Workplace ‘prank’ results in substantial compensation payout

Posted 14/03/2011

A British business has been forced to pay personal injury compensation to a man who was left permanently disabled after an incident at work.

William Jones, 46, had been an employee at car parts firm TRW Systems in Peterlee for 21 years when he was the victim of a so-called prank at work in 2006, the Hartlepool Mail reports.

A colleague jumped on to his back without warning and Mr Jones heard a pop in his spine. The damage was so severe that he had to have spinal fusion surgery and has been told by his GP that he will never work again.

Mr Jones, who is now reliant on care from his family, took legal action against TRW Systems and successfully argued that the firm was responsible for the actions of its employees.

“I still can’t imagine why my former colleague thought it would be funny to jump on my back. That joke has cost me my mobility and my career,” he remarked.

The company has now admitted liability and agreed to a “substantial” payout for the victim’s pain and suffering.

According to a recent survey by Group Risk Development, 12 per cent of businesses in the UK report that musculoskeletal disorders are the most common reason for staff absence.