer clerk developed a chronic repetitive strain injury caused
by an increased work rate. A total of £484,000 in compensation and
legal costs was awarded following the onset of the condition in the hand
of the unnamed employee.
Birmingham
Post
Hazards news, 4 August 2007
Britain: Nestlé
pays out for tennis elbow cases
Nestlé UK Ltd has paid compensation to four workers at the coffee
making giant's site at Burton on Trent after each of them developed tennis
elbow – mirroring the experiences of workers at another of the company’s
plants in Brazil. Steven Davis, received £11,000, a colleague £4,000
and two other workers undisclosed sums after developing the occupational
strain injury.
IUF
news release
Hazards news, 28 July 2007
Britain: Miner
compensation delays criticised
A Government department has been accused of delaying compensation to ex-miners
whose health suffered as a result of working down pits because of “significant
weaknesses” in planning the payouts. A report by the National Audit
Office (NAO) also identified additional costs to the two schemes, which
have so far paid out £3.6 billion to 575,000 claimants for an occupational
lung disease (430,000 cases of Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease settled
by 31 March) and for vibration white finger (145,000 VWF claims settled).
NAO
news release • Coal Health Compensation Schemes: Report
by the Comptroller and Auditor General, HC 608 2006-2007, 18 July
2007, executive
summary and full report [pdf]
Hazards news, 21 July 2007
Britain: Retired
driver gets skin rash payout
A retired machine driver has successfully claimed compensation for an
uncomfortable work-related skin rash that could easily have been prevented.
James Quinn, 68, from Leeds, was employed with Mone Brothers Civil Engineering
Limited from 1985 to 2004 and was required to fill up machines and this
meant he came into contact with diesel, hydraulic and engine oils, along
with lubricant grease on a daily basis.
Irwin
Mitchell Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 14 July 2007
Britain: Groundsman
gets payout for lost limb
A Kent groundsman has secured an undisclosed compensation payout after
losing a limb in an accident at work. UNISON member Roger Adams, from
Dartford, Kent, who works as a groundsman for North West Kent College,
was using a tractor mower to cut grass in October 2003 when the mower
became blocked.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 14 July 2007
Britain: Rail
firm pays for safety slip up
Chiltern Railways has been ordered to pay compensation of £10,000
to PCS member Richard Wilmot after he broke his right shoulder on the
station concourse as he approached the ticket barrier at Marylebone station.
He slipped on a wet floor – the company had not repaired a leaking
roof.
Thompsons Solicitors news releases on the Wilmot
case
Hazards news, 7 July 2007
Britain: Firm fails in
bid to block injury payout
The firm operating the Newcastle metro system has failed in a bid to block
an injury payout to metro train driver. An appeal by transport executive
organisation NEXUS at Newcastle Upon Tyne Law Courts was rejected, and
the company must now pay the £7,300 damages it owes the metro train
driver, who was injured following the failure of an overhead line.
Thompsons Solicitors news releases on the Richardson
case
Hazards news, 7 July 2007
Britain: Modern miner
gets deafness payout
A miner and GMB member whose hearing was severely damaged working for
just 11 years in modern coal mines has received a £4,500 payout.
UK Coal Ltd is to pay the damages to former employee David Burns, 49.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 23 June 2007
Britain: Harassed
worker secures settlement
A building attendant who suffered from bullying and harassment at work
has been awarded damages. Shaun Kernon, 38, will receive the undisclosed
out-of-court settlement from his employer, Gateshead Council.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 23 June 2007
Britain:
Poor training led to disfiguring injuries
A Rotherham man has been awarded £15,000 in an out-of-court settlement
after suffering a serious workplace injury to his face which has resulted
in permanent disfigurement. Sean Blanchard, 35, a married father of two
wo had been employed by Avery Berkel based in Sheffield for 16 years,
had not been properly trained for the job.
Irwin
Mitchell solicitors news release • Hazards
compensation news and resources
Hazards news , 16 June 2007
Britain: Jarvis pays
for knee injury
Construction firm Jarvis is to pay £8,000 damages to a rail worker
injured as a result of safety breaches. RMT member Eric Barker tripped
over a brake handle at a York depot in October 2004, sustaining knee injuries
that required several weeks off work.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news , 16 June 2007
Britain: Powertrain
workers in legal victory
More than 20 former Powertrain workers struck down by work-related breathing
difficulties have won the fight to lodge industrial disease benefit claims.
