There are always consequences. In the case of an accident in a warehouse these are experienced by:
• The accident victim
• The employer
• The workforce
These consequences are both negative and positive. Let’s follow the story of Worker X, employed as an order picker in a vast DIY goods warehouse in the West Midlands. One typically busy morning she was walking down a long aisle between two sets of racking when a pack of paint brushes fell from the top most level of the racking and landed on her head. She was knocked to the ground unconscious. There was no staff first aider on shift and so Worker X had to be left where she fell until an ambulance arrived several minutes later and took her to hospital.
She was comparatively lucky. The impact of the package could have fractured her skull or broken her neck and killed her. She escaped with two cracked vertebrae and severe damage to the muscles in her neck and a large bruise on her upper back and was kept in hospital for two days.
The employer felt the impact of the work injury immediately. They lost the services of an experienced employee in Worker X for the rest of the day of the accident and for several weeks afterwards. They had to halt stock movement whilst all the racking was checked for other packs that might fall. They had to check the veracity of the data on their computer stock management system as the accident had been caused by goods being forklifted into an already full to bursting section of racking which the forklift operator’s printout said could accommodate more stock when it actually couldn’t. And finally they had to purchase hard hats for workers made nervous by the circumstances of the accident and organise the training off additional workplace first aiders.
The operation of the warehouse effectively ground to a halt for a day and the employer had to report the incident to the Health and Safety Executive under their Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). The employer additionally faced the prospect of the company’s reputation taking a knock and the cost of their insurance rising, especially as Worker X consulted a specialist work injury solicitor and compensation was claimed and awarded.
Of course Worker X’s life also ground to halt during the weeks of her painful convalescence when her upper body movement was so restricted that most normal day to day activities were not possible and she couldn’t carry out any of the normal tasks to care for her family. She never regained full neck movement despite extensive physiotherapy but thanks to the expertise of her compensation claims solicitor all her extensive pain and suffering plus the negative economic effects of her accident were fully compensated.
Thinking about Claiming Warehouse Accident Compensation? Contact us now
If you sustain an injury in a warehouse accident through no fault of your own, you may find that you entitled to claim compensation.
Our accident claims experts could help you win the damages you deserve, so
- Call us on 0800 1404544, or
- Complete the contact form below.
