In an unfortunate incident in February 2007, a 60 year old man from Gateshead had slipped from the ladder of his van while working, resulting in a fractured heel and loss of income for almost 2 years. The employee has finally been compensated by his company in an out of court settlement.

Working for a company based in Newcastle, the employee was injured while he was performing his duties. He needed to climb up a ladder attached to the company van to get up to the roof rack, but due to rain, the ladder had become too slippery, which in turn caused him to slip and injure his leg seriously. The employee’s leg was in a cast for four months and he was unable to attend work for a period exceeding two years.

The employee got support from the union Unite, of which he was a member, and was being represented by Thompsons Solicitors in the court. The company has finally agreed to compensate the worker with an amount of £120,000.

An official of the union said after the settlement that it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure the worker’s safety at the place of work, and that the accident could have been avoided had the steps of the ladder been slip proof. A lawyer with Thompsons Solicitors, Angela Collins added that all the required safety measures must be put in place by the employers to make sure that people do not get injured at the workplace.

Employers need to keep themselves up to date with health and safety developments to avoid potential legal action from employers by taking a health and safety courses such as the iosh managing safely certificate from Workplace Law Training.