The workers, members of the TGWU section of Unite, triumphed in a long-running
battle to allow sufferers of extrinsic allergic alveolitis - EAA, also
known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis - to lodge disability claims.
Birmingham
Mail • Hazards
compensation webpage
Hazards news, 9 June 2007
Britain:
Scarred worker gets compensation payout
A Royal Mail worker who suffered multiple injuries and scarring in a loading
bay fall has received a £15,000 compensation payout. Michael Cleary,
48, a member of Unite’s Amicus section, was standing on a scissor
lift at Cardiff Mail Centre when he slipped into a gap between the bridge
flap and a TNT lorry, sustaining injuries to his knee, back, chest and
groin.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Hazards
compensation webpage
Hazards news, 9 June 2007
Britain: Redundant
worker receives ligament support
A GMB member has secured substantial compensation in a case settled on
the court steps. The damages were agreed following an incident at work
which left Mark Stewart with a ruptured knee ligament; the injury affected
his future working capacity and he was made redundant by the firm on 27
May.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 2 June 2007
Britain:
Union wins hearing damage payout
A worker from Goole, Humberside, who is suffering two debilitating health
problems caused by exposure to excessive noise at work has received a
£4,000 compensation settlement. Malcolm Goddard, 60, a member of
Unite’s Amicus section and former Corus employee, suffers from severe
occupational deafness and tinnitus, a ringing in the ears.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 12 May 2007
Britain:
Payout for artist after slip in pigeon poop
A London artist has secured £20,000 compensation following injuries
sustained when she fell on wet pigeon excrement whilst walking under a
railway bridge in Battersea in May 2003. Lois Matcham, aged 64, secured
the damages with the support of her union UNISON, despite the injury not
being work-related and her being a retired member.
Risks 301, 7 April 2007
Canada:
Firefighter won final cancer battle
A Toronto fire captain who died of work-related colon cancer this month
was laid to rest last week with full honours. Gary Allen Wilson, 48, was
found to have died in the line of duty after the Workplace Safety Insurance
Board (WSIB) declared his cancer to be related to the chemicals and smoke
he was exposed to on the job.
Risks 300, 31 March 2007 • Hazards
work cancer webpages
Australia:
ABC breast cancer victims in compo bid
Eight of the 13 women who developed breast cancer in the last 11 years
while working at the ABC's Toowong studios, in Brisbane, Australia, have
filed workers' compensation claims.
Risks 300, 31 March 2007
• Hazards
work cancer webpages
Britain:
Union legal protection pays off
Unions continue to offer the best free legal support around, representing
thousands of members suffering as a result of poor workplace health and
safety standards.
Risks 300, 31 March 2007
Britain:
Family’s payout fight after shredder death
The family of a recycling plant foreman who died when he was pulled through
a paper shredder in front of his teenage son have launched a High Court
battle for more than £400,000 compensation. Father-of-three Kevin
Arnup, 36, was working alongside his son Jason at the MW White Ltd recycling
plant in Station Road, Ketteringham, near Norwich.
Risks 299, 24 March 2007
Britain:
Payouts for workers injured in work falls
Two workers injured in workplace falls have received substantial compensation
payouts.
Risks 299, 24 March 2007
Britain:
Car mechanic gets asbestos payout
A car mechanic has been awarded £300,000 compensation from former
employers after he contracted the asbestos cancer mesothelioma as a result
of working on cars with asbestos brake and clutch pads. Jonathan Hutchinson,
50, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2003, after working as a garage
mechanic for a range of firms in the 1970s and 1980s and stripped out
brake pads which contained asbestos dust.
Risks 298, 17 March 2007 • Action
Mesothelioma • Hazards asbestos
webpages
Britain:
Soap firm settles for scaly skin
Toiletries giant PZ Cussons has paid out £10,000 to a former employee
who developed occupational dermatitis. The 35-year-old TGWU member from
Nottingham was required to wear latex gloves to protect his hands from
workplace chemicals and went on to develop latex allergy.
Risks 298, 17 March 2007 • Hazards
work and health
webpages
Britain:
Health service slip leads to payout
A nursing auxiliary who suffered injury to her back after falling down
a steep and slippery slope at work has been awarded compensation by her
employer, the Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust. UNISON member Jennifer
Allso, 55, of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, sustained the injury in April
2005.
