Law firm urges tradesmen to work towards minimising the risk of accidents at work
22/12/2009
Leading law firm Irwin Mitchell is urging tradesmen to take steps to reduce the number of accidents at work after a man badly fractured his arm while working on the renovation of a house in Chesterfield.
William Jackson, 43, from Sheffield, was plastering the kitchen ceiling of the house when one of his stilts caught in a section of electric cable which had been left running across the kitchen floor. The cabling had not been removed or secured to the floor, causing him to fall heavily and fracture his left elbow.
Mr Jackson was left unable to work as a plasterer for around a year after the accident and continues to suffer recurring pain and permanent weakness in his left arm. He, along with specialist workplace accident solicitors at Irwin Mitchell, is now encouraging tradesmen on take on board the health and safety message to reduce the number of on-site accidents.
“The fall was very nasty and left me unable to work for three months,” said Mr Jackson. “The nature of the injury also meant that when I was finally able to go back to work it was only as a general labourer. It was 12 months before I could return to plastering.
“Even now I still suffer from a lack of strength in my elbow, and I’ve never been able to go back to my hobbies of weight training and martial arts.”
Sheffield based law firm Irwin Mitchell brought a workplace accident claim against the electrician responsible for the cabling on behalf of Mr Jackson, negotiating a settlement of £18,500 to go towards his rehabilitation and lost earnings.
Louise Morgan, Personal Injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Tradesmen have a responsibility to make sure their equipment is safe and does not present a danger to others working on site. In this case it was the electrician’s responsibility to bind or coil the cabling so it was securely fastened to the ground.
“With so many people working on sites concurrently they can be dangerous places, and it’s important we minimise the risks by following basic health and safety procedures.”
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