One work accident claim has netted £4,500 in personal injury compensation for a warehouse employee at Sunderland’s Rolls Royce depot.
Sunderland native Paul Pritchard found it necessary to take off work for nearly four months following an accident claim that originated whilst working as an aeroplane component packer. Mr Pritchard suffered serious strain to the right side of his chest while in the course of his duties for Rolls Royce.
The components for which Mr Pritchard was responsible weighed nearly 24kg each. The injured worker’s personal injury lawyers stated that he sustained the injuries from having to stoop in order to lift each component.
Mr Pritchard’s legal team stated that better planning of the task could have prevented their client’s injuries. They insisted that only a slight adjustment would have avoided the incident completely, such as storing the components at a level that eliminated the need for Mr Pritchard to stoop.
After the worker’s employer the Mitie Group admitted liability for the incident, it awarded £4,500 in personal injury compensation to the component packer.
In the wake of his settlement claim Mr Pritchard commented that he brought suit against his employer due to feeling that the firm neglected to do enough to ensure the task he was responsible for performing was safe. While he has since returned to his position at the Rolls Royce depot, Mr Pritchard has since changed employers following the incident.
In addition to the four months’ worth of wages Mr Pritchard missed, his injuries were not fully healed for another four months prior to his initial return to work. Mr Pritchard’s legal team stated that a simple risk assessment conducted by his employer could have saved their client months of pain and suffering.