Settlement for tennis elbow repetitive strain injury
Our client was employed as a line operative. Her job involved opening boxes of skillets, turning the open box upside down, emptying the skillets onto a conveyor then placing a weight against the upright skillets. After performing this task for 30 minutes she was then required to lift flat pack cases from a pallet and place them into a magazine on a case packer.
As a result of the repetitive nature of this work our client was diagnosed with tennis elbow. She instructed Shoosmiths to bring a claim against her employers and we obtained supporting statements from colleagues, a number of whom were experiencing similar problems and felt that the system of work needed to be changed.
Despite these statements and evidence, her employers disputed responsibility for our client's injuries. We instructed a leading expert in the field of Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD) who confirmed the diagnosis made by our client’s treating consultants. Following the commencement of court proceedings, the parties both instructed their own ergonomic experts.
Our expert concluded it was our client’s work that either caused or contributed to her upper limb problems. The defendant's expert was of the opinion the work our client was required to undertake exposed her to no foreseeable risk of sustaining any work related upper limb disorder.
Since it was apparent that ours would be the more compelling argument, the case settled less than two weeks prior to the final court hearing.
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This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is recommended that specific professional advice is sought before acting on any of the information given. © Shoosmiths LLP 2024
