Shop employee awarded compensation after fall from height

Posted 07/02/2011

A former Early Learning Centre (ELC) employee has successfully won her claim for personal injury compensation after falling from a ladder while at work.

Elizabeth McLachlan, 37, was attempting to reach a toy box from a shelf when she fell and sustained soft tissue damage to her elbow, lower back and calf, STV News reports.

The senior sales assistant – who has since moved to work for another retailer – sued her previous employer after the incident at the store in Parkhead Forge in Glasgow.

She claimed the legs of the 12-foot ladder she was using were splayed and ELC admitted liability for breaches of the Work at Height Regulations.

Ms McLachlan claimed that while most of her injuries have improved, she still suffers from pain in her back, which affects her ability to drive or walk far.

She was awarded £9,600 in damages as a result of her former employer’s failure to adhere to the law.

The Work at Height Regulations were first introduced in 2005 and they require employers to ensure tasks carried out above the ground are properly planned for and managed.

Simon Davis, a personal injury partner at Ashtons Legal, adds: “This just underlines the care employers need to exercise in asking workers to work at height – thought needs to be applied to the need for the exercise to carry on at height and the measures required to prevent a fall.”