Richard was on industrial work placement in Newtownabbey where he was employed as a sheet metal worker. Whilst working, he was instructed by a superior employee to move 3 lengths of metal. The industrial term for this shape of metal is “load lock” and they were approximately 5ft long, 10cm wide and 2mm thick. As one would expect, the thin metal may be almost blade like in some instances which was the unfortunate case with the load lock carried by Richard.
Work Accident Injury
Although Richard was wearing his issued safety gloves, the metal was so sharp that it sliced through the gloves and cut his finger. The wound was so severe that Richard had to attend hospital, where he required 7 stitches. As a result of his injury, Richard was left with numbness and had difficulty bending his finger which forced him to undergo hand therapy. Richard’s employer remained largely unsympathetic towards the placement student’s accident and blamed him for its occurrence.
Accident at Work Claim
Fortunately, Richard’s family had been long-standing clients of Paschal O’Hare Solicitors and knew that we would do our utmost to assist their young relative. Richard approached this firm to ask that we pursue a claim for compensation against his employer on his behalf. A letter of claim was subsequently initiated against the defendant. As expected, liability was firmly denied by our client’s employer who insisted that Richard, a placement student, had received full training and had been instructed that carrying “load lock” required two people. Interestingly, the defendant stated that their training scheme also informs employees that if they do choose not to follow procedure, they should use cable ties.
Legal Proceedings Issued
Richard explained how his employer was incorrect and that he was specifically told by a superior employee to lift and carry the lengths of metal. He reminded that he was a placement student and a trainee at the time. In light of the employer’s denial of liability, we issued legal proceedings. A medical report was obtained from a consultant cosmetic surgeon which highlighted the full extent of Richard’s injuries. Before the case went to trial, the defendant’s solicitors approached this firm wishing to explore settlement negotiations. We obliged and a consultation took place at the High Court.
Negotiations settled this work accident claim and Richard received £11,000 compensation.
If you were injured at work like Richard, learn more about our services or contact us for a free no obligation discussion on how we can help you too.
