Just over £27 million was paid out in accident compensation to public sector victims of workplace injuries in 2010, new research has shown.
Employees who have been injured in an accident at work that was not their fault have the right to claim accident compensation afterwards. The money can then be used to cover wages lost as a result of the accident alongside hefty medical bills.
The Daily Express reported that there were more than 4,000 accident at work cases brought last year. Some of the most widely covered claims last year included a teacher which was awarded £150,000 in accident compensation after she damaged her throat shouting in a classroom.
One employer was recently jailed to failing to pay the £6,000 accident compensation he owed to his employee, who was blinded in one eye following an accident with a firework.
Dave Prentis, Unison general secretary said, "Employers have a duty of care and where they fail; workers and their families deserve compensation for the pain and suffering caused."
Whilst legal proceedings being brought as a result of personal injury have fallen over the last three years – according to The Claims Standards Council – compensation payouts following work accidents remain costly for employers with large numbers of staff, such as the NHS.