Tameside Council pays compensation to workplace accident claims

Slips, trips and falls as well as manual handling injuries, are just some of the reasons why employees have submitted accident claims against the council over the past three years.

Figures obtained by JF Law found that, since 2022, Tameside Borough Council has paid compensation to a number of successful workplace accident claims made by council employees.

Employees who have been injured in a workplace accident may be able to make a claim for compensation if their employer was at fault, meaning they failed to provide a safe working environment.

Council workers, like many other occupations, could be at risk of suffering an accident at work, which can be a distressing and overwhelming experience.

Tameside Borough Council employs a wide variety of individuals in various departments, including social workers, teachers, and other roles related to housing, traffic and construction.

In 2022, one workplace accident claim was made against Tameside Borough Council, which was the lowest number of claims over the past three years.

A year later, this number increased to 5 claims.

The council has seen the number of claims rise over the past year, with a total of 7.

Councils owe their staff a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and should take every reasonable step to ensure their safety. 

Some examples include conducting regular risk assessments, communicating an up-to-date health and safety policy to all staff, providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and training employees to work safely without harming themselves or others.

Failure to comply with any of the above could constitute a breach of health and safety codes and a breach of their duty of care.

Solicitor for JF Law, Lucy Parker, said: “Councils, like all employers, have a legal obligation and owe a significant duty of care to safeguard their workforce and prevent them from harm.

"Unfortunately, council workers can often be involved in workplace accidents ranging from seemingly minor issues like slips on wet floors and trips on uneven surfaces to more serious incidents involving manual handling and defective equipment.”

JF Law also obtained figures on how much Tameside Borough Council has paid out in compensation for workplace accident claims since 2022.

The council has paid out a total of £1,750 to successful claims over the past three years, with the highest amount coming in 2024/25.

Workplace injuries and illnesses in Britain cost around £21.6 billion annually, impacting over a million workers.

The rate of self-reported non-fatal injuries in Great Britain is currently around 1,890 per 100,000 workers, similar to the pre-coronavirus level of 2018/19. Over the past year, 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents across the country.

Councils and local authorities are responsible for work activities across some of the industry sectors reporting the highest rates of injuries, reflecting the real risks these activities present.

Falls from a height, being struck by a moving vehicle, and being struck by a moving object account for around 70% of fatal injuries.

Tameside Borough Council also revealed the most common causes of accident claims that were made against them.

Slips and trips were the most common cause, with 6 claims submitted, followed by muscle strain, which council employees lodged 3 times.

Lucy Parker said: "Sometimes, workplace accidents could have been avoided with proper risk assessments and safety measures. 

“If you're a council worker who has suffered an injury at work, it's important to seek legal advice to understand whether you have grounds to pursue a claim for compensation.

"Making sure that councils are sticking to their legal responsibilities after an accident is crucial as it can ensure lessons are learned to prevent future incidents."

A Tameside Council spokesperson said: ‘We take the health and safety of our employees extremely seriously and have various measures in place to ensure our work activities are undertaken without putting them, or anyone else, at risk of harm. In the unfortunate event there is an accident we carry out a full investigation into how it has happened and to identify if there are any additional protective measures which need to be put into place to prevent a reoccurrence.”