Teachers' compensation payouts hit £180,000

Published on Thursday 27 December 2007 20:46

THE catalogue of injuries suffered by teachers in Scottish schools was revealed today, with compensation totalling more than £180,000 paid out to staff this year.

The highest single payment of the 180,300 paid out in compensation was 38,000 for psychiatric injury caused by the false allegation of a pupil and lack of support from the employers.

Among the other successful claims was 1,750 for a teacher who sustained serious damage after a kick to the groin, and another who received 2,300 after a punch in the face caused a fractured cheekbone and broken nose.

Interim payments have also been made to a teacher who suffered psychiatric injury after an assault, and another who suffered internal injury and post-traumatic shock after being kicked by a pupil. A further 70,000 was paid in legal costs to employees.

Ronnie Smith, the general secretary of the EIS, Scotland's largest teaching union, described the amount paid out as "extremely worrying".

He added: "The number of incidents remains far too high and the amount of compensation paid out is actually up slightly on last year.

"Teachers, in common with many other public-service workers, are far too often on the receiving end of assaults in the course of their work.

"Employers have a duty to assess and minimise the risk facing teachers, and also to send a clear message that violent conduct, physical or verbal, will not be tolerated."

As well as attacks by pupils, teachers also suffered psychiatric illness as a result of their job.

Mr Smith said: "Occupational stress is a major problem facing teachers and lecturers. The growth in the number of cases involving psychiatric injury and stress-related illness should provide a stark warning to employers that they must take account of their employees' mental, as well as physical, wellbeing.

"Stress-related illness and other injuries to mental health are extremely serious and can take a huge toll on the individual concerned."

Also in the list of payments was a PE teacher who received 8,000 after losing his voice because of "environment/ acoustic conditions".

Meanwhile, falls were revealed to have generated the most payments for teachers. A teacher was awarded 20,000 after a slip in a corridor, while carrying a large box, caused hand and wrist injuries and another received 1,500 after a back injury caused by the collapse of a piano chair.

One teacher received 8,500 after slipping on a wet floor, and another was given 5,000 when a trip over a schoolbag caused facial injuries and a detached retina.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "A slip, trip or a fall is the most common accident in almost every area of life, whether it be in the home, out and about or in the workplace.

"A school is a place of work as well as being an educational establishment and sometimes a fall will have very serious consequences, particularly in areas where there is equipment lying about such as a school."

Liz Smith, the Scottish Conservatives' schools spokeswoman, said: "The teaching profession has to be protected, but there has to be a little common sense about what is an accident, what is an attack, and what quite frankly is somebody just trying it on.

"Yes there are accidents. School safety procedures have improved a lot, but people will try it on for all sorts of compensation."

The figures, published by EIS, show payments made by employers and criminal compensation paid to EIS members in the last year.

AWARDS MADE TO STAFF IN 2007

&#149 Teacher slipped in corridor, carrying large box, injuries to hand and wrist: 20,000.

&#149 PE teacher, voice loss due to environmental/ acoustic conditions: 8,000.

&#149 Psychiatric injury as a result of being prosecuted following false allegations and lack of support from employer: 38,000.

&#149 Psychiatric injury following assault: 2,000 criminal interim award.

&#149 Internal injury and post-traumatic shock due to assault, kicked by pupil: 1,000 interim.

&#149 Teacher punched in face, cheekbone fractured and nose broken: 2,300.

&#149 Injury to shoulder when hit by a cupboard door which fell off its hinges: 3,000.

&#149 Tripped over school bag, facial injuries and detached retina 5,000.

&#149 Teacher struck by lever from trampoline caused cut to jaw and lost fillings: 2,500.

&#149 Teacher kicked in groin, sustaining serious damage: 1,750.

&#149 TV trolley collapsing while being pushed by teacher causing fall, bruising and soft-tissue damage to arm: 3,000.

&#149 Injured back following collapse of piano chair: 1,500.

&#149 Slip due to snow being brought in and floor wet, fracturing wrist: 8,500.

&#149 Fall from ladder during preparations for school play, fractured leg: 10,000.

&#149 Slip on litter in stairwell, injuries to knee 750.

&#149 Teacher tripped on loose carpet, injuries to lower back: 9,000.

&#149 Teacher tripped in pot hole, injury to ankle: 2,500.