Employers Should Train Staff and Assess Risks to Prevent Back Injuries
UNISON has appealed to employers to train their employees for avoiding any back injuries that they may inflict on themselves while on duty. Employers have also been advised to carry out intensive risk assessment.
UNISON’s appeal follows the retirement of a union member from his job following a back injury. David Barber, who worked as a sports centre supervisor, was paid £50,000 in compensation after he hurt his back while lifting a damaged set of swimming pool steps.
Barber had been working at the sports centre for two decades. He said he had made repeated complaints about the swimming pool steps, but employers had ignored his calls, since mending the steps was not considered urgent.
Companies shell out million of pounds every year as compensation for back injuries, which is among the most common injuries faced by employees at the workplace.
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, in charge of running the centre, paid the compensation to Barber after the proceedings were initiated, though it had refused to admit any liability earlier.
Heather Wakefield, UNISON’s Head of Local Government, sympathised with Barber, saying that he had to lose a job he loved. She also said Barber had lost his freedom due to the forced retirement and that his employers had lost a devoted member of their workforce because they did not listen to his complaints.
