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Joiner Compensated for Hernia Caused by Accident at Work

27th September 2010

A joiner who sustained a hernia in an accident at work due to a lack of safe manual handling procedures received compensation recently, in a personal injury claim our expert lawyers pursued on his behalf.

Injured by Heavy Door

Our client was employed by a housing association and he was sent to a council property to replace a lock on a fire door. As it was very heavy and would need to be raised, he realised he would require assistance and enlisted the help of a colleague.

They followed their usual method of removing a door, whereby the client held and supported it as his colleague removed the screws from the hinges. Unfortunately, when the last screw was removed, the weight of the door caused it to fall to one side and our client was pulled with it. He twisted awkwardly as he tried to prevent the door from falling and sustained a hernia as a result.

It was necessary for our client to undergo an operation to repair the hernia and it was several months before he was recovered.

Work Injury Claim

The claimant had not received training on how to safely remove a fire door and no adequate risk assessment had been carried out for health and safety purposes.

Our specialist personal injury lawyers therefore began a claim against his employer. They denied that they were at fault, stating that the claimant and his colleague were experienced and they should have opted for another method of removing the door. They were only doing what they had always done however and were not provided with any additional equipment or alternative methods by their employer.

We pursued the case to court and the Judge agreed that our client had not been provided with the relevant training and equipment. He was therefore awarded damages in respect of his personal injury.

Injury Claim Advice

If you suffer a personal injury as the result of a workplace accident, or any other accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to make an injury claim.

At The Legal Line, our lawyers are experts in all areas of personal injury and can provide you with specialist accident claim advice on a cost-free, confidential basis. Contact us on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online.