Employee Compensated after Grievous Injury from Vibration Tools
John Sides, a team leader for Barrow-based cleaning products manufacturing company Robert McBride Ltd, was paid a compensation of 17,500 pounds by his employer in an out-of-court settlement, after he hurt his shoulder permanently during work.
Sides’ injury was caused by using a handheld grinder for two continuous days. Sides had been given this equipment for the first time by his employer, without any training on how to use it. After two days of prolonged use, when his right shoulder was sore, Sides decided to undergo a check up, whereupon it was found that he had strained his shoulder badly. He has in fact suffered a permanent injury due to which he will not be able to raise his arm above his shoulder level. He will also be unable to paint and decorate.
Sides’ union the GMB alleged that his injury was a direct consequence of the employer’s negligence in providing him with any training on how to handle the equipment. It was found that long hours of exposure to high vibrations from the grinder had caused the pain and the subsequent injury. The union instructed its lawyers Thompsons Solicitors to file a compensation claim, following which the company admitted liability for the accident and settled the issue out of court.
Regional Secretary of the GMB, Tom Brennan, said Sides’ injury was caused because the vibration level of the tool was too high. He added that the accident could have been averted if Sides had been trained properly to use the grinder, which would have enabled him to use it while minimising the vibrations from it.
Paul Morpeth from Thompsons Solicitors explained the gravity of the injury by saying that Sides will never be able to do the same type of work again. He added that a proper risk assessment and adequate training could have helped in saving Sides from such a condition.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations require employers to conduct risk assessments of manual handling activities and to provide appropriate training for their employees. The Manual Handling Courses, available through the Workplace Law Network, will benefit organisations in attaining Legal compliance with the requirement to train persons involved in manual handling activities along with a reduction in the risk of injury.
