Worker may seek compensation over accident at work

A man may seek compensation over damage he suffered to his leg while at work.

In October 2008, the individual was working on a building site in the north-west of England when he was hit by falling rubble.

As a result, he sustained a serious brake to the limb and investigators say the damage could have been considerably worse.

It was found that a concrete block pillar, used to support the first and second floors of an office block, had been resting on the ground floor instead of going all the way down to the foundations.

Commenting on the case, Allen Shute from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: "It is common sense that the pillar supporting the floors should have gone into the foundations, and not just rested on the floor below."

He added that other businesses should learn from this mistake.

HSE figures suggest that there were a total of 246,000 reportable injuries suffered by workers in 2008-09, which was down on the 299,000 recorded during the previous 12-month period.