£55,000 damages for chip shop fall

A man who fell onto a concrete floor in the fish and chip shop where he worked has won £55,000 in compensation.

The man was placing some stock in an overhead storage area when the accident happened. He slipped and fell through a ceiling hatch onto the floor below, sustaining serious injuries.

The man had no memory of how long he lay on the floor before help arrived. Eventually, a colleague found him and he was rushed to hospital. He was found to have a ruptured spleen, cracked ribs, a punctured lung and damage to his right shoulder. He had an operation to remove his spleen and will have to remain on antibiotics indefinitely. Formerly an active man, he now has restricted mobility and suffers from excessive tiredness.

A claim was brought against the man’s former employer for health and safety failures, as the ceiling hatch had neither grab-handles nor support rails.

Employers have a duty to provide a safe working environment, which includes carrying out assessments to identify action necessary to prevent any reasonably foreseeable accidents.

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