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BBC NEWS | UK | England | Hampshire | Caretaker wins ladder fall case


A school caretaker has successfully sued Hampshire County Council after he was injured falling off a stepladder.

Anthony Gower-Smith, 73, fell off the 6ft (180cm) stepladder at Awbridge Primary School in Romsey in 2004.
In court, he claimed his employer had not shown him how to use the ladder. The council denied negligence.

Coc-ker

iTrader: (1)

Rediculous. Makes me think I'm missing a trick, but I just couldn't do it.

rob878

Is it just me that thinks these stories are a bit

"hello i've been immensely stupid, any chance of a pay out?"

I moved an aircraft jack the other day and speared a split pin into my hand, it never crossed my mind that i could claim as no-one has actually told me how to move it. The split pin speared my hand because i was a clumsy ******.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Yes, but have the management done a risk assessment on said item and procedures...

CLAIM !

LOL

DunxC

The Zohan

You would have thought after 73 years the dumb sh*t would know how to use a ladder, the problem is likely more to do with age and loosing mental and physical faculties.

I remember 10 or so years ago working on an roadshow for VAG, one of the speakers was on about H&S, etc ans sighted as pure madness a case in the states where a man successfully sued a ladder company for not putting a 'STOP' sticker on the top rung.

Everybody LOL at how ridiculous it was.

Now we are where the states was a few years back with people not taking responsibility for their actions or in-actions. On of the problems of a nanny state is people stop thinking and let others do it for them...

cster

What a **** - shame he didn't kill himself.
Standing on the top of a step ladder at 73 years of age
Alzheimers maybe?

scoobynewbie72

iTrader: (1)

I work for a large power supply company and have a handyman to look after certain office blocks, We had a issue with the new fire alarm so a engineer and his boss turn up, ask to use the site steps " sorry but we dont have any", we arent allowed to even have a set on site until he has done his ladder and steps course, the guy is 60 and been doing DIY for years and years but isnt allowed a set of steps yet, so it looks like we have the rules set high enough to cover these silly times, Just a shame people arent born with any common sense anymore as thats all it takes imho.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Ok, he has one himself a few quid, fantastic but this case will perhaps make companies think more about employing older workers and cause working time to be lost as everyone gets sent on a "Portable Vertical Access Systems Course".

All this claiming is getting silly, when did we stop being responsible for our own actions ?

I need to do my hedge but its so high I cant risk using the step ladder, I have to use the highest step, on grass whilst holding a Hedge Trimmer at full stretch, I did a risk asssesment and said **** that.

So, people can claim all they like but don't moan when you arent allowed to do anything anymore, health and safety used to be for protecting health and safety, now its being used to cover organisations from being scammed by people who watch too many Sky daytime adverts,

"I had a fall at work because I am a clumsy ****, the Greedy and aggressive claims co made twenty grand and gave me two and I am as happy as a Pig in **** cos I can buy a big telly to show off to the neighbours"

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Another example that the World & the UK have gone mad ... real shame This country seems to go downhill every week.

TX.

Leslie

PC Plonkers rule ok I am afraid! I hear that Health and Safety are to insist that all stepladders are to have arm rails up the side now and that we should all take a course on how to use them!

Won't be long before we have to hire a professional to change a light bulb-low energy one of course! One of those that uses more energy to make and to dispose of than it saves in electricity over a normal one!

Les

dpb

wouldnt mind betting his offspring put him up for makin the claim

- well they prolly thought in a couple of years time pops is going to need caring for and this money might come in handy.

boxst

Doesn't that happen already? I was in an office a while back (can't remember if it was a council) and the light wasn't working. The new bulb was on the desk but no-one could change it until the company came that changed bulbs.

Steve

GarethE

iTrader: (1)

I've been in the position where I turned up to take photographs for a Government body of one of the ministers at a photocall - I was working for them. While discussing the photocall with the PR rep the day before I requested a stepladder in order to get a higher viewpoint, I only needed to be 3 or 4 feet above ground level - no problem I was told, they'd sort it.

I turned up the following day to take the photographs and was told that I couldn't have a step ladder as I hadn't been on a training course, FFS. I could have easily stood on a nearby low wall and take the photographs if I had wanted to, but not qualified to use a step ladder.

It will get to the stage where you will need a license to enter the death trap that is B&Q/Wickes, and a retinal scan to get to the step ladders, roller-brushes and paint sample pots.

Gareth

exvaux

iTrader: (1)

sometimes common sense needs to take precedent over H&S i mean would the wright brothers have bothered if they had to fill out all the forms and risk assessments required to make the first powered flight in an untested,home built aircraft?And haveing seen some of the older aircraft the raf used im sure we'd have lost the battle of britain if the busybodies had their way with risk assesments etc nothin would have got off the ground.

Eddie1980

I hate it when I cannot find a set of steps in a work environment because they have a no steps policy....

Generally end up in me using a wheely chair...... yer thats safe!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Yes, thats good point, humans need to take risks to progress, nowadays that may be getting more difficult due to all the rules.