This weekend I read an article about a delivery driver who received half a million pounds in compensation after he fell from his van. The York Press reported that Colin White was carrying out furniture deliveries in York in 2005 when the accident happened. Colin, along with a colleague, had been provided with a ‘tail lift’, a device for lowering items from the back of a van, by their employers. However, neither of them had been trained how to use it, but nevertheless they were expected to know how to use the device, and indeed were told to use it. Subsequently, when unloading furniture, Colin stepped back onto the tail lift which, to his detriment, had been moved, causing him to fall backwards and hit his neck. Colin suffered temporary paralysis and is now in constant pain. Colin was also told he will never work again and his wife has had to give up her job in order to care for him.
Because Colin suffered a personal injury through no fault of his own, Colin is entitled to compensation. In this case, Colin received £500,000 to cover the pain and suffering caused by his injuries – a direct result of his accident – and also to cover the future loss of earnings he has suffered as a result of being declared unfit to work ever again. If you have similarly been involved in an accident whilst at work, and subsequently sustained injury and loss, you may also be entitled to compensation. It is important that you seek the advice of a specialist injury lawyer who can tell you instantly whether you have a claim or not.
Colin, who now has to use a walking stick, a wheelchair, and a mobility scooter, has said ‘What happened to me could have been prevented if my colleague and I had been giving training in how to use the equipment provided.’ And he is exactly right! The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to make sure their employees go through full and thorough training for all aspects of their role. Employers are required to clearly demonstrate to their employees the dangers they may face at work and how to go about their job role in a safe way. They are also required to provide certain equipment and clothing to aid employees and make the workplace safer.
If you have suffered an injury whilst at work, and you have not been given any or any adequate training, you are entitled to make a claim for compensation. Feel free to give us a call for free and friendly advice for work accident claims.
