Defective Bath Panel Costs Leeds City Council £4,000
The Leeds City Council had to pay 4,000 pounds to a care assistant at a day care centre for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients after she met with an accident due to defective work equipment. The injured worker had to go through physiotherapy and take leave for around 3 months in order to recover.
The bath panel for patients in this Leeds based centre was broken, which caused the seat to get caught in it when the victim was helping a patient out of the bath. The seat got a sudden jerk resulting in whiplash injuries to the worker.
The victim contacted Thompsons Solicitors through the GMB union and claimed compensation from the Leeds City Council for her injury. The Council agreed to pay £4,000 in an out of court settlement.
Following the incident the baths at the care unit were changed. However, a spokesperson of the GMB said the council’s reaction was delayed, as the baths should have been changed much before the lawsuit. He added that the council should have paid more attention to the security of its workers. ‘Working Safely’ is for those staff who are exposed to common workplace hazards on a day to day basis and who need a basic grounding in the essentials of health and safety. The IOSH working safely programme is therefore especially suited to operatives within most organisations as it covers a broad range of common workplace hazards.
