The Auto Auction Group

Camas UK Ltd. has paid £6,000 to its employee Anthony Lacey, for failing to communicate changed workplace procedures to him, which led to an accident in May 2007.

Mr. Lacey, an engineer with the company, had been instructed to replace the face plates of the company’s machinery when he met with the accident. Earlier procedure required the employees to use glue around the full circumference of the pad, but under the new procedure, glue was to be used only on the top and bottom of the pads, which Mr. Lacey had not been informed about. As a result, he applied the amount of force usually required, and was caught unawares and unprepared when the pad came off more easily. The magnet ended up falling on his thumb, causing a double fracture, and the victim had to go on a leave from work for the next three months.

Camas UK recently accepted its mistake and made a settlement out of court.

The GMB union, of which Mr. Lacey is a member, took up his cause. Their spokesperson, Andy Worth, was of the opinion that Mr. Lacey could have been saved from the accident if the employers had warned him about the changes in the working procedures. The union took a strong stand against such negligence on the part of the employer, terming it as ‘unacceptable’.

Laura Hadfield, the legal counsel for the employee, added that it is the duty of the employers to ensure a safe working environment for their employees and to train them on the procedures to be followed in the organisation. She remarked that even a simple communication lapse in this case had resulted in disastrous consequences for Mr. Lacey, which showed that the employers needed to exercise more care.

Health and safety training such as the coshh courses provided by Workplace Law Training are an ideal way to help avoid accidents like this one.