£30,000 for Aberdeen social worker who tripped on stairs

A social worker who broke her arm in a work fall has been awarded £30,000.

UNISON member Morag Holtes, 49, thought she caught her heel on a bulge in the stair carpet when she fell at the Aberdeenshire Council offices in Stonehaven in 2003.

Thompsons Solicitors, acting for Morag, claimed that a proper inspection would have shown that the staircase did not meet the standards for office use.

At the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Lord Turnbull ruled the council had failed to act on previous complaints.

Mrs Holtes said she tripped and fell head first, with no chance of saving herself, as she came down the staircase. She told the court the steps were too narrow to put her foot down properly and said an ill-fitting carpet made things worse.

Philip Glen, a consulting engineer, told the court that the staircase was a hazard as it was very steep and had narrow treads, and that it did not meet the criteria for office use. A bulge in the carpet increased the risk of an accident and no risk assessment had been carried out.

The damages figure of £30,000 had been agreed in advance, and the judge found the council at fault for the accident.

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