Risks 298, 17 March 2007
Britain:
Vibrating injury victim secures compensation
A production worker has secured £7,000 compensation after developing
debilitating hand and arm conditions caused by exposure to vibrating tools.
The union GMB has secured the payout from two former employers of John
Coggon, 52, who was diagnosed with vibration white finger (VWF) and carpal
tunnel syndrome (CTS) in September 2005 following his employment with
National Power from 1977 to 1992 and then Newells from 1992 to 2002.
Risks 298, 17 March 2007 •
Hazards work and health webpages
Britain:
Widow gets £355,000 asbestos payout
The widow of a former Vickers employee who died from mesothelioma has
received a £355,000 payout. Jean Allen, 69, secured the compensation
following the death of her husband Keith from the asbestos-related cancer
in 2004.
Risks 297, 10 March 2007
Britain:
Most reportable work accidents not reported
New research for the Health and Safety Executive suggests most legally-reportable
workplace accidents, including major injuries, are not being reported.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool interviewed 581 patients
at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital who had suffered reportable
work-related injuries and found only 30 per cent of reportable accidents
to employees were in fact reported.
Risks 296, 3 March 2007 • work
and health webpages
Britain:
Payout for road work vibration injuries
A road worker from Derby has secured £42,000 compensation for injuries
caused by exposure to vibrating tools. The UNISON member secured the compensation
from Derbyshire County Council after developing vibration white finger
(VWF) and carpal tunnel syndrome, both potentially disabling occupational
diseases.
Risks 294, 17 February 2007
Britain:
Six figure payout for man infected by sick parrot
A man left debilitated after catching a disease from a parrot at work
has received a £700,000 out-of-court settlement. Glyn Atherton,
35, was working at Focus Do It All in Nottingham in March 2000 when he
caught psittacosis, an occupational lung disease similar to pneumonia,
from a parrot belonging to Petworld, a pet store renting space on the
premises.
Risks 293, 10 February 2007
Britain:
Huge payout for Corus blast survivor
An Amicus member who suffered 43 per cent burns in a steel blast furnace
explosion which killed three other workers has received a “huge”
six-figure payout. Peter Clement, 54, was one of 12 workers injured in
the blast at the Port Talbot steelworks in November 2001.
Risks 293, 10 February 2007
• More from Hazards
on Corus safety
Britain:
Six figure payout in disability discrimination case
A council worker who was sacked by fax while on sick leave has received
a reported £130,000 in compensation in an out-of-court settlement.
Elizabeth McDonald had claimed disability discrimination and unfair dismissal
against Walsall Council, but settled her case when the offer was made
during tribunal proceedings.
Risks 292, 3 February 2007
Britain:
NHS to get work accident payback
The NHS could claim back over £150m a year for treating employees
injured at work, the government has said. The money would be recovered
from insurance companies in cases where personal injury compensation has
been paid to workers.
Risks 292, 3 February 2007
Britain:
Work injury and disease benefits to be reviewed
The TUC has said an official review of the occupational injury and disease
benefits system must improve and extend its scope. The review of the Industrial
Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme “is part of the government’s
commitment to help more people move off benefits and back into work,”
says DWP.
Risks 292, 3 February 2007
Britain:
Real concern over school safety, union warns
Scotland’s schools and colleges are not doing enough to make schools
safer, teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has
warned. The union’s figures show that last year, injuries to teachers
and lecturers resulting from accidents or assaults during working hours
led to a compensation and legal bill of around a quarter of a million
pounds.
Risks 289, 13 January 2007
Britain:
Kitchen assistant awarded £60,000 after fall
A kitchen assistant who fell after being distracted by a faulty hot drinks
machine has been awarded more than £60,000 in compensation. Helen
Given, 61, broke her hip and right wrist in the fall, spent 10 weeks in
hospital and was bed-ridden for six months.
Risks 288, 23 December 2006
Britain:
Six figure payout after injury travelling home
An electrical worker who suffered career-ending injuries on a ferry when
travelling home after working away has been awarded £140,000. Amicus
member George Shimmans, an electrical craftsman from Denbighshire, received
the payout after being medically retired as a result of back injuries
sustained on the Condor Ferries’ craft.
