Door closer is work equipment

The House of Lords has decided in a Scottish claim that a door closer is work equipment within the meaning of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The claimant was employed as a technician on the Tartan Alpha platform in the Scottish sector of the North Sea. The closer on the door of the central control room was not working properly and he was asked to inspect and repair it. He decided to remove it, but before doing so he tried to assess the level of tension in the linkage arm by backing off by half a turn the screw which held it to the door frame. This should not have disengaged the screw but in fact the screw pulled out and the arm struck him in the face. He lost four teeth which had to be replaced by implants.