Personal injury news -
31/07/2009

Compensation claims over swine flu expected

The Guardian reported expert warnings this week that firms may face personal injury claims from employees who contract swine flu at their workplace.

The compensation claims, which may also cite negligence and health and safety breaches, are foreseen by employment lawyers from several firms, whose spokespeople take pains to point out that the regulations that impose a duty of care on employers will come into play, particularly where a worker is pregnant.

Swine flu may not be an industrial disease per se, but - as one effect of the recession has been to increase the number of compensation claims brought - firms are well advised to take precautions to protect their staff adequately.

One law firm's partner is quoted as saying "I can absolutely see claims in personal injury being brought by employees who say they contracted swine flu at work."