Public sector accident at work compensation totalled £27m last year
The public sector workers union UNISON has revealed that a total of £27 million was paid out to victims of accidents and injuries in the workplace last year.
UNISON, one of the UK’s largest public-sector unions, reported that it handled a total of 3,893 personal injury cases last year and that a total of £27,398,985 was won on behalf of employees.
Speaking on behalf of the union, General Secretary Dave Prentis said:
“A lot of these injuries could and should have been prevented. These jobs are not dangerous – nursery workers, dental technicians and dinner ladies – but, because employers have been negligent, some UNISON members have lost their health, families, confidence and careers.
Employers have a duty of care and where they fail, workers and their families deserve compensation for the pain and suffering caused by personal injuries.”
UNISON also gave examples of the type of claims the union handled in 2010. Amongst back injuries, car crashes and slips, trips and falls were the cases of a dental technician working for the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust.
The employee received £7,000 in compensation after his employer failed to provide the correct health and safety training and implement the right procedures for the intensive dental work he undertook. As a result, the employee suffered neck injuries from sitting in an unsafe posture for long periods of time.