Council pays compensation for workplace accident
A community enforcement officer has received a compensation claim, after he was injured because he was issued with badly -fitting, second hand body armour.
The 31-year-old was left with serious complications with his back and shoulders, after being provided with faulty armour he needed as protection from stabbings.
It was reported that he worked 11-hour shifts with a neighbourhood services team, where his job was investigating complaints in potentially dangerous situations.
Middlesborough County Court said that his local council failed to provide him with protective equipment. The court awarded him £2,000 in compensation.
Regarding the work accident, his union representative said: “The council have made a bad situation worse by not facing up to their responsibilities and choosing to waste a huge amount of time and money fighting this case.”
The court heard that the worker had complained of problems with equipment to his superiors but nothing was done.
His injury lawyers said: “The council obviously felt his job was so dangerous that body armour became a vital piece of equipment. Yet they did not take all reasonable steps to ensure the equipment they were providing was fit for purpose."
Updated on 30/01/2010