Robert McBride Ltd, a Barrow-based cleaning products manufacturer, paid 17,500 pounds as compensation to an employee who suffered a long-term physical injury while on duty.
44-year-old John Sides, a resident of Barrow in Furness, was working as a team leader in the company. After two days of using a handheld grinding machine for removing unwanted paint from surfaces, he was diagnosed with severe strain in his right shoulder. He had not used any similar equipment earlier, and had not been given any training on how to use the grinder effectively, with minimum vibrations.
Medical tests found that the high level of vibrations had resulted in a permanent damage to his right shoulder. This means that Sides will now be unable to carry out simple tasks like painting and decorating.
Following this, Sides contacted his union the GMB, which instructed its lawyers Thompsons Solicitors to file a compensation claim against Robert McBride for the long-term injury received by their worker. The company accepted its liability and compensated the employee in an out-of-court settlement.
Speaking about the case, the Regional Secretary of the GMB, Tom Brennan, said that the high levels of vibration caused by machine had inflicted the permanent injury on Sides. He added that the employers had been negligent in training Sides to use the equipment, which was new to him, in a safer way.
Paul Morpeth from Thompsons Solicitors agreed with Brennan and added that the injury will affect Sides’ ability to work in future. He said the company should have carried out a proper risk analysis and should have provided comprehensive training to Sides before letting him use the grinder.
Manual handling training enables organisations to remain compliant with the legal requirement to train persons involved in manual handling activities and reduce the risk of injury. Employers and organisations need to be aware of important health and safety issues and current regulations that apply in the workplace. See Health and Safety News for a complete guide to IOSH and NEBOSH training and for information covering a range of topics about the main concepts and law associated with Health and Safety.