Thursday January 12, 2012 at 9:27am
Irene Heslop an ex-Asda worker has won £27,000 in compensation after suffering a serious back injury due to slipping on a broken egg. The accident occurred in an Asda store warehouse in March 2007 where she worked.
Mrs Heslop was employed in the Asda store as a bakery assistant for seven years prior to the accident. Following the accident, she was left unable to walk long distances or use heavy equipment. She currently needs to receive regular injections and acupuncture to aid her recovery.
Despite her request to return to work on lighter duties once she had partially recovered, Mrs Heslop was told that there were no such positions open.
Since the accident, Mrs Heslop has been unable to work. Doctors at Manchester Royal Infirmary confirmed as part of the slip compensation claim, that Mrs Heslop’s lifestyle had been ‘considerably curtailed’ by the accident, and although they had been unable to agree upon the exact extent of her back injuries, one specialist was convinced that she had suffered a fracture to her spine.
Mrs Heslop claims that Asda could and should have settled far earlier to avoid the on-going discomfort of a now retired former employee.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, a private detective was twice sent by the management of the store to film Mrs Helsop and to prove she was able to work.
It was only during the case, three years later, that Mrs Heslop realised she had been followed. She said that she felt sick when she saw the footage; she thought that it seemed so over the top for them to follow her around and invade her privacy like that.
Mrs Heslop has since paid the Department of Work and Pensions £6,000 out of her settlement to pay back the industrial injury benefit she claimed once her statutory sick pay ended after six months of injury hell.
An Asda spokeswoman said that health and safety of all their customers and colleagues is their biggest priority and if Asda fall short of their high standards, they would work to put things right.