In 2009 UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, gained £28,787,913 in personal injury compensation for members and their families. The compensation represents 3728 legal cases for injuries and although road traffic accidents top the list, slips and falls, assaults, needlestick and back injuries make up some of the most common forms of injury at work.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:
“This £28m represents a huge amount of pain and suffering by members and their families. Our members work in many different areas – nurses, social workers, care workers, dinner ladies, teaching assistants and librarians – but what they all have in common is that their jobs are never considered to be dangerous. But these statistics show that in the worst cases, members are left severely disabled and others are forced to give up work, through injury.
“Sadly, many of these accidents could and should have been prevented by employers. Too often we hear health and safety directives being ridiculed. However, it is clear that some employers are still not taking the necessary steps to safeguard their staff.
“It is disgraceful that in 2009 so many UNISON members have suffered crippling back injuries, when, given the proper training or equipment, these could be prevented. And the number of attacks on staff going about their jobs is sickening. We need to make sure that anyone found guilty of assaulting a public sector worker is given a tough sentence, to act as a deterrent.
“I am calling on all employers to do all they can to make 2010 a safe and injury free year for their staff.”
Below is a breakdown of some settlements received by members in the regions:
Region Nos of Cases Amount (£)
Eastern 173 2,199,721.00
East Midlands 276 2,137,176.00
Greater London 281 3,114,861.50
Northern 368 2,506,518.10
Northern Ireland 51 341,696.87
North West 487 3,169,157.00
Scotland 300 2,227,758.90
South East 237 1,848,176.50
South West 242 2,843,250.10
Wales 317 1,714,142.70
West Midlands 426 2,429,492.30
Yorkshire & Humberside 570 4,255,965.20
TOTAL 3728 28,787,913.00
Some examples of personal injuries in 2009
South West
In November, paramedic Michael Kirkham, 58, from Brixham, Devon, received £200,000 in compensation, after he was forced to take early retirement. He became permanently disabled while attending an emergency call, when his bulky work equipment, which he had previously complained about, caught on a door handle. The former Newcastle under Lyme resident was awarded the payout from West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Eastern
A bin man, who seriously injured his shoulder while collecting rubbish for recycling, received £57,000 in compensation in September. Alan Shambrook, 55, from Stevenage, tripped on a raised paving slab in 2005 while working for the borough council. He had to have two operations on his shoulder, have 15 months off work, take a lesser-paid job and has been left unable to do a number of activities, including heavy lifting.
Greater London
A gardener, who lost his leg after he was crushed by a car, received £1.7m in compensation in December. The 33-year-old was clearing ivy and loading it into a lorry while working for a London council, when he was hit by a car and pinned between the two vehicles. The UNISON member’s left leg had to be amputated and he needed extensive surgery on his right knee. He suffers panic attacks and depression and has had to give up work.
The family of a former UNISON member received £140,000 in compensation in June following the death of Jim Crowe from mesothelioma. Jim, from Wood Green, in London, died aged 79, after developing the deadly disease while employed as a clerk of works for Haringey Council.
Yorkshire and Humberside
A lifeguard, who was forced to retire, after suffering a back injury while lifting faulty swimming pool steps, was awarded £50,000 compensation in August. David Barber, 62, from Rochdale, who had worked at the council-run sports centre for 20 years, had complained about the steps a number of times, but had been told that fixing them was not a priority.
Alan Thomas, from South Kirkby, Pontefract, received compensation for a hernia in August this year. The school caretaker had to take time off work for corrective surgery after moving a room divider at Common Road Infant School. The school’s Local Education Authority, Wakefield Council, admitted negligence and settled the claim out of court for £3,471.
North West
In June, a gardener, who was diagnosed with asbestos related cancer and told he had only months to live, was awarded £205,000. Mr Gaffney was exposed to asbestos while working for the University of Liverpool during the 1980s. The 57-year-old grandfather-of-five used to take his lunch breaks in the university boiler room, which had asbestos insulation.
In July the family of John Toker, 65, a joiner from Liverpool, also called for employers to be aware of asbestos dangers at work after he died from mesothelioma before he could spend his compensation from Sefton Borough Council.
South East
A lifeboat volunteer, who had received a royal honour for decades of life-saving, was awarded compensation in September after a car accident forced him to quit. Robert Briggs, from Hayling Island, Hampshire, had to see a chiropractor for years after suffering whiplash injuries. He was awarded £6,000 in compensation after he had to take time off work from his job as a Trading Standards Manager at Portsmouth Council.
East Midlands
Rita Stone, a laundry manager from Milton Keynes, was awarded £7,000 in October after her hand got jammed between a lift door and a laundry cage. Mrs Stone, who had to undergo a series of painful operations and was left with a scar, had previously reported the faulty cages to the hospital contractor, who had failed to take action to replace them.
West Midlands
UNISON won compensation for a father-of-two who was blinded and badly burnt during a serious accident. Anthony Briars, 36, was awarded the £6,000 form Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in February, after he lost his sight for several days and his face, arm and forearm were burnt when he was electrocuted by work equipment.
Mr Briars had been digging a hole in the pavement for street lamps to be fitted, but had not been warned about the risks for checking wires, had not been provided with a plan of the area and the equipment he used to check for wires was faulty.
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