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24th July 2007

Health and Safety issues at Nestle UK Ltd as four employees secure compensation after developing tennis elbow

Union members injured at work

Nestle UK Ltd has paid compensation to four workers at the coffee making giant's site at Burton on Trent, Staffs, after each of them developed tennis elbow. Mr Steven Davis, has secured £11,000 compensation, and Mr Ball received £4,000. Leading trade union Unite (T&G section) secured the compensation for their members via their free legal help scheme with personal injury specialists Thompsons Solicitors.

Tennis elbow is the common name for a painful condition affecting the outside part of the elbow. It is an extremely debilitating condition caused by repetitive strain and manual occupations that involve repetitive twisting and lifting of the wrist.

Based at the Tutbury plant, Mr Ball, Mr Davis and two colleagues were involved in digging out blocked coffee cyclones – a heavy and prolonged process which often took 3-4 days to sort out. All four men developed tennis elbow as a result.

Health and Safety Issues

Steven Davis, from Hatton, Derbyshire is employed as a Process Operative in the Egron Department, and has been with the company about 16 years. The Egron Department is where coffee liquor is turned into coffee granules. This process involves making sure that the granules are the correct consistency, correct colour and correct texture. Mr Davis’ job is to ensure that the Egron machine works correctly and that the coffee is of the right quality. This involves constant manipulation of steam pressure to ensure that the coffee has the correct amount of moisture in it.

Mr Davis explains: “Over the years that I have worked on the Egron there have been numerous occasions when the consistency has been incorrect which in turn causes blockages in the machine which have to be unblocked to get the machine running again. To give an indication of how big the blockages can be, we have to use a steel bar, a crow bar and even a jack hammer to break them up. I believe that Nestle are to blame for my injuries as the effort needed to carry out these unblocking processes is excessive and one where you have to constantly hack away to get the blockages free.”

Maurice Swindell, from Unite (T&G section), comments: “Clearly there have been serious health and safety issues at Nestle UK Ltd, so we’re pleased with the successful outcome of these cases for our four members. All employers have a duty of care to their employees and Nestle is no exception.”

Representing all four men, Shelley Artingstall from Thompsons Solicitors in Nottingham, said: “Nestle UK Limited has clearly breached Workplace Regulations which has led to the injuries suffered by these four employees.”

Compensation Claim Advice

If you or anyone you know has suffered an injury, illness or disease at work, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.

There are strict time limits in place to make any injury claim.  For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.

Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have. If you do have a valid personal injury compensation claim and you decide to instruct Thompsons Solicitors to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online compensation claim forms