It was reported in The Eastwood Advertiser yesterday that a council worker named Mr Andrew Bowler has been awarded £60,000 in compensation having suffered severe damage to his hands. It is said that Mr Bowler’s hands are irrevocably damaged having used vibrating work equipment for over 30 years and having been made to continue working with the same equipment despite developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
What this has meant is that, because Mr Bowler has been exposed to excessive amounts of vibration, he has suffered a tingling sensation in his fingers and hands and has complained that his muscles feeling numb and often weak. As a result he has had had surgery on his hands, but unfortunately this has not been successful and has left him permanently damaged.
Mr Bowler sought the expert advice of personal injury lawyers following his injury; something that we at The Injury Lawyers would always recommend to someone in that position, or in fact anyone with a potential personal injury claim. His representatives argued correctly that Mr Bowler’s employers should have taken precautions when allowing their employees to work with vibrating work equipment. That is, Mr Bowler should have been made aware of the perils of prolonged usage of vibrating work equipment, and his employers should have done as much as they could to make sure that the usage of this vibrating work equipment was not continuous. For example, Mr Bowler should have been allowed regular breaks and a change of activities at certain intervals so that he was not exposed to excessive vibrations.
As I imagine most of you reading this blog would agree, it is wrong that Mr Bowler now has to live with the results of his employers’ negligence for the rest of his life. As Mr Bowler himself told The Eastwood Advertiser, ‘I’ve got to live with this condition for the rest of my life. I can no longer look after my garden or do DIY which I loved’. If you have similarly been injured at work and feel that this is not your fault, it is likely that you may have a potential claim for compensation. You should therefore seek the free advice of an expert injury lawyer who will be able to advise you accordingly. If they take your claim on they will seek to recover compensation for your injuries and for any subsequent loss of earnings or enjoyment, as Mr Bowler did.
At The Injury Lawyers our advice is independent and free. We are just one telephone call away.
