Employers are being urged to make sure safety is always their top priority by a leading Scottish lawyer after a man suffered a serious brain injury at work.
“Businesses may feel as though their current priority should be making ends meet and protecting their bottom line – but their duty to protect their workers never goes away and should remain their top priority,” said Elaine Russell, partner and work accident specialist at the Glasgow office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell. (WCxKit)
Those remarks come as the Health and Safety Executive fined a company for breach of duty after a 49-year-old man was left brain damaged by a falling saw in 2007.
The man was delivering the saws to the Saw Centre in Eglinton Street, Glasgow when one fell off the vehicle, hitting him on the head.
His West Yorkshire-based employer, Joda Freight Limited was fined £5,000 ($7,722) at Glasgow Sheriff Court, after the court found the company did not did not have a reliable system of communication in place to make sure their drivers were informed about the securing and stability of loads.
Russell noted, "A man has been left permanently brain damaged, not because procedures weren't followed, but because they hadn't been installed in the first place. Unfortunately this is not an unusual situation – everyday we deal with people whose lives have been devastated by the effects of accidents at work, which could easily have been prevented by maintaining good health and safety practices. (WCxKit)
"We welcome the HSE's investigation into this matter and hope that lessons can be learnt to prevent further suffering, though sadly no fine will ever demonstrate the devastating impact this injury will have on the employee's life."
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing.
Contact: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.
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