A leading Scottish lawyer has urged employers to make sure safety is
always their top priority after a man suffered a serious brain injury
whilst working.
“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.”
The warning from Elaine Russell, partner and work accident specialist at
the Glasgow office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell, comes 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
at Glasgow Sheriff Court, which found that 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.
Elaine Russell said: 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.
A man has been left permanently brain damaged, not because procedures
werent followed, but because they hadnt 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.
We welcome the HSEs 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 employees life.
Adessi Limited
6 Maling Court
Boyd Street
Ouseburn
Newcastle
upon Tyne
NE2 1BP
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Source: Business Wire