Net Gamblings

Key Fagg, a 62-year-old council worker, was recently awarded a compensation of £10,000 on account of having suffered spinal injury due to usage of a broken chair at work. The employer, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, neglected the requests for replacement and Mrs Fagg was forced to work on her defective chair with very limited mobility, which in turn caused her to develop slipped disc.

Mrs Fagg was working with the council as a sheltered housing officer when way back in 2003, the wheels of her chair stopped functioning because of which it could not be moved anymore. She requested the concerned authorities for a replacement, but it was not done until she was found to have suffered a slipped disc and had to undergo an operation before rejoining office. However, she developed long-term backache and so could not continue with her work.

Kam Singh from Thompsons Solicitors who represented Mrs Fagg said that the conduct of her employers in ignoring her health and safety concerns was inexcusable. He also focussed on the fact that employees who sit in front of the computer for long hours should be provided with extra safety measures as laid down by the law so that these kinds of injuries can be avoided. He added that the employers should have paid attention to Mrs Fagg’s requests and replaced her chair in time.

He was supported by Ann Vinden, UNISON’s Head of Local Government in the Eastern Region, who went on to say that Mrs Fagg’s employers should have nipped the problem in the bud by replacing the chair as soon as the request was made. The problem could have been averted if the injury was not left to develop into a serious ailment. She also suggested employers to take up periodic risk assessment courses to ensure that employees are safe at the workplace, so that they do not find themselves in a position like Mrs Fagg.