Back injury caused by work

A Sheffield man has been awarded £6,500 in compensation after a workplace accident left him with persistent back pain.

Back pain compensation claim

Ian Quince, 54, of the city's Cherrywalk, Chapeltown, secured his award with help from Sally Rissbrook, of national law firm Irwin Mitchell, based at its offices in Riverside, Sheffield. He was awarded the sum in an out of court settlement, following an employer liability claim against now closed Asphaltic Roofing Supplies Ltd, who were based in Leppings Lane.

Mr Quince had been working for Asphaltic Roofing Supplies as a driver and yard person for a month, at the time of the accident in July 2002.

He said: On the day of the incident, I was sent out by my supervisor on a delivery with two work colleagues. We were taking roofing materials to Grattans, a mail order catalogue company in Bradford.

On arrival at the site, Mr Quince and his colleagues drove into the unloading bay. Unlike his fellow employees, the goods on Mr Quinces lorry were not already in pallets, so had to be manually offloaded.

He said: We were told to unload the goods ourselves and stack them neatly so they could be placed onto the roof. My colleague stayed on the lorry and I attempted to stack materials on the ground."

Mr Quince, who had not received any training on unloading vehicles, was in the process of this when a pack of ten roofing boards, around four feet by two feet, fell off the lorry and hit him on the back.

Mr Quince said At the time of my accident, I remember that those present thought it was extremely funny and were actually stood laughing. The load should have been placed onto pallets originally, so the crane could remove them from the lorry and I should not therefore have been told to move them myself.

Back injury at work solicitor

Sally Rissbrook said: Mr Quince still suffers from back pain and had to have five months physiotherapy. Since the accident he has been unable to carry out his previous hobbies of DIY and gardening.

This case highlights the importance of health and safety procedures and employee training in the workplace, to ensure accidents and injuries, such as those suffered by Mr Quince, do not occur and cause financial loss to the employer.

If you or a loved one has suffered a back injury while at work and it wasn't your fault, our specialist accident at work claims team could help you to claim compensation. Read our Back Injury at Work Compensation page for more information.