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Apprentice compensated after workplace accident brought training to an end
Broke his foot in a accident at work
An apprentice plater who was badly injured and forced to delay his training after a 37-stone steel structure broke his foot in a workplace accident has received compensation after help from his trade union.
James Davies, 22, was left with a fractured metatarsal and had to take four months off work after the huge steel component which was being built for the offshore industry fell towards him whilst he was working for Wilton Engineering Services in Port Clarence.
Mr Davies had been working on the structure, in a confined space when it began to fall towards him. As the floor underneath him was slippery he was unable to move out of the way in time and it crushed his foot.
Restricted mobility for several months
He ended up in plaster for six weeks and suffered from restricted mobility for several months. He still suffers from discomfort in cold weather.
Mr Davies had completed his apprenticeship and was undertaking a final year’s specialist training with the firm before becoming a fully fledge tradesman. He was just a few months away from completing the training when the accident happened in March 2010.
Just a month after he returned to work he was made redundant and was unable to complete his training. He hasn’t been able to secure another job and is now considering a new career.
He said: “Missing out on my final months of training has put me at a real disadvantage in the current economic climate. Finding work has been a struggle and I’m now considering giving up on being a plater despite all my training because the prospects of getting work are so poor.”
Investigate a claim for compensation
After the accident Mr Davies contacted his trade union, the GMB, for advice. The union instructed its lawyers Thompsons Solicitors to investigate a claim for compensation.
Thompsons argued that a risk assessment should have been carried out which would have highlighted the dangers of working in the confined space.
Wilton Engineering Services admitted liability and settled the claim out of court for £11,250.
Tom Allison, GMB Organiser said: “A young man at the start of a promising career not only missed out on vital training and experience but is now having to contemplate giving it all up because his bosses failed to adhere to simple and well known health and safety procedures. In the current jobs’ climate every ounce of training counts and it is no wonder that Mr Davies places his current unemployment at the door of the accident.”
Diane Davison from Thompsons Solicitors added: “Incredibly when you are talking about a very hefty object not only was no risk assessment carried out but the structure had been propped in a dangerous and unsupported position. The lack of consideration in what is accepted to be a dangerous industry would seem unbelievable to anyone giving it a moments thought.”
Accident at Work Compensation Claim Advice
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