Unite member successful in claim against ambulance service after work injury

A paramedic from York has secured compensation with support from Unite Legal Services and Thompsons Solicitors after an injury at work.

Andrew Worrall, 50, was helping an elderly man home after he had been involved in a road accident during a period of cold and icy weather in January 2014. As Andrew was helping the man out of his emergency first response vehicle, the man slipped and fell into Andrew, which in turn caused him to fall into the open door of his vehicle.

Andrew went to hospital, where it was found he had suffered a prolapsed disc as well as a jarring injury to his back in the fall. He had six weeks off work, during which time he took painkillers before returning on lighter duties.

“I felt a sharp pain in my back as soon hit the vehicle,” he said. “It left me out of action for several weeks and even now, years after the accident, I worry that I’m not as physically fit as I used to be.”

Andrew turned to the specialists at Unite Legal Services and Thompsons Solicitors to make a compensation claim.

In court they argued that his employer, Yorkshire Ambulance Services, had breached Regulation 4 of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. Court papers stated that Andrew’s employer owed him a duty of care while in the workplace, but that extended to the expectation that he would perform his duties in the community, and they had failed to provide him with basic safety equipment, such as shoe grips. The judge agreed that Yorkshire Ambulance Services was in breach of its health and safety duties to Andrew.

Andrew continued: “I turned to Unite Legal Services and Thompsons because of the principle of this case. The safety of paramedics is important because if we’re in danger we cannot do our jobs effectively.

“I hope my experience encourages other paramedics, who have been unfairly injured as a result of trying to help others, to come forward.”

Karen Reay, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside regional secretary at Unite the Union, said: “Employers have an obligation to ensure workers are kept as safe as possible while doing their jobs. Andrew would often be told to put snow chains on the tyres of his emergency vehicle when the weather was poor, but the same precautions didn’t apply to his footwear. This put him in a significant, but unnecessary, amount of risk.

“Our member was left in pain due to his employer’s thoughtlessness. Fortunately, Unite Legal Services and Thompsons Solicitors were there to support his claim and, with this result, hopefully set a precedent for the future. We hope this is a warning to other employers that they should take health and safety seriously.”