Personal injury in teaching
One might not expect teaching to be a particularly dangerous job, certainly in terms of physical injury. However, a recent revelation has given us an insight into the sort of injuries teachers face on a daily basis.
Details of compensation claims emerged ahead of the two teachers’ union conferences – the NUT (National Union of Teachers) and NASUWT (The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers), which was held over the Easter weekend.
The latter revealed that last year it had won £16mil in compensation for its members. Here are some of the cases:
Slipped Disk
The most serious was for a teacher who received £185,000 after suffering from a slipped disk. This was caused by a pupil who was disrupting her class. The pupil knocked the 53-year old over onto the shiny floor of the sports hall.
Faulty chair
A claim of £100,000 was awarded to a teacher that sat on a faulty chair. As he sat down the chair fell apart causing head, back, neck and leg injuries.
Finger fracture
A defective door knob caused a teacher’s finger to fracture. A pay out of just under£4,500 was awarded.
Not just physical
A £46,000 claim was given to a teacher that suffered severe psychological injuries following a sustained campaign of bullying and harassment by a senior leadership.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
“School employers are responsible for the health and safety of staff and pupils whether the local authority, governing body or academy trust and they must adhere to the Health and Safety Act 1974.”
This is not a new revelation for Jackson Lees. Our team have acted for teachers in the past and understand that the profession can cause serious physical and mental issues, through no fault of the teacher.
No one should fear getting injured whilst at work, and the appropriate steps need to be taken by employers to ensure that it does not happen. If you have suffered an injury at work then you may be able to claim for compensation. Please click here for a call back or message us your enquiry.