Council pays out over £330,000 in school injury compensation
Posted: June 18, 2014
Posted in: Finger Injuries Foot Injuries Public Place Accidents School Accidents Workplace Injuries Workplace Slip
A recent report has found that Lincolnshire County Council has paid out over £330,000 in compensation to those injured at school. With claims ranging from a trapped thumb to a book falling on a child’s foot, the “compensation culture” argument has been raised in relation to many of the council’s payouts. The figures were released as part of a BBC Freedom of Information request which looked at the figures from 2008 to 2014.
One teacher was awarded with £4,000 after they “almost fell” when a stool broke. Other successful claimants included a child who received £3,500 for getting their thumb trapped, and another child received a similar amount after a book fell on their foot. The council said that negligence had been proven in every individual case.
Highest payout was £60,000
A Spalding teacher and spokesman for the teaching union NASUWT said that health and safety is not being taken seriously enough in the UK’s schools. He said: “Unless things are done to improve matters the health and safety of our students and teachers is going to be put at risk.”
Other council payouts included a teacher who received £6,200 after falling over a tray in 2009; one pupil received £12,000 after a child fell onto another pupil from a climbing frame in 2011; a third claimant won £8,000 after being hit in the face by a hockey stick during P.E. The highest payout was £60,000 to an ancillary assistant for a “series of injuries whilst at work” in 2010.
If you have suffered an injury at work or in a public place, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us.
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