£9500 in damages for back injury

The failure to act on the advice of a doctor has cost a company £9500 in damages to a former employee. The employee’s GP had written to the company suggesting his back condition would worsen if he were asked to continue lifting heavy objects. Despite this, his bosses declined to act on the doctor’s advice and failed to offer any training in manual handling techniques. As a result, the employee experienced further deterioration of an existing back condition and had to have major surgery on his back. The damages were paid in an out-of-court settlement.