Council worker accepted £3000 settlement over ill-fitting work boots

A refuse collector received £3000 worth of damages after he developed the inflammatory disease planatar fascilitis through wearing work boots that did not fit correctly. Refuse collectors are required to wear safety boots to protect their feet at work and their employer usually provides these.

The council employee was allocated the new boots and after walking 30 miles during the course of two normal working days, discovered that they were extremely uncomfortable and causing him a great deal of foot pain. The man returned the boots, requesting replacements, but there were none available at the time.

It was another four months before his employer took any action and adequate replacement safety footwear was provided. During that time, the refuse collector wore his own training shoes to work; a situation that he thought was not acceptable. Apart from the safety aspect, the man said that he was concerned that his employer did not seem to see the urgency of the matter and so he sought the help of a solicitor and his union to address the issue.

The injured employee obtained evidence from his doctor to state that he was suffering from planatar fascilitis; a swelling of the heel caused by his badly fitting work boots, but his employer refused to recognise the medical documentation as evidence of the condition and would not accept liability.

It was not until a specialist consultant podiatrist was asked to submit a more detailed report, that the council chose to offer an out of court settlement of £3000 which the injured worker chose to accept.