Assaults, car crashes, back injuries and slips at work are among the cases UNISON has won £27,398,985 worth of compensation for in 2010.
The UK’s largest public sector union has handled 3,893 cases to help members receive justice for the pain and suffering caused by personal injuries.
UNISON’s General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:
“A lot of these injuries could and should have been prevented. These jobs are not dangerous – nursery workers, dental technicians and dinner ladies – but, because employers have been negligent, some UNISON members have lost their health, families, confidence and careers.
“Employers have a duty of care and where they fail, workers and their families deserve compensation for the pain and suffering caused by personal injuries.
“Last year UNISON secured £28million for workplace injuries but, one year on, and it’s clear some employers have still not learnt their lesson and introduced safer working practices.
“Public sector workers already face pay freezes, job and service cuts, with worse to come. They deserve to be able to do a hard day’s work in a safe environment.”
Breakdown of compensation by region:
Eastern – 204 cases – £1,482,492.60 compensation
East Midlands – 345 cases – £2,600,048.30 compensation
Greater London – 239 cases – £2,752,227.50 compensation
Northern – 463 cases – £2,746,031.80 compensation
Northern Ireland – 143 cases – £559,509.72 compensation
North West – 519 cases – £3,155,907.60 compensation
Scotland – 224 cases – 1,602,762.20 compensation
South East – 196 cases – £1,952,433.30 compensation
South West – 186 cases – £2,443,894.50 compensation
Wales – 382 cases – £2,754,931.80 compensation
West Midlands – 428 cases – £2,025,836.40 compensation
Yorkshire and Humberside – 564 – £3,322,913.90 compensation
Examples of compensation cases for UNISON members:
* A children’s nursery officer, Beverley Hampshire, was crushed under a falling metal door and was awarded a substantial sum in compensation by Sheffield City Council’s First Start Children’s Centre. The 47-year-old, was fetching play equipment from an outdoor shed when the heavy metal door fell off its hinges, collapsing on her and trapping her against a fence. Sheffield City Council was found to be liable because it failed to provide Mrs Hampshire with a safe working environment.
* A 42-year-old council worker was awarded more than £15,000 in damages after a defective road trailer fell on his leg and fractured his foot and ankle. Stephen Mackmanamon, who was employed as a highways labourer for Broxtowe Borough Council, attempted to unhitch the trailer from the van that was towing it. The trailer, which did not have a jockey wheel, was carrying a tarmac roller weighing more than half a tonne.
* A dental technician for the Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust has received £7,000 compensation for neck injuries he developed due to his employer’s lack of health and safety procedures. Brian Hay, 47, needed surgery to correct his injuries, which developed after he was forced to sit in an unsafe posture for long periods of time while doing intensive dental technician work.
Mr Hay’s job involved making dental bridges and dentures and included close work grinding and polishing with tight precision tools. Thompsons Solicitors argued that given Mr Hay’s height, the NHS Trust should have risk-assessed his work station and provided him with suitable equipment to prevent unsafe posture. The NHS refused to admit liability but agreed to an out of court compensation settlement.
* The family of a woman who was killed because of an off-duty police officer’s reckless driving secured a £264,000 compensation settlement. Lyndsay Oldham was killed on the morning of April 6, 2007 while taking a walk with her teenage children David and Emma near the family home in Ainsworth, Lancashire. It was her husband George’s birthday and she and the children had left him at home while they walked to the local shops. George Oldham was on the scene of the accident within minutes. He has since suffered psychological injury due to the traumatic nature of the accident.
Mrs Oldham’s death caused the family significant emotional and financial stress. Mr Oldham had previously retired from work aged 50 due to ill health and his wife Lyndsay had been the family’s breadwinner with her job as an IT support worker at Bury MBC.
* A hospital porter, who was injured at work after his employer refused to address health and safety warnings, received £13,000 compensation, in an appeal backed by UNISON. Peter Streek, 66, from Tadworth in Surrey, worked for South West London Elective Orthopedic Centre (SWLEOC) as a porter at Epsom General Hospital. He injured his foot pushing an unwieldy clinical waste bin down a steep, uneven path to the hospital compactor.
Mr Streek’s workmates, and UNISON, warned management about the dangers of pulling heavy bins up and down an uneven slope. Despite these warnings, hospital managers did nothing until after Mr Streek’s accident.
A grandmother, who was injured while protecting school children from falling wall bars, received £10,000 in compensation. Julie Belcher, from Stourport on Severn, was working as a teaching assistant, at Hartlebury Church of England Primary School, in Hartlebury, in 2007, when a faulty frame fell off the wall in the sports hall. The 49-year-old grabbed the bar to protect the six pupils standing nearby, but the bars landed on her thighs. A claim was settled against Speller Metcalfe Ltd, the firm that failed to secure the climbing frame to the wall.
* A community enforcement officer, who was injured because he was issued with ill-fitting, second hand body armour, received £2,000 in compensation. Anthony Roach, from Eaglescliffe in Teeside, was left with serious back and shoulder problems after being provided with faulty, second-hand armour which he needed as protection from stabbings. The 31-year-old worked 11-hour shifts for Stockton Borough Council’s neighbourhood services team, investigating complaints in potentially dangerous situations. He had to wear the faulty body armour at all times. Middlesbrough County Court found Stockton Borough Council failed to provide Mr Roach with protective equipment and awarded him £2,000 in compensation.
Ends