Risks 288, 23 December 2006
Australia:
Self-insurance for firms to hurt workers
A new Australian government move encouraging big businesses to self-insure
for workers’ compensation could mean substantially reduced payouts
for injured workers and could significantly lower the national standard
of workplace health and safety, union federation ACTU has warned. It said
the federal government is supporting moves by large businesses to withdraw
from state-based schemes linked to enforcement, and instead sign up as
self-insurers under the national Comcare scheme.
Risks 287, 16 December 2006
Britain:
Insurance firms aim to add insult to injury
New research has shown that four out of five personal injury victims don't
trust insurers to compensate them fairly without legal representation
and over three quarters are not confident of bringing a claim themselves.
The Law Society says it research shows an insurance industry proposal
to increase the current limit of £1,000 for personal injury cases
on the small claims track, where people are expected to represent themselves,
will effectively leave thousands of victims unable to pursue justified
claims, making insurance companies the big winners.
Risks 287, 16 December 2006
Britain:
New warning on insurers
Injured people should not be pursued and pressured by third party insurers
who offer them upfront cash to “deal direct,” the president
of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has warned. Unions
have also raised concerns about their members, who are entitled to union
legal cover for workplace and frequently out of work accidents, getting
poor treatment at the hand of no-win/no fee outfits.
Risks 285, 2 December 2006
Britain:
Firefighter sees off compensation threat
An injured Surrey firefighter has defeated a Court of Appeal challenge
which could have overturned his compensation payout. Surrey Fire and Rescue
Service (SFRS), which had argued John Pennington “should not have
attempted to save a driver’s life”, lost its appeal which
would have stripped the firefighter of £3,115.
Risks 284, 25 November 2006
Britain:
Uninsured boss fined £11,500 after teen injury
A company owner who did not have the legally required injury insurance
has been told to pay up £11,500 in fines, costs and compensation
after a teenage mechanic was injured. Andrew Richardson was found guilty
of not having Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance after 17-year-old
mechanic Yana Jones, who he paid £3 an hour, suffered injuries to
her left leg resulting in a hospital stay and permanent scarring.
Risks 284, 25 November 2006
Britain:
Work injury forces octagenarian’s retirement
A Sheffield octogenarian has had to give up work after sustaining a serious
workplace injury. John Moffatt, 80, received a £5,000 out-of-court
settlement from his former employer after suffering the shoulder injury
at work in January 2005.
Risks 283, 18 November 2006
Britain:
Union cuts traffic accident deal for teenage butcher
A teenage TGWU member from Devon has secured £4,000 in compensation
after being hit by a car as he used a zebra crossing. Butcher James Broom,
19, was injured in August 2004 when a driver failed to give way at the
crossing.
Risks 283, 18 November 2006
Britain:
Poisonous package leads to payout
A TGWU member who was taken ill after being exposed to toxic fumes at
work is to receive £1,200 compensation. Tony Green from Solihull
was employed as a stock controller by Yuasa of Birmingham, one of the
world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of valve regulated lead-acid
batteries.
Risks 283, 18 November 2006
Britain:
Paralysed refuse worker, 21, gets £3.75m payout
A 21-year-old refuse collection worker has been awarded £3.75m compensation
after an accident which left him paralysed. Birmingham High Court heard
Richard Taylor was in a refuse lorry which overturned last year.
Risks 282, 11 November 2006
Britain:
Granddaughter gets asbestos cancer
A 45-year-old woman dying as a result of exposure to asbestos from her
grandfather’s work clothing has been awarded a £145,000 payout.
Michelle Campbell said she loved sitting on granddad Charles Frost’s
knee and enjoying a chat when he popped in to visit on his way home from
his job at Portsmouth dockyards.
Risks 282, 11 November 2006
Britain:
Welder receives £100,000 in injured hand case
A welder who suffered an horrific hand injury leading to the amputation
of a finger has received a £100,000 payout. Amicus member Donald
Ford received the out-of-court settlement from Langley Holdings plc after
suffering a serious injury to his left hand in December 2003.
Risks 282, 11 November 2006
Britain:
Ladder fall victim lands £90,000 payout
A GMB member who suffered a serious wrist injury in a workplace fall has
received £90,000 compensation. Ian Mitchell suffered “terrible
injuries” in a fall from a ladder caused by dangerously uneven flooring.
Risks 282, 11 November 2006
Britain:
Vibration plus repetition equals compensation minus job
A worker who suffered career-ending ill-health caused by exposure to vibration
and repetitive work has received a £20,000 compensation payout.
Amicus member Michael Jones, 63, developed vibration white finger (VWF)
then carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) while working at a GE Engine Aircraft
Services plant near Caerphilly, and received compensation for both.
Risks 281, 4 November 2006
Britain:
Student job leads to flattened thumbs
A Sheffield student has had both his thumbs crushed during a part-time
construction job. Neil Goodchild, 22, received an out-of-court settlement
of £6,250 after sustaining severe crushing injuries to both his
thumbs leaving him with residual numbness.
Risks, 271, 26 August 2006
Britain:
Six figure settlement after rail worker’s death
The family of a rail worker killed by a train near Purley Oaks station
have received £160,000 compensation. Nurani Kassim, 36, was part
of a maintenance team checking rails for defects just months after the
Hatfield rail disaster in October 2000.
Risks 264, 8 July 2006
Britain:
White finger sufferer gets four digit payout
A Leeds man has been awarded a £7,500 compensation payout after
he contracted the industrial disease vibration white finger (VWF). Barry
Wallis, 47, was awarded the sum following a claim against Insituform Technologies
Ltd, based in Wakefield.
Risks 261, 17 June 2006
Britain:
£600,000 for man crushed by truck
An adventure guide left paraplegic after a trucked toppled on him is to
receive £600,000 compensation. Brian Thomson, 38, from East Lothian,
sued his former employer, Exodus Travel, for failing to provide adequate
equipment.
Risks 261, 17 June 2006
Britain:
Broken leg payout after 8 foot fall
An Amicus member has been awarded an £77,178 payout after suffering
a broken leg in a fall from a ladder. Alan Arthur, a moulding machine
operator, fractured his shin bone when he fell from an 8ft ladder at Lectroheat
Industrial Heating Limited's plant in Bedwas in March, 2004.
Risks 261, 17 June 2006
Britain:
Lords slash asbestos payouts
Thousands of widows will not receive full compensation for their husbands'
deaths from asbestos-related cancer, Law Lords have ruled. The 3 May majority
decision will mean there will be a compensation limit in cases involving
several employers, none of whom can be blamed categorically for the onset
of the fatal illness.
Risks 255, 6 May 2006 • Barker (Respondent)
v. Corus (UK) plc (Appellants) (formerly Barker (Respondent) v. Saint
Gobain Pipelines plc (Appellants)) Murray (widow and executrix of the
estate of John Lawrence Murray (deceased)) (Respondent) v. British Shipbuilders
(Hydrodynamics) Limited (Appellants) and others and others (Appellants)
Patterson (son and executor of the estate of J Patterson (deceased)) (Respondent)
v. Smiths Dock Limited (Appellants) and others (Conjoined Appeals. Full
House of Lords judgment
Britain:
High pice paid for poor school conditions
Figures released at teaching union NASUWT’s conference show the
union won a record £7.6m compensation last year in personal injury
payouts and employment tribunal awards. Over £1.8m was awarded to
members in personal injury claims last year.
Risks 253, 22 April 2006
Britain:
Gruesome jail death inquiry call
A solicitor has called for a public inquiry into events surrounding a
Hannibal Lecter-style killing of a prisoner by his cellmate. The call
came after six warders, members of the prison officers’ union POA,
were awarded over £1m in compensation for witnessing the aftermath
of the attack.
Risks 249, 25 March 2006
Britain:
TUC warning on compensation reforms
The TUC is urging the government not to undermine the existing personal
injury compensation scheme. A new TUC report, 'Personal injury claims:
Proposals for change', says that the current system is working well by
and large and says that recent criticisms have been from those attempting
to reduce the ability of injured or ill workers to claim against negligent
employers.
Risks 249, 25 March 2006
Britain:
Worker gets £33,750 for bouncy castle injury
A youth centre worker accused by his employer of faking a back injury
has been awarded £33,000 in compensation in a union-backed case.
UNISON member Dean Gibbon, 51, received the payout from Durham County
Council after being injured putting away a deflated bouncy castle.
Risks 246, 4 March 2006
Britain:
No compensation for lost leg
A Swansea man who lost a leg in a forklift accident when still in his
teens has lost his battle for compensation. John Paul Jones was just 19
when in July 2000 his leg was crushed in an accident after he collected
pallets in the factory yard.
Risks 245, 25 February 2006
Britain:
£1m payout after 11-storey fall
A lift engineer who fell 150ft down a lift shaft at London's Canary Wharf
has been awarded almost £1m in compensation. Solicitors for Gary
Smith, 40, said he had undergone more than 20 operations since the accident
in 2001 yet he was still videoed by Zurich, insurer for lift firm Kone,
and was accused of being a “malingerer”.
Risks 244, 18 February 2006
Britain:
Payout after faulty seat causes permanent injury
A Sheffield man has been awarded £47,000 in an out-of-court settlement
with his former employer after injuring his back at work and sustaining
a permanent disability. Robert Hopkinson, 45, damaged his spine in January
2002 whilst working as a driver for waste disposal company Onyx UK.
Risks 244, 18 February 2006
Britain:
Injured yes, compensated no
A labourer engulfed by an explosion during slum clearance work in Liverpool
has left the Appeal Court empty-handed after failing for the second time
to secure a damages payout from his former employers. James William Brown,
41, was part of a gang clearing derelict council houses on 6 November
2003, when an exploding object in a small fire lit on the site left him
with horrific injuries to his face and eyes.
Risks 244, 18 February 2006
Britain:
Six figure payout for teacher after death threat
A teacher who quit her job at a Birmingham special school after being
threatened by a thug has won a £330,000 payout from Birmingham city
council. Anna Mongey, who was 43 at the time of the attack in 2001, received
the out-of-court settlement after the intruder confronted her at Lindsworth
Special School.
Risks 243, 11 February 2006
Britain:
Northern Electric pays for ladder fall
A company that failed to provide a safety aid or required safety training
has agreed to a compensation settlement after a worker was injured. Amicus
member Kevin Noble, 52, received the undisclosed sum from Northern Electric
Plc.
Risks 243, 11 February 2006
Britain:
Injured TV freelance gets injury payout
A freelance location manager who broke a knee cap and elbow after safety
warnings were ignored on the set of a TV drama has been awarded compensation.
Chris Hordley, a member of the TV and theatre union BECTU, was working
on David Jason's directing debut, ‘The Quest’.
Risks 243, 11 February 2006
Britain:
Amicus wins compensation for sacked print worker
A print worker targeted for redundancy after winning compensation for
a disabling strain injury has received a £45,000 payout for unfair
dismissal.
Risks 242, 4 February 2006
Britain:
Company pays out £75,000 for work asthma
A former factory worker struck down by asthma
caused by exposure to workplace chemicals has been awarded £75,000
in damages. David Simms began working for Wolverhampton-based Schenectady
Europe Ltd as a teenager and remained with them for 15 years until 2003,
when the company relocated to France.
Risks 240, 21 January 2006
USA:
Court upholds welder’s $1m Parkinson’s award
A US court as upheld a US$1m (£580,000) compensation award to a
welder who developed Parkinson’s disease he believes was caused
by exposure to manganese in welding fumes. Defendants in the case included
UK company BOC Group, which described the verdict as “an aberration”.
Risks 238, 7 January 2006
Britain:
Firm gets five digit fine for thumb injury
SmithKline Beecham plc has been fined £15,000 at East Berkshire
Magistrates Court after a worker's thumb was partially severed by machinery.
Parent company GlaxoSmithKline reported a before tax profit of £6.1
billion in 2004.
Risks 238, 7 January 2006
Britain:
Union tots up schools compensation
More than £180,000 has been paid out to education workers in Scotland
who have been victims of attacks or industrial accidents, Scottish teaching
union EIS has revealed. Legal costs took the total bill for local authorities
and educational establishments to almost £250,000 in 2005.
Risks 238, 7 January 2006
Britain:
Amicus secures huge payouts for injured workers
A foundry worker who lost his right arm at work in 1985 is now facing
amputation of his left arm as a result of a second industrial injury at
the same firm. His union Amicus has secured a £1,450,000 compensation
settlement. In a second case settled by the union, a Nissan employee,
46-year-old Mike Gregg, was awarded an out-of-court settlement of £85,000
as a result of a neck injury sustained at work.
Risks 238, 7 January 2006
Britain:
Lawyers and insurers clash on compensation
Insurance industry proposals to speed up and reform the personal injury
system could result in more profits for insurers and lower payouts for
claimants, lawyers have warned.
Risks 237, 17 December 2005
Britain:
Compensation for minor injuries nurse
A nurse at Newquay's minor injuries unit has been awarded compensation
after slipp | 
