Thompsons personal injury solicitors in Scotland were contacted by the claimant, a nuclear welder, via his union, UNITE, regarding the injuries he sustained when working in a confined space on board a submarine in September 2018.

The background

The claimant, an employee of Babock International Group in Scotland, was working at her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde (Faslane) on essential submarine maintenance work.

On the day in question, our client was attempting to access a site on board a submarine in order to carry out welding work. The weld site was difficult to access and our client had to squeeze in behind some pipes. He became trapped and sustained a number of injuries including bruises, lacerations and a minor rib fracture.

The consequences

The immediate impact of the pipes on his rib cage left the claimant screaming in pain. He managed to free himself from the confined space and later sought medical attention from his GP.

He was forced to take two weeks off work, required assistance from his wife at home and experienced a period of reduced leisure activity until his recovery around four months on from the date of the incident.

The settlement

After negotiations with Thompsons personal injury solicitors in Scotland, insurance company Aviva, acting for Babcock International Group, made an offer of £3,570 in respect of the confined space work injury claim.

This was accepted and the case was settled on 15 November 2019.