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£60,000 payout for Selston worker
A SELSTON council worker whose hands have been permanently damaged after using vibrating tools at work has been given £60,000 in compensation.
Landscape gardener Andrew Bowler has been forced to work a three-day week after developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome while working for Nottinghamshire County Council.
The 51-year-old used vibrating tools on a daily basis while working for the council’s landscape services department for almost 30 years.
The excessive vibration led to tingling in his hands and fingers, numbness and muscle weakness, and he was eventually diagnosed with the condition in 2008.
He had surgery on his hands in an attempt to relieve the condition – but medics told him he would be disabled for life.
His solicitors argued the council should have been aware of the dangers of using excessive vibrating machinery and made sure Mr Bowler’s work was varied or the vibrations from the tools lessened.
The council admitted liability and settled the claim out of court.
Mr Bowler is still working for the council, but is now only able to manage a three-day week and is in a supervisory role no longer using vibrating tools.
He said: “I’ve got to live with this condition for the rest of my life. I can no longer look after my garden or do DIY which I loved.”
Ashling King from Thompson Solicitors in Nottingham, who represented Mr Bowler, said: “Nottinghamshire County Council should have had a monitoring system in place for all its employees using vibrating tools to make sure they were not exposed to dangerous levels.
“Their failure to do so has left our client permanently disabled.”
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire County Council said: “This is a private matter between the council and one of its employees. We don’t feel it’s appropriate to comment further.”
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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