Glasgow City Council has refused to pay a £2,500 bill for dental work for a P.E.teacher whose teeth were broken in an accident at work.
In 2009, the 58 year old woman attempted to stop a fight between two pupils at a special school. A punch to the mouth left her with substantial damage to her teeth.
The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) wrote to the council making a compensation claim, but the council denied negligence and stated that any claim for personal injury was invalid and even refused to allow her time off for visits to the dentist.
Scottish law is different from that in England and Wales, but the duty of care is based upon the same principles. Employers must ensure that employees are protected from unsafe or unhealthy environments or practices in the workplace, including protection form psychological aspects such as bullying and stress.
Glasgow City Council has a duty of care to provide a safe environment for both staff and pupils at the school. By intervening in the fight, the teacher was essentially maintaining safety for the pupils and the injury she sustained constituted a workplace accident.
Anne Balinger, the General Secretary of the SSTA, warned that teachers have been placed in a very difficult position and may be “less inclined” to intervene in future if full support from local authorities was not guaranteed. Glasgow Council said teachers should weigh up personal risks before getting involved in any playground incidents.
Related Personal Injury News
- 9 million paid out in compensation claims to teachers
- Midlothian Council pays out £40k for accidents at work in schools
- Massive payouts for school children hurt in accidents
- Teacher wins compensation for work related stress
- £18 million paid in personal injury compensation by schools in single year
[...] Glasgow Teacher Gets Punched in Mouth, Denied Compensation. From Scotland we have the recent news story about a 58-year old teacher who tried to stop two pupils from fighting, but was punched in the mouth, breaking her teeth. The Glasgow City Council refused to pay the bill for dental work or allow the teacher time off to see a dentist. The Council sent a strong message to teachers that they should think twice before getting involved in playground scuffles with students. Read more [...]
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