Worker compensated for professional negligence injury
A worker has received £7,500 in compensation claims after his hands were left permanently damaged with frequent use of vibrating tools.
The 53-year-old was left with the debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
The condition means he does not have the sense of touch in his hands and suffers from chronic pain in his fingers.
It was reported that he worked for the company for 37 years but has now taken early retirement.
He was told by a specialist in 2006 that he was suffering from HAVS and was advised to initiate compensation claims.
His injury lawyers said his employers were guilty of professional negligence by exposing him to a variety of vibrating tools on a daily basis.
Such tools included air spanners, needle guns and drills, but his employers never warned him about the dangers of developing HAVS.
His injury lawyers said the boss did not admit liability but settled the claim out of court.
After the settlement, the victim said: "When I discovered my condition was caused by working with vibrating tools and my employers should have done more to prevent it I knew they were 100% liable as I was never warned and nothing was done to reduce the vibration from the tools."
His injury lawyers added: "The employer’s professional negligence in failing to assess and restrict usage resulted in our client developing HAVS."
Updated on 16/02/2010