Compensation news
14/06/2011

Men hurt when glass panes fell in workplace accident

Two workers at a Bristol glass factory, who suffered severe personal injury, may now wish to seek compensation since their employer has been found liable for the workplace accident when a trolley load of panes fell on them.

The two men, aged 35 and 24, were trying to move the trolley, which had been loaded by two colleagues with glass weighing 1,780kg, instead of the safe limit of 1,500kg.

The load had been unevenly distributed with most of the weight on one side and when the trolley subsequently collapsed, the glass shattered on top of the men.

Bristol magistrates were told the younger man suffered a broken leg and needed a number of operations on his knee, which meant he had been unable to return to work a year after the accident. He also had 72 stitches to cuts in his neck.

The other employee was off work for six months recovering from severe cuts, bruising and tendon damage.

A Health and Safety inspector stated that the company did not have sufficient training procedures in place to ensure trolleys were loaded correctly and safely to reduce risk of accidents.

The glass manufacturing company was fined £20,000 for failures of health and safety which led to the industrial accident. It was also ordered to pay court costs of £5,646.

The work accident victims, from Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, may now wish to consult a solicitor with a view to making a damages claim against their employer for pain, suffering and loss of earnings.