Worker wins payout following employers failure to provide adequate footwear

This case illustrates the importance for employers to ensure that they provide adequate footwear for their employees.

A refuge worker who complained about his ill-fitting boots and went on to suffer a nasty foot complaint, received £3000 in compensation. His employers failed to replace his boots after he complained about the fact that they did not fit him properly.

In the end he was forced to wear his own shoes against the strict health & safety regulations adopted by refuge workers. In delaying the replacement of the footwear for over 4 months, the employers breached the The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPE at Work) and were found responsible for the foot injury that the employee suffered.

The main requirement of the PPE at Work Regulations is that personal protective equipment is to be supplied and used at work wherever there is a potential risk to health and safety that cannot be otherwise controlled. Any worker who is injured at work due to an employers negligence may be entitled to claim compensation.

The claimant / employee in this case was represented by nationwide union solicitors - Thompsons.