Over £12,000 to Bradford council worker over toilet seat injury

Posted: July 22, 2015

Posted in: Employer Negligence Finger Injuries Workplace Injuries 

According to recently released figures, over £30million has been paid out to council workers since 2012, including a payment of over £12,000 to an employee that was ‘hit by a toilet lid when flushing’. The figures were released following a Freedom of Information request, which revealed that over 3,100 compensation payments were made to council employees over the last three years. Councils have since been urged to improve health and safety measures in the workplace.

The claims ranged from slip, trips and falls to unstable objects falling and causing injury. One member of staff from Coventry City Council suffered severe bruising after tripping on a ‘Henry Hoover’ that was left unattended, which resulted in a £12,566 compensation payment. Another local authority employee, from Bradford City Council, was awarded over £12,000 after being hit by a faulty toilet lid while flushing.

£3,370 for falling off a ‘defective seat’

The data included the details of further claims, including one employee being awarded £289 for a new pair of glasses after a Christmas tree fell and hit him on the face, while another employee received a payment of £3,370 after falling off a toilet because of its ‘defective seat’.

Where the successful claims totaled at around £30m, the true total figure of council compensation payouts are thought to be far greater as a fifth of local authorities failed to respond to the Freedom of Information request.

The chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, Jonathan Isaby, said that more had to be done to save this compensation expenditure, urging local authorities to ‘be better at ensuring serious injuries don’t occur.’

If you have suffered an injury at work and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us. 

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