A care worker at a day care centre for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients in Leeds met with severe head injuries due to a sudden jerk from a bath seat. The injured women recovered after three months of rest and an extensive treatment.

The mishap occurred when the victim was giving bath to a patient on a bath seat. The seat got trapped on a defective bath panel when she shifted it to assist the patient to come out of the bath. This resulted in a quick jerk causing head injuries to the victim.

Following the accident she took assistance from her union, the GMB which directed Thompsons Solicitors to file accidental claims against the day care centre. Leeds City Council, which manages the unit, owned up the liability and granted 4000 pounds to the victim in an out of court settlement. The council has now started using improved bathing equipments at its day centre.

Tim Roache of the GMB however feels that the council should not have waited for the legal action to provide safe and well maintained equipment to its staff.

Kevin Hughes from Thompsons Solicitors believes the accident could have been averted if the employers had shown enough responsibility to safeguard their workers. Though the victim got injured in a seemingly harmless manner, her injury was comparable to that received in a car accident, he said. This is where NEBOSH Training for company health and safety managers can be of benefit to organisations. The course (NEBOSH Certificate) enables you to identify risks to employees in the workplace and put together assessments to ensure that they do not result in injury.