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BAE systems pay compensation after accident with antiquated machine
Accident with machine at work
A Unite the union member who was injured by an antiquated, faulty machine at work has received compensation from his employers.
The 50-year-old from Barrow in Furness was injured as he attempted to adjust a turntable to make small components as part of his job as a CNC machinist at the BAE Systems factory in Barrow.
When operating a machine which was rusted and defective the crankshaft spun around pinning his left thigh and knee against the table.
Off work for 3 weeks after accident
He was left with a permanent indentation to his left thigh and suffers from pain when doing physical activity. He was off work for 3 weeks whilst he recovered. During that time he lived at a relative’s bungalow because he couldn’t use his stairs at home.
The machinist has worked for BAE Systems for 28 years and the turntable should have been replaced or been repaired to avoid his accident from happening.
He contacted Unite which instructed Thompsons Solicitors to investigate a claim for compensation. Thompsons obtained evidence to prove that his employer was at fault by failing to ensure the equipment was safe and in good working order.
Allowing employees to use faulty equipment
The member said: “The turntable I was using was old, faulty and rusty. I was doing my best to do my job with the equipment I was given. My employers should have made sure that the equipment was well maintained. If they had done then I would not have been injured.”
Paul Finegan, Unite Regional Secretary, added: “BAE Systems is a multi-national company with thousands of staff and a turn over of tens of millions of pounds a year. It is simply unacceptable that it was allowing its employees to use faulty equipment which they could easily have replaced or at the very least maintained to a safe standard.”
Lyndsay Milligan from Thompsons Solicitors said: “Effective risk assessment and maintenance of equipment by this multinational company would have avoided this accident. The machine was faulty, it did not have a quick release mechanism and the employee had not been trained on its use. This catalogue of errors was ultimately due to systemic flaws in health and safety management.”
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