A work accident claim has led to partial blindness for one teenager after he suffered injury claims in the course of his duties for a demolition company.
The worker, aged nineteen at the time, was busy removing floorboards for a building slated for demolition in Hyde on Ashton Road. The accident claim originated when the teenage worker, who hails from Bradford, West Yorkshire, was struck in the eye by a splinter whilst he was levering out wooden floorboards with a pickaxe.
The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted the teenager’s employer, Dovestone Contractors Ltd. The firm, located in Ocean Village in Southampton, was struck with an £8,000 fine with an additional £4,000 assigned in costs after it admitted it had breached Healthy and Safety regulations.
In the wake of the hearing, one inspector for the Health and Safety Executive remarked that but for a £5 investment in a pair of safety goggles for their teenage worker, the life changing personal injury at work could have been easily avoided. The inspector continued, stating that Dovestone should have been completely aware of the risks inherent in the removal of floorboards in the manner performed by their young employee. Additionally the demolition company should also have known that it was required by law to provide its employees with adequate eye protection to prevent such injuries.
As he now fears a similar accident could render him totally without sight, the young man who suffered the loss of one eye has abandoned any notions of returning to the demolition industry. However it has not yet been reported if the teenager will seek personal injury compensation from his employer for the injuries he sustained whilst on the job. Due to the nature of his injury however industry experts predict that he could receive a substantial settlement for the permanent loss of one of his eyes.