Janitor wins 30,000

A school janitor from Inverclyde was covering for a colleague at another school. Whe he arrived at the school in the morning, it was very cold and there was ice on the paths. He stared salting the paths. Later on, two pupils drew his attention to a condom at the top of a fire escape. He clibmed up to dispose of it and in so doing, he slipped and inured his back and leg. He was unable to return to work so Inverclyde Council terminated his contract.

In Court, the judge found that although the school had a written policy in place to cover the procedure for such an incident, it had never been put into place. The janitor was awarded £30,000 in compensation.

Harris & Co accountants Northampton say that employers should identify any areas of the workplace that are likely to be affected by freezing conditions and assess the risks. They should have in place a procedure to prevent ice forming when freezing temperatures are forecast and follow it as well as making sure that suitable footwear, clothing and equipment are provided to staff to enable them to do their job.