Case Studies

Litigation is on the increase in British industry as more and more employees seek compensation for accidents at work, this is one of the main findings of an extensive survey which sought opinions from Health & Safety Managers in around 1,000 of the UK’s largest companies in four sectors; pharmaceuticals, chemical, engineering and manufacturing.

According to the survey the results show that of those questioned 45% of pharmaceutical companies, 36% of chemical companies, 32% of engineering companies and 19% of manufacturing companies have see a rise in the number of compensation claims being brought against them. The survey also revealed that increasingly the individual staff members who are brining about these actions and not union representative working on their behalf.

The belief is that there are three factors behind this rise in claims: a too casual approach to risk by workers; failure to use personal protective equipment (PPE) and “endless” radio and television adverts by the so called ‘claims industry’.

When purchasing PPE it is essential that the right PPE for the tasks being carried out in the workplace be provided. These findings should act as a warning shot in all four sectors to provide the best a available protection and ensure they educate workers about the hazards associated with their industry and to remind them that they also bear the responsibility to look after themselves.
Health & Safety cannot and should not be laid entirely at the door of the employer.

An ambulance worker £140,000 for back injury An ambulance worker who lost the job he loved as a result of a serious back injury, has accepted £140,000 compensation from the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service. Norman Thurrell, 58, was supported by his union, after he was badly injured in August 1999 as a result of faulty ambulance equipment. Mr Thurrell was transporting a 19 stone patient to the Duchess of York Hospital in Manchester, when two wheels came off the undercarriage of the stretcher causing its self support system to fail and leaving him to carry the full weight of not only the patient but the heavy stretcher for five minutes. '

It is vital that checks are carried out regularly to ensure equipment is working probably and the right equipment is being used.

Think that you are safe only handling money ..... how wrong you can be ...

'High nickel levels in some euro coins can cause red hands and painful itching, researchers warn, with workers most at risk. Researchers from the University of Zurich say the design of the one and two euro coins - an external ring of metal surrounding an inner "pill" of a different colour - lead to the release of high levels of the metal. The researchers, writing in the journal Nature, say those who handle lots of money, such as shopkeepers or bus conductors, could be most at risk.

A summit meeting of manufacturers, employers, unions and sufferers took place. Participants agreed to develop a major new guidance and education initiative to ensure that employers in the health sector will use latex gloves only where operationally required, and even then, will only use low protein, powder-free gloves. HSE will co-ordinate the development of guidance and educational tools, with funding from the Department of Health, and HSE inspectors will enforce health and safety laws using the same standard. Manufacturers, unions, sufferers and regulators all agreed to help draft the materials, which will be launched next year. This should mean that latex allergies become a thing of the past in health care, and the focus can move onto other sectors. A groundbreaking decision is awaited from the high court in London, which means that employers now have strict liability to ensure their employees are protected from harmful substances such as latex. The ruling means that employers will no longer be able to argue that they didn’t know a substance was harmful.

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