Workplace injury claim news
09/04/2008

Magistrate's court fine college over chemical accident

Severe chemical burns suffered by a college lecturer have led to the UK's colleges and universities being warned that they need to be more vigilant in addressing issues of workplace health and safety. The Bristol college responsible has also been fined £14,000 and are expected to face a no win, no fee workplace injury claim from the injured man and his no win, no fee solicitor in the near future.

It is anticipated that the workplace injury claim will be helped by the fact that during a hearing at Bristol Magistrate's Court the magistrate said that there had been "a very serious breach of health and safety" when the motorcycle technology lecturer suffered burns as a result of an exploding jar of concentrated nitric acid.

The incident left the man with severe burns to his face, for which he needed two skin grafts, as well as burns to his right hand. It has been speculated that the accident would have been avoided if the man had received appropriate training on how to handle the procedure he was carrying out.

Neither the man nor his no win, no fee solicitor were able to comment on the Health and Safety Executive prosecution and fine, pending the outcome of his workplace injury claim.