Council Worker Suffers Knee Injury Falling From Monkey Bars At Work Away Day

Expert workplace injury lawyers have warned employers they still have a duty of care to safeguard their employees’ health and safety when they are on team-building exercises out of a normal office environment after a council worker was injured on an army assault course.

The advice comes after reports that employee Stuart Grant is suing Fife Council and the Ministry of Defence after he ruptured ligaments in his knee when he fell from monkey bars during a team building exercise at an army assault course at Barry Buddon, near Camoustie in Angus.

Mr Grant, who was a social worker for the council, was injured in 2009 after slipping from the eight-foot parallel bars, which spanned a ditch which was only partially filled with water.

He claims his employer breached the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and the Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The case against the MoD is based on alleged breaches of the Occupier’s Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 and the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

David Bell, a specialist workplace injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Glasgow office, said: “Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees even when they are away from their normal working environment on team building or work-related away days.

“We see too often the devastating consequences injuries caused by falls like this can have on people’s lives and that’s why it’s so important that employers ensure their chosen team-building activities will be run safely to minimise the risk of people getting hurt.”