Man who fell at work awarded €110,000 after not getting 'specific training in the task of collecting post'

An ESB employee who slipped and fell on stairs as he was collecting post has been awarded a total of €110,000 by the High Court.

Man who fell at work awarded €110,000 after not getting 'specific training in the task of collecting post'

By Ann O'Loughlin

An ESB employee who slipped and fell on stairs as he was collecting post has been awarded a total of €110,000 by the High Court.

Ms Bronagh O'Hanlon found that Terence Morgan who had worked with the ESB for about 38 years did not get specific training in the task of collecting post which he had performed over a number of years.

Mr Morgan hurt his shoulder in the fall, was out of work for over four months and is left with ongoing pain.

The judge said it was the view of the court that a problem with the nosing on the steps combined with the wetness caused Mr Morgan to slip and fall very heavily down a number of steps causing a severe and continuous injury to his left shoulder.

While Mr Morgan had inadvertently carried parcels in both hands, the judge ruled it still did not amount to contributory negligence on his part in view of the absence of specific training.

"This accident was reasonably foreseeable and the ESB had given no specific training on collection and delivery of post," the judge said.

Ms Justice O'Hanlon noted it was accepted by both sides that the ESB is fastidious in terms of its emphasis on safety, protocol and investigation.

Terence Morgan (60) of Drumnacarra, Ravensdale, Dundalk, Co Louth had sued the ESB over the fall on the stairs at the ESB offices, Avenue Road, Dundalk where he collected posted to bring down to the franking machine.

He had told the court he was stepping from a landing to the first step on the lower flight of stairs when his feet went from him and he slipped, dropping the post, and fell down some more steps.

He was sore and winded and went back up the stairs picking up the parcels he had dropped and he said he noticed water on the landing and the first step. He got a cloth and dried the landing and went home early from work but had to go to hospital the next day.

Ms Justice O'Hanlon said Mr Morgan came across as a very credible witness who did not appear in court to overstate his complaints. His account of the accident and how it occurred was consistent with his account to medical doctors treating him and he did not exaggerate his injury in any sense.

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