Greasy floors, ripped carpets, filthy toilets and grubby kitchens are some of the hazards faced by many staff at work, warns a report.
Researchers examined offices, shops, factories, warehouses and building sites, as well as quizzing workers. They found that 69 per cent condemned their workplace as a health hazard, with some even labelling their colleagues as unhygienic. Greasy floors, ripped carpets, filthy toilets and grubby kitchens are some of the hazards faced by many staff at work, warns a report.
Just over a third said they had caught an illness at their place of employment, with 18 per cent claiming they went down with food poisoning or a stomach bug from dirty conditions.
Almost four in ten have suffered an injury at work, while half this proportion had been to hospital due to a work-related illness or injury. Other complaints centered on broken chairs and unsafe wiring in the survey of 1,000-plus workers by personal injury solicitors Hayward Baker. Almost half of staff went to managers but many saw no improvements.
According to the research, just 16 per cent of British workers sought legal advice after suffering an injury, with the average claim for compensation being £24,931.
Researchers found that 69 per cent condemned their workplace as a health hazard, with some even labelling their colleagues as unhygienic fractures – and serious enough for workers to make a claim against their employer.
Other common workplace injuries are cuts (27 per cent) and strained backs (20 per cent).
The more ‘severe’ accidents that followed an injury at work include dislocations (nine per cent) and a further six per cent had lost a limb or body part as result of their injury.
And almost a fifth (21 per cent) said they have had an accident at work which wasn’t their fault, while a further 18 per cent admit they have suffered an accident which was their fault.
First published in the Daily Mail on 23 August 2016