£14,425 awarded to car workshop manager after employer refused PPE
Eric Whittington, from Liverpool, suffered severe injuries at work after he was refused sufficient personal protective equipment.
The 49-year-old had asked for PPE, such as safety boots, upon starting work as workshop manager at an independent car dealership in 2018.
However, he was informed that, due to the nature of his role, such equipment would not be required.
His employer told him that his job would be mainly desk-based and he would not be needed on the workshop floor on a regular basis
However, Eric later found himself on the workshop floor and slipped on some spilled liquid – he believes that the appropriate safety footwear would have prevented this fall.
He said: “As soon as I started the job, I asked whether PPE would be possible, but was promptly told that this wouldn’t be needed. I’d worked in similar roles in the past and it had always been a given that safety footwear would be provided.
“Shortly after, I slipped while walking through the garage – I put my left hand down to try to save myself and severely injured myself in the process.
“I carried on working that day – even after telling my manager what had happened – but the next day the pain had worsened so I visited the hospital.
“It was incredibly frustrating as it was an accident that so easily have been prevented if I’d been given the appropriate safety boots or non-slip shoes.”
Eric, who has since left his role suffered post-traumatic arthritis in his left thumb, leaving him with a permanent decrease in function.
He added: “I wasn’t sure whether to make a claim at first or whether it would even be possible, but the team at Hampson Hughes explained everything thoroughly and made sure I was updated every step of the way.”
Niamh Wilson, Head of Civil Litigation at Hampson Hughes Solicitors, which secured a total of £14,425 in compensation for Eric, said: “Cases regarding PPE are, unfortunately, not rare and we regularly see clients come to us with similar experiences.
“The major concern here is that the employer in question deemed it unnecessary for Eric to be equipped with the appropriate footwear and made an assumption about his role. It’s therefore particularly poignant in the current climate that companies do not allow the safety of their staff to be compromised in line with budget constraints.
“Many businesses will be facing challenging times as we move through a post-Covid period, but health and safety is more important than ever before, and we’d therefore urge employers to take stock and review what they have in place for staff members.”
A total of £14,425 was secured in compensation for Eric.
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