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Councils Pay Out Damages for Trips, Slips and Falls
In the last five years, councils in the Greater Manchester area have paid out £3.4 million in compensation for accidents involving their own workers.
Claims were made against councils in the region after employees suffered injuries while performing a wide range of tasks, including delivering leaflets and serving lunch. However, a large number of the accidents involved trips, slips and falls.
The largest payout was made to an employee of Rochdale Council who slipped on a wet floor and suffered a back injury. Her claim was settled in 2012 and she won £175,679 in damages. The Council has since outsourced responsibility for cleaning floors.
Another Rochdale Council worker received £4,000 after slipping on a banana skin.
Wigan Council has paid out £878,000 over the five-year period, including settling a number of claims for injuries arising from trips, slips and falls. Other accidents involved lifting and moving objects, as well as those caused by faulty equipment.
In 2012/2013, slips and trips were the most common cause of major injuries to employees and were responsible for more than half of all major reported workplace injuries.
Information on slips and trips in the workplace can be found on the website of the Health and Safety Executive.