Case study: over £5,000 for laundry porter pricked by insulin needle

Our personal injury solicitors helped a client to claim compensation after he pricked his finger on a used insulin needle at work, causing him psychological injury.

Accident circumstances

Our client, Mr C, was a laundry porter at a hotel and was sorting out the cleaning supply cupboard. Unfortunately, unknown to him, an insulin needle had been left in a cleaning caddy that he was cleaning and he pricked his finger underneath the nail. As a result, he required three vaccinations for Hepatitis B and three blood tests to ascertain whether he had been infected. Mr C had these vaccinations/tests over a period of six months and his doctors were not able to confirm whether he had been infected until the end of this period. Mr C suffered psychologically as a result.

Claim for workplace injury

Mr C instructed our personal injury solicitors to claim compensation for his injury at work.

We submitted the claim to the Defendant’s insurers, alleging they failed to ensure there was adequate training for employees on disposing of sharps and needles, providing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and failing to perform any sufficient risk assessments.

Liability was accepted.

Medical reports obtained

Our Personal Injury team obtained medical reports from specialists to determine the full extent of Mr C’s injuries following the accident.

As Mr C was suffering psychologically, we instructed a Clinical Psychologist to examine him, discuss his symptoms since the accident (as well as any relevant pre-accident history) and prepare a report.

We obtained Mr C’s GP records for medical review and the report confirmed that:

• Mr C was suffering from disturbed sleep, loss of confidence, low mood and negative thoughts.
• Mr C continue with the recommended treatment for psychotherapy, anxiety and depression and obtain a further report in six months following completion.

At this time, our client had his final blood test and was given the all-clear and continued the treatment that he had been undergoing.

Claim for financial losses

Our team began to collate details of Mr C’s financial losses. These included the cost of the psychotherapy treatment, loss of earnings for his time off of work, and travel expenses to and from appointments.

We requested an interim payment from the Defendant’s insurers to assist in funding the recommended treatment which was paid to Mr C.

Settlement offer

After receiving our interim payment request, the Defendant’s insurers made a surprise offer of £5,800 in full and final settlement of the claim.

Although we had not yet had the final medical report from the psychologist, we were able to value the claim based on the first medical report and subsequent updates from Mr C following the completion of his treatment and his final blood test. We advised Mr C that the amount was not unreasonable and opted to accept the offer of £5,800.

Contact our workplace injury solicitors in Bristol

If you’ve suffered an injury because of a workplace accident that wasn’t your fault, you could be eligible to claim compensation.

Contact a member of our team today for a free, no-obligation consultation on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.