A bank cashier has won compensation after she fractured her ankle at work when she fell down a step.

Jackie Edwards had been seconded to a different branch of Lloyds TSB from the one where she usually worked. She was carrying two metal boxes from the safe to the cashiers and fell as she was passing through a doorway because she failed to notice that there was a step. She fractured her left ankle, sprained her right ankle and also hurt her knee. No signs had been posted to warn employees of the step.

After the accident, Mrs Edwards was forced to take six months off work. While she was recovering, she had to get help to look after her disabled son and care for her elderly mother as she was unable to do so herself.

Mrs Edwards brought the claim against her employer, which agreed a compensation settlement of £9,000.

Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees from reasonably foreseeable injuries. In Mrs Edwards’ case, the presence of a simple warning sign could have prevented her accident. Health and safety legislation places a duty of care on employers to identify potential hazards in the workplace, evaluate the risks these pose and take measures to protect employees as far as is reasonably practicable. Risk assessments must be kept up to date and all employees made aware of the potential dangers in the workplace.