Worker Suffers Permanent Nerve Damage Due to Lack of Proper Tools
Yet another workplace accident has raised the issue of providing proper instruments to workers. Thompsons Solicitors brought this to fore as a worker was paid 25,000 pounds when he sustained severe injury while working without proper tools. The law firm called upon all business organisations to make sure their workers are provided appropriate tools despite problems of time and money.
The accident involved an employee of DSV Road Ltd., a firm that ships tractors worldwide. The worker, Tom Offer, was taking a tractor apart for which he needed a particular type of hammer. Although Offer asked the employers for the hammer, they were unable to provide the tool, and he was asked to carry on with his job.
Offer then used a piece of metal that had a serrated edge, as another worker had used it to remove the axle of a tractor. His protective gloves could not save him from injury and he ended up tearing the tendon of his right hand while using the metal.
Offer’s injury was so serious that he had to undergo physiotherapy and was at home for three months. He also suffered permanent injury to his hand due to nerve damage, after which he has lost his grip and has developed intolerance to cold.
Although he has found work as a driver now, he fears losing his job because of the permanent damage to his hands. The problem is compounded with the present recession, as new jobs have become scarce.
After the accident, Offer registered a complaint with his union, Unite, which asked its lawyers Thompsons Solicitors to file a compensation claim in court. However, the negligence on the part of the employer was so evident that they accepted their fault and settled for an out-of -court compensation